Changing KEY With Diminished Chords Made Easy [Music Theory]
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The diminished chord is one of the most versatile chord in music. It can do things that other chords can't do, and it resolves a number of problems in an elegant and practical way.
(Just to be precise, here I'm talking about the diminished 7th chord, not just the diminished triad. I'll explain it exactly in the video below)
Today we see one of the applications of the diminished chord to the problem of modulation. What is modulation?
Modulation in music means "changing key". There are many reasons to change key in a music piece - for variety, for emotional expression, to create special effect.
The main challenge here is to do change key in a smooth way i.e. connecting the two keys in a way that 'leads' the listener from the former key to the next one without any bump in the way.
The diminished chord offers one super-easy way to do just that.
In this video we will take a very simple chord progression in 8 different keys, and we will see how a diminished chord can connect these 8 keys seamlessly. Once you have seen this trick, you will be able to use it immediately in your own music.
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I love how human and uplifting is your intro. Great video
You've managed to explain something that has utterly eluded me. You're a wonderful teacher.
Happy to hear it!
@@MusicTheoryForGuitar I can only second that. Well done indeed, sir!
super master. thanks.
Thanks. This is *so* interesting. I just wish I could keep up with you. It takes me *so* long to process this. . .
One step at a time, you can do it!
Thanks! Great info and useful.
Very cool lesson :)
At the end of the video you say that G7 is the V chord on the key of C major and also on the key of C minor. But for what I know there is no G7 chord as the V chord in the key of C minor, there is only Gm7, since the key of C minor is Cm (I), D° (II), Eb(III), Fm(IV), Gm(V), Ab(VI), Bb(VII). What can I be missing here? Thanks!
In minor you can take chords from the Harmonic Minor scale.
@@MusicTheoryForGuitar Thanks I will check that.
Diminished chords are the gates to other dimensions
True!
One of the gates
You can also put it this way: You can modulate to any Key a half step up away of any note from your dim. chord (directly)... ex. Bdim. to C or Eb or Gb or A
Yes
This makes everything easier but Im still glad to get to know the drill to transform to other keys
"So next time you wield a diminished chord, wield it irresponsibly"
I LOVE this! :)
jacob collier hahahahaha
As I sit here designing a math test for my online students, I receive the notification of a new MTFG video, and I realize that this is one of the highlights of my week.
Wow, thank you!
there are 3 diminished chords 1 b3 b5, 1 b3 b5 bb7 = dim7, 1 b3 b5 b7= half dim or m7(b5)
So I am getting that there are only really three diminished chords since regardless of where on the fretboard you play them they repeat at minor third intervals. Is this correct - only three actual diminished chords just changing names as they move through the three intervals?
Also you can use the minor transition to reach a major key. E.g. C F G7 Bo Bb7 Ebm Abm Bb7 Eb .. gives a lovely melodic feel
This lesson opened my mind. Very helpful....Thank you, brother. 🙏
Something I noticed that may be of use:
For a Bo chord the resulting modulation keys are C,Eb,Gb,A which are the notes in the Co chord.
So, for an easy reminder, any given diminished chord can be used to modulate to any key from the isolated notes of the diminished chord half a step above. This can be useful to save some time and be aware of the possibilities of modulation while writing, without having to think too much.
Regarding the minor keys, they are simply the relative minor keys to the major ones, so that should be no big deal.
Peace!
Well spotted!! thank you this is so helpful :)
Flavio Lima Música - Txá what do you mean with the last sentance?
Flavio Lima Música - Txá thanks! That is a very useful short cut to what was explained on the video!
@@Bozzigmupp i mean, he points the keys as if there were eight of them in total, 4 major ones, 4 minor ones, but these minor ones are simply the relative minor to the 4 major keys he spoke of earlier.
That means you can think of the whole thing as 4 keys, with their relative minors.
For instance, in the same example i gave, you have the keys of
C = Aminor
Eb = Cminor
Gb = Ebminor
A = Gbminor
It's always the same 4 letters, see?
Qué grande! Bien visto.
