The 3 Diminished 7th Piano Chords

Diminished 7th chords are unique animals. They have some unusual qualities that make them interesting and useable. For example, they are the only type of chord that is simply a stack of minor 3rds. If you count from one chord note to the next, you will find that they are all equidistant.

This is what they look like on paper:

There are really only 3 diminished 7th Piano Chords:

Any note in this diminished 7th chord can function as the root — therefore this chord could be named Cdim7, Ebdim7, D#dim7, F#dim7, Gbdim7, Adim7, or Bbbdim7.

Any note in this diminished 7th chord can function as the root — therefore this chord could be named C#dim7, Dbdim7, Edim7, Gdim7, A#dim7, or Bbdim7.

Any note in this diminished 7th chord can function as the root — therefore this chord could be named Ddim7, Fdim7, G#dim7, Abdim7, Bdim7, or Cbdim7.

When we get into chord progressions, we will see that diminished 7th chords can be used as “modulation agents”, “transposition agents”, and “transition agents”. They can transform themselves into 7th chords by just moving any one note. They can also be changed into 6th chords and major 7th chords with a minimum of movement. Each of the 3 diminished 7th chords contain two of the mysterious tri-tones, which we will take up later when we get into chord progressions. So learn them well in ALL inversions.

Meanwhile, be sure to master these 3 diminished 7th chords, and they will benefit you in ways you now can’t imagine in the future!

See you next lesson.

Blessings,

Duane

PS: If you would love to be able to know in advance which chords to use in a song BEFORE you play the song, click here or on the image below: