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Diminished

Diminished triad chords

Diminished triad: C-Eb-Gb. Formula: 1-b3-b5. Two stacked minor 3rds.

In every key

The same shape, moved. The symbols below are spelled the way the app spells them, which is the spelling the chord's own scale asks for rather than whichever accidental is easier to type.

  • Cdim
  • Dbdim
  • Ddim
  • Ebdim
  • Edim
  • Fdim
  • F#dim
  • Gdim
  • Abdim
  • Adim
  • Bbdim
  • Bdim

Voicings

Written in C, because that is the key the encyclopedia authors them in; every one transposes unchanged.

Root Position

C · Eb · Gb

beginner

Octaves shown are the app's default ascending voicing.

1st Inversion

Eb · Gb · C

beginner

Octaves shown are the app's default ascending voicing.

2nd Inversion

Gb · C · Eb

beginner

Octaves shown are the app's default ascending voicing.

Where it turns up

Passing chord, leading-tone harmony. Resolves up by half-step (Cdim → Db).

Commonly swapped with

  • Cdim7
  • Am7b5

The PDF book

The Ultimate Jazz Piano Voicings and Chord Atlas

From shells to advanced voicings. A practice book first, with all the theory you need explained in plain words.

  • 7 levels of voicings for every ii‑V‑I chord, from shells to quartal and upper-structure color
  • A 30-day plan and a 12-week schedule, 15 minutes a day
  • A PDF you download and keep, no subscription

See inside the book