Plants by crumb uses the symmetry of dim7 chords very well
Brilliant explanation as ever .. thank you
Thank you very much for your video. This is a great trick! The only thing I dont understand is that at 9:56 you say that, G7 is in a key of C minor, but I do think so. Isnt it Gmin7 that is in the C minor scale on the fifth position? The dominant chord in C minor would then be Bb7. Am I getting something wrong?
In a minor key you can also take chords from the harmonic minor scale. So G7 is an option in C minor. In Cm, Bb7 is a dominant chord in the sense that it's contains a major 3 and a minor 7, but is't not 'the' dominant chord of the key: that is always the 5th chord of the key. (The word 'dominant' has two meanings). For more details, see this playlist: th-cam.com/video/kXVfzYKYvCI/w-d-xo.html
MusicTheoryForGuitar I tought the harmonic minor scale takes its name from the re-enharmonization of the minor scale in order to get a fifth degree which would be seventh and find again the tension-resolve move as it’s found in the major scale.
The minor scale is wrongly called a scale to me but would be more the aeolian mode of the major scale.
In this mode the fifth is not dominant (no triton or tension) hence the need for a new scale.
Thanks so much for your videos and i really appreciate the way you share your knowledge,
it must be a pain in the a.. all these comments to correct a sentence here and there ;)
You are saving me!
I have to compose a piece which modulates every 12 bars (for school, don't ask) and I ran out of ideas of modulation.
Thank you^^.
Fantastic! You may find this helpful too: th-cam.com/video/KqpZTAg6ltw/w-d-xo.html
@@MusicTheoryForGuitar I do, thank you!
very good info thank you...really appreciate it..
Barry Harris, anyone? Great lesson, Tommaso!
Thank you Tommaso! Diminished chords are my weakest so I really appreciate this lesson!! Incredibly valuable to me :)
Great to hear!
Great! but I have a question. dont you think its irelevant to use the dom.7 chords you are using after the dim. chord?? I could go from Bdim. directly to Eb or Gbm right? the dim. and does dom, chords have just 1 note different... thanks
Yes, you can eliminate one or both dominant chords.
@@MusicTheoryForGuitar Great! thankyou!
is this the secret sauce of the stellar Bach's harmony 🤩
There's no such a thing as 'diminished chords'. We only have diminished TRIADS or diminished SEVENTH chords, and they ain't the same thing at all, although most guitarist think that the one is as good as the other.
Since we are nitpicking, I have to answer that it is very common (at least among Jazz players) to refer to "diminished chords" as a shorthand for the diminished family of chords, that includes the dim triad, the dim7th, and the half dim (m7/b5). Exactly in the same way as a Jazz player will simply say "major chord" when they mean you can use a triad, maj7, 6, and even an add#11, etc. Or "minor chord" when they mean you can use a triad, m7, m6, etc. Now, I don't consider myself specifically a Jazz player, but that notation (i.e. using "chords" to indicate the family) is very useful. I'll make a video about that, since I have seen other people missing this point.
Cool. This technique makes me think of a gear to shift keys.
Now I have unlimited power!
These overkills sound awesome, though. 😃
I've been wondering about something - how do different chord extensions influence the harmonic qualities of a chord? For example, a major flat 9th chord reminds us of a minor chord, because of the minor third between the flat 9th and the 3rd. This flat 9 creates tension and an interesting "flavour" of the chord, and dismissing it simply as an extension with the same qualities as the original chord seems wrong to me, since we hear something entirely different. Do you have knowledge on the topic?
Is it possible to modulate back and forth in this way? EG C major to Eb Major back to C major?
Yes :)
Excellent explanation... Thank you!
vague concepts becomes totally clear
I was surprised you used a E7 in the key of A Minor. Not E minor 7? Is that always the case? Can I always use a major dominant 7 for the 5 chord in a minor key?
Watch this: th-cam.com/video/J_YEAifF9rc/w-d-xo.html
So, if you are in the key of F you would use Edim to change the key? In G you would use Gbdim? In A use Abdim?
Yes
Amazing!!!! Thanks a lot!
I ❤ diminished chords.
I understand its common practice to turn the v chord in a minor key to V7 (making it harmonic minor) to make a cadence but it wouldnt say minor keys contains V7 chord.
Must be the Illuminati right 😄
Sick name btw
Now i got it! Thanks!!!
