Lower case roman numerals and the o circle sign are often used to label diminished chords, like viio and iio, but sometimes you will see only upper case Roman numerals used and the chord qualities are understood from the major/minor context.ĭiminished chords are not a kind of minor chord. The two patterns of diatonic chords above can be transposed into any key. We can skip over the details of that and simply say there are four triad types: Notice also that the augmented triad doesn't appear in these particular diatonic chords. Both the II and VII chords are diminished in minor keys. notice now the triad on B is on the II second scale degree, and also the VII seventh scale degree takes a sharp. Minor key music is more complicated, because accidentals are used in combination with a key signature, but the basic diatonic harmonies in minor will be. In terms of stacked thirds it is two minor thirds, but in terms of the diatonic gamut it is the particular quality of the triad on the leading tone. The leading tone triad is the fundamental diminished triad. It is the only triad of the group that is diminished. notice it is the triad on B on the VII seventh scale degree, the leading tone, which is the diminished triad. You can describe that several ways but a common one is to say it's the white keys of the piano, or C major, the group of pitches CDEFGABC.įrom that selection of tones you stack up thirds on each tone to create triads, like this.

I think you need to review some fundamentals about the triad types and their practical origin.įirst you must understand the foundation is the diatonic gamut. For instance a diatonic triad built on the (raised) seventh step of a major (minor) scale is diminished, viio, but a diatonic seventh chord would be half diminished in major and diminished seventh in minor. On the contrary in classical nomenclature G#o refers strictly to a diminished triad, and if you decide to add the seventh it's not specified whether it should be G#o7 or G#ø. In jazz nomenclature where sevenths are played on regular basis '7' is sometimes omitted from the notation, so G#o7 and G#o are synonymous. Diminished seventh chord: G# B D F which is notated as G#o7.However, it is often also notated as G#m7b5, 'G# minor seventh with flattened fifth', despite it includes G# diminished triad. Half-diminished chord: G# B D F# which is notated as G#ø.

Note also that more typically root for this chord would be Ab rather than G#, which would use less accidentals.Ī potential source of confusion are two frequently used chords, other than triads, which use the word 'diminished'. I would say it's a rarely used chord, but in jazz you may encounter G#7b5 (G# B# D F#), or G#maj7#11 (G# B# Cx D# Fx (A#)). We may consider what might be a chord symbol for this chord, and that would be G#(b5), which would read 'G# major with flattened 5'. minor (comprising of minor and major third)Ī chord like G# B# D is therefore not a basic triad.There are four type of basic triads and they strictly refer to the following combination of intervals (and their inversion):

Piano chord dictionary gsus