Diminished passing chords
Insert ♯i°7 between I and ii for chromatic bass motion and the pull of a rootless V7♭9.
Interactive listening
Hear the harmony in time
Compare the examples at one tempo.
Diatonic route to ii
Cmaj7–Am7–Dm7 uses the relative minor as an intermediate chord.
Chromatic passing route
C♯°7 directs every note by semitone toward Dm7 while the bass rises C–C♯–D.
Watch it in context · Signals Music Studio
5 Easy Ways to Use and Write with Diminished Chords
Hear five practical uses for diminished harmony, including chromatic passing chords, pivots, and tonic diminished colour.
Open on YouTube (opens in a new tab)A dominant without its root
C♯°7 contains C♯–E–G–B♭. Add A below it and the result is A7♭9: A–C♯–E–G–B♭. The diminished chord therefore carries the dominant pull of V7♭9/ii while leaving out its root.
Its spelling shows the destination. C♯ rises to D, E can move to F, G falls to F, and B♭ falls to A or rises to C. Against the bass ascent C–C♯–D, the passing chord sounds tightly directed.
Leading-tone diminished versus common-tone diminished
The ♯i°7 in Cmaj7–C♯°7–Dm7 is a leading-tone diminished chord of ii: its root resolves up by semitone to D. A common-tone diminished chord works differently; it shares the root of the chord it embellishes and surrounds other chord tones with neighbour motion.
Fully diminished seventh chords repeat every minor third, so the same sounding pitches can be respelled and interpreted several ways. Name the chord from its resolution, not only from its shape.
- Use ♯i°7 between I and ii for an ascending chromatic bass.
- Treat its chord tones as upper notes of V7♭9/ii.
- Resolve by semitone and keep the passing chord rhythmically lighter than the destination.