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A diminished chord is a chord built by lowering the fifth of a minominor chord, creating a tense and unstable sound that naturally resolves to a more stable harmony. Diminished chords are widely used in classical music, jazz, blues and popular music.
What is a diminished chord?
A diminished triad consists of a root, a minor third and a diminished fifth. For example, a C diminished triad contains the notes C, E♭ and G♭.
Adding another minor third creates a diminished seventh chord, which is often used to build harmonic tension and smooth voice leading between chords.
How are diminished chords used in piano playing?
Diminished chords are commonly used as passing chords, approach chords and leading-tone chords that connect one harmony to another. Their unstable sound creates forward motion and makes chord progressions more interesting.
Learning diminished chord shapes is an important step for piano players who want to expand beyond basic major and minor harmony and create richer, more sophisticated accompaniments.