When the author is using diminished chords to move to minor, they say that dominant seventh chords from major are also dominant seventh in minor of the same tonality. But as far as I know, fifth chords are dominant seven only on harmonic minor, not in natural one. Am I getting something wrong?
ended up with the same question
Amazing ! Music is so rich !!!!!!
1 of the Best teachers among few of them on TH-cam. Thank you 🙏
i want tobuy you material, but i dont want to wait an entire month...how can i buy the entire corses as a full package?
Yes, you can. Write me at tommaso@musictheoryforguitar.com and we can arrange that.
So I guess the diminished chord can bridge to another major key or any of its modes.
You lower one note of a 7th chord to get the diminished and then raise a different note to get another 7th chord in a different key. Simple.
Very clearly explained thx
Hi.
Thank you for your wonderful lessons.
Question for you, just listening to transition from G7 and Bdim7 musically sound very close, so could we go straight to Bdim7 after playing C and F?
When convenient, could you please let me / us students know.
I appreciate all what you do.
You are so nice man, many thanks.
Excellent and very pleasant explanation. I can listen to you all day. I wish you had been my theory teacher in college.
You are amazing, your video are not only useful to guitar players. I am a piano teacher and i couldn't explain those concepts in a better way. Great JOB. Understanding what's behind makes people passionate and music more funny to play!
Great job, teacher. Very enlightening... Now I'm planning to avail the course asap... Thanks a lot!
And the "Along came Jones" ah he tied me to the railway tracks !
I’ve been using diminished chords a lot, like (in C Maj) going from E min to G dim7 to D min 7 or from G to G# dim7 to A min but you’ve shown me how I can use diminished chords to modulate to other keys that don’t have common/shared chords for pivoting. This is really good. Thank you.. Previously I was attempting to use pivot notes but was finding that tricky...
awesome...thankyou
Those dominant chords are part of the whole-half diminished scale. Its so beautiful and crazy the relationship between simply three diminished chords.
Great content thanks
Nicely simplified
Excellent video. Did Bach use this technique?
Yes :)
Molto interessante: pur usando gli accordi di 7a diminuita, non avevo mai notato questa loro similarità con quattro accordi di dominante.
Grazie mille.
great tutorial!!
You sound italian
Because I am
Fantàstic. Thanks.
Much apreciated, certainly very useful. This video, like diminished chords, connects other notions together that are in your course : the other use of °chords and the other ways to change scales !
Found myself doing this in my song writing lately. Nice to know the theory behind it now! Thanks for that!
Veramente fantastico
I came here to ask if for songwriting practicality it would be okay to change all diminished chords into minor chords. Only to realise that somehow I've been playing diminished chords wrong the last 23 years of my life.
I've been playing m7 (b5) instead of diminished chords.
Bm7 b5
B F A D
B*
B F Ab D
But how can the true B diminished chord be the seventh chord of the C Ionian and A Aeolian scales with an Ab note ?
Tom, you blew my mind with this one! Cheers, pierre - from Oz.
uáááá, that Gb-A is not a third, but a second ;) If you want a third, you must write Gb-Bbb ;) (for the third you must skip the letter) ;) ;) :-D But I love your videos including this one ;) ;)
1:30 at the bottom, in red ;-)
@@MusicTheoryForGuitar I see that now ;) I was comented that as I watched it ;) But I didn't delete that comment ;)
You have a great teaching style
Thank you
Music is life
How does the five of a natural minor key a dominant chord? Harmonic minor has that. Natural minor has min7 five chord.
I'm a woodwind player, this video helped me in the way that it confirmed things that i've been guessing at. Now that I know that I am on the right path I can play more confidently. Thank you for the clarity!
Thks.....genial
How is G7 in Cm? The key has 3 flats, but G7 does not.
In a minor key you can also take chords from the harmonic minor scale. For more details, see this playlist: th-cam.com/video/kXVfzYKYvCI/w-d-xo.html
G7 also works over jazz minor scale which is a major scale with the major dropped to a minor third
Wow! So good
مفید👍
I had to watch this again. Without thought of chord progressions, I'd change one note - from a diminished to a seventh. The naming of the chord, being a half step below the diminished, to me, is a reason to not think in the usual 'chord progressions'.
