"Have You Had Your Dose Of
Diminished Chords Today?"

How To Play Piano By Ear In All 12 Keys - Click Here

Diminished chords are fun stuff. They certainly have a tendency to attract quite a bit of curiosity. The very word can make someone ask questions. Due to its nature, the diminished chord gets played less often than the three other basic chords, but that doesn't mean it's appeal is anything less.

Once you get a handle on this chord, you'll be playing games with it that will keep you at the piano longer than you probably anticipated.

Have you learned the minor triad already? If not, please do so here You see, here I present the construction of the diminished triad as it relates to the minor chord you already learned.

Let's take a look...

When we created the major triad, we simply lowered the middle key one half step to arrive at the minor triad. To arrive at a diminished triad, simply play the minor triad and lower the third key (the one furthest to the right) one half step.

Here is what the C Diminished triad looks like:

Play it with the same fingers that you did with the major and minor chords. You will notice that the C Diminished triad consists of two black keys, which creates a necessity to move your hands in slightly.

You see, you don't want to "cramp" your hand by twisting it to the left or right to play the chord. Just move everything in until your fingers can easily rest on top of a portion of the black keys you need to play.

By now, you've already likely experienced playing around with the major and minor chords, so you can take it upon yourself to apply the same activities with the diminished that you did with them, including Piano Boxing etc.

Perhaps you are even feeling more comfortable playing these chords, as your hands and fingers are "learning" their way around and feeling more relaxed with the different positions.

Ahhhh, that familiar sound. That infamous diminished chord. It's like going back to those silent movies - when music had to paint the picture because of the missing voices. Music is powerful, eh?

This chord is a lot of fun when played a half step higher, then another half step higher, and again and again, like here:

Here's what it sounds like played a half step lower, then another half step lower, and again and again:

1) choose the name of the diminished chord you want to play (C diminished)

2) play the minor chord of the same name (C minor)

3) lower the highest key one half step.

That's it! I encourage you to play a few more (there are 12 altogether - no surprise by now, right?)

By the way, take a close look at this diminished triad as you play it on your piano keyboard. Look at the intervals (spaces) between the keys... what do you notice?

They have the same number of half steps in between them. In other words, in the C Diminished chord, there are three half steps between the C and the Eb, and there are also three half steps between the Eb and the Gb.

What does this tell you about how to play any diminished triad you want to play? Right! Just play the name of the diminished chord you want to play and count up three half steps, then another three half steps - just another way of looking at it... easy stuff!

Okay, time for a little ear training here...

You have had some experience with major, minor, and diminished chords. Play any major chord that you have become familiar with...

Let's say you chose C Diminished. Play that C Major with both hands (good to keep both hands active!). Now play the C Minor. Listen to the difference. Now play the C Diminished. Listen. What distinction do you make when you listen to the minor versus the diminished? Diminished versus major? Minor versus major?

Remember, how you describe this difference in not so important... but hear the difference and say it in your own way. Some say minor sounds "sad" and diminished sounds "more dramatic" - just listen, listen, listen. Play another major chord, like G Major. Do the same thing. Keep this whole process interesting... it's just a game. Learn to love it!

Let's play a little game here:

Click on any one of the three audio samples below. Can you identify the chord being played as major, minor, or diminished? Proceed with the other two samples, attempting to identify them.

Okay, here's what they are:

The first sample on the left is minor, the middle is major, and the one on the right is diminished.

Did you get them right? If so,wonderful!

If you got them wrong, even better! Why? Because you're about to make progress (progress is a good thing!). Simply click on the samples again and listen to each one, paying attention to how each one sounds.

Play some more on your own. Play major to minor. Then play major to diminished. Play minor to diminished. Then reverse them. Mix it up. Each time you change from one chord to another, allow your ears to just hear the difference. No reason to "strain" your ears - as a matter of fact, don't even try!

Just enjoy the beauty of sound. Take it all in, and love each step of the way. I've had a lot of fun with investigating diminished chords with you, and I hope you are inspired to play, play, and play some more!

Return from Diminished Chords to Piano Chords

Return from Diminished Chords to Piano Lessons