The estimable Bob DeBoo demystifies the most misunderstood chord in the twilight zone. Watch at your own risk. *this version contains updated notation!
Anton Reicha (a friend of Beethoven) asserts that diminished chords don't even exist in his book "Course of Musical Composition". He would call them "false chords". He would call diminished chords 'rootless minor 9th chords' and half dinimished chords 'rootless major 9th chords'. It gets even more interesting when you start applying this logic to early 19th century compositions, such as Chopin, because they apparently agree. There's a free public domain English translation on google books. I highly recommend it if you're interested in music history. It's one of those "harmonic styles of 18th century musicians" that is actually lost in modern theory.
There is no way in a million years B half dim in key of A min is a ‘rootless major 9th. That would make it G9 which has a totally different harmonic function.
Bach used chains of diminished chords over tonic and dominant pedals for fun. Used as colour within a static harmonic context. They are certainly not all dominant flat 9s.
@@gregduhon5510 I choose to embrace the new word you’ve created. I feel it includes being awed in the past and future simultaneously, which feels like such a Twilight Zone possibility of being. 😎👍🏽
Using C, Eb, F#, or A as roots using this particular half diminished or octatonic scale, you can spell the major, minor, or diminished chord. The possibilities are endless, especially if you jump from one octatonic scale to another (there are three).
Always good to fully explore one concept from as much as different viewpoints as you can imagine - even when 'knowing' the diminished scales, arpeggios and stuff, you get a lot of new approaches and ideas you may haven't explored so far - thank you for this clearly structured lesson💯🎶👍
The way you explained diminished works very well when substituting diminished for the V7b9 chord. Nailed it when you said that if the 7th chord had a natural 13th, your good to go with the * “diminished scale.” But you mentioned the e half diminished first chord of “Stella by Starlight.” It’s of course a better sound to think of the chord of being Db diminished. I imagine that you know this but thought it too much for your viewer to get. The context in this situation, the Db diminished is a flat iii diminished going to ii in the key of Bb. (If using Db diminished in place of e half dim- A7b9 in Stella) Also half whole is normally not the best choice of scales; in this case and others as well. Half whole diminished scale is simply putting a leading tone before each chord tone which doesn’t sound good descending; sounds fine ascending. I hope that it doesn’t seem as though I am trolling you as I think your bass playing is excellent but I don’t think that it is a good idea to teach people to look at diminished chords out of their context; better within a song. How about addressing a song like “Ain’t Misbehaving?” I #I ii #ii iii. The #I diminished has a different scale than the #ii. This #ii will have a different scale than a descending biii (flat three) diminished. Also the half whole diminished scale sounds like doggy poo poo when used on the second chord of Jobim’s “Wave.” 9:51 How is saying C Locrian verbose? Locrian is a mode that every freshman music major knows. Regarding the Locrian #2: I don’t like it because it undermines the need for the actual Locrian on the half diminished chord. Pianists disagree with me because the #2 makes for some better voicing choices for them. But Barry Harris agrees with me as he disagrees with pianists playing the natural d in the C minor chord, bar 31 of “All the Thing You Are.” * “diminished scale.” I put diminished scale in quotes because there is more than one depending on the context.
Great video though I am unhappy to hear say you should play locryan on a half diminished. It fits the chord but in most cases you would play harmonic minor in a context of minor 2 5 1. You said so yourself.
Not true, honestly. I still prefer the locrian sound on the Minor 2 in a bebop setting... in a more modern setting though I'd entertain it though. Thank you for watching and I appreciate the comment!
I don’t get how you know the difference between a dom7b9 and a straight dim in a sequence. eg How insensitive bar 3 and 4 and then bars 7 and 8. Any dim chord can be converted into a dom7b9 by moving the root. Bloody confusing. The gypsy jazz guys tend to think r,b9,#9,3,#4,#5,6,7. It works well….mostly. 😵💫
Context and being able to (hopefully) hear the intention. Any dim void can be converted into a major or minor chord pretty easily as well, and I think the context is paramount. Depends on where the harmony is going as well... big factor
All your half whole diminished ideas work over whole half and Vice versa…There is only 3 diminished scales and you know every half/whole and whole/half. Ex.. C dim7 scale is also D7b9 F7b9 Ab7b9 and B7b9
Nice no bull explanation. HOWEVER…a straight diminished chord is nothing more complicated than a Minor 6 flat 5. ie root , b3, b5, 6. It’s a minor chord. Similar but not the same as minor 7b5 or half diminished. JUST BAN THE WORD DIMINISHED. haha!
Asking a bass player to give a lecture? That's below our pay grade, isn't it? And what was that piano guy doing trying to scare us? Aren't you obliged to put viewer warnings on these videos?