I use the 'French' seven. People should get used to experiencing cultural or personal variations - like the different language dialects of Norway trying not to be standardised or dominated by one variety.
I will write down the formula. I'm very eager to find methods in how to change key - especially if it flows through without a sense of it being noticeable as if done for the purpose of changing keys - but more essentially for the melody, lyrics or mood. This transformation of the musical piece, I see now, appears as if going through a mind portal or a gate to another dimension, as TedBoyRomerino says.
thanks for presenting , this may become a nice improv device , it took me a minute to verify the modified note is the root of the new dominant chord, after discovering this will now try to short hand direct for the tonic keys first and see how it works
it seems that there is both a diminished chord of tonics and fifths
tonic C Eb F# A
fifth G Bb Db E
tonic Eb F# A C
fifth Bb Db E G
tonic F# A C Eb
fifth Db E G Bb
tonic A C Eb F#
fifth E G Bb Db
I think maybe Dylan is the only other guy who transposes this fast!!!!!!
This is one of those rare 'Holy Grail' videos that just opens up the mind to a new world. Amazing.
1:56 sounds like something out of spongebob
🧀
they literally just inverted a diminished chord to build tension lol, so crazy
When his letter "m" even has an extra hook, you know he's not a joke
wonder like to know more about modulation to any key. Generally how to master modulation.
The diminished he uses to modulate to a tri-tone above Dominant 7th he uses to modulate to the new key/ B diminished to E 7th to A.
Hi Tommaso ! Thanks a lot for all this material 👍
A significant riddle for me : how could we analyse a fully diminished seven resolving into a minor seven 1/2 tone lower as in « All the things you are » ?
Keep on with these Great videos. I am totally addicted to them
Augmented 6th chords play a role in this. There is a cadence where a french 6th resolves down a half step to a dominant chord.
French 6th has a lot of notes in common with a diminished chord, so the effect is mirrored in my opinion.
Thank-you for your answer Metaljay !!
You are right with this 7 French chord with a flatted 5th introducing the dominant smoothly by anticipation but the sound of the diminished chord leading into a minor chord à semitone lower seems different to my ears.
I’ve studied a new possibility without any guarantee :
A classical cadence is : C - Bdim/D - C/E
The I in 1st inversion reminds me of a Emb6(no5) and Bdim is the same as F diminished. Don’t know if this makes sense
@@MusicTedB I think the diminished resolving a half step down makes the diminished chord fill a subdominant function in relation to the I chord, since like the subdominant, it shares some of the notes with the I chord, just resolving the tension notes, ie, not as strong of a resolution as resolving it a half step up, where all the notes change to resolve. At least those are my thoughts on it.
Wow what an excellent video……..you made that modulation concept so crystal clear……once I got the relationship between the diminished and 7th chords the flood gates open. A video on interweaving that stuff to jump around the circle of 5ths would be great……thanks
I saw the tik tok that Jacob Collier did, and I was baffled, I was looking everywhere for the theory of it. Thank You!
サムネイルが日本語タイトルだから視聴したらまさかのフル英語((((；゜Д゜))))
Grazie!
Man this is so cool! Takes my mind off of the covid crap as well.
This is a small leap from Hotcha's unique diminished chord I learned ( Roy Buchanan song ), but a giant step to the use of diminished chords in every thought I have when I play 7th's chords - Neil "Blues Cat" Armstrong
Enlightenment. Really wonderful piece. I'll take it along.
very helpful for composing, thanks
An excellent lesson/video, thank you very much.👍
Thank you for this video. I’m excited to make music with these concepts
Thank you Tommaso. God bless you. You always make things simpler!!
Love the intro - "Hel-looo Internet, so nice so see you :)" Thanks for your videos
Muy bueno tu aporte y enfoque. Didáctico. Felicitaciones
Thanks for the amazing content as usual.
Discovering this channel was one of the best things ever
Thank you Thomas..awesome!!! To me, this a new knowledge
Thank you for a wonderful explaination.
Great classical movement. Sounds Instant medieval.
I’d love to know if there‘s something the like for augmented chords. I can‘t figure out how to use them in a musical context, as they sound even more dissonant to my ears.
th-cam.com/video/cLrhgmkcxgE/w-d-xo.html
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