For instance, Pattern 1 will correspond to a C chord. Find guitar scales using graphic interface. Diminished scales and chords are a very important subject. Here is one of many diminished patterns. 3 Functions Of Diminished Chords . It is a symmetrical scale in that it follows a distinct pattern of steps, those being whole step, half step in a repeating pattern, not to be confused with the dominant diminished scale which follows a half step, whole step pattern. But for, the problem was always that melodies with repeating patterns like that don’t sound that great. I don’t always think about the scale starting on the root note. So, you will be able to use the cool diminished patterns you learn over dominant 7th chords as well as diminished chords. Make those neurons pop. Actually they are basically the same scale, but depending on which one you intend to play. The Diminished scale is an important scale used in Jazz but can also be used in blues. As long as you land on a chord tone in the next measure, you should be good to go. I decided to delve into this so I could better understand and use these scale and patterns in my music. The diminished pattern uses a lot of the minor intervals. Also, I want to emphasize what I said above. You might start at different points. The diminished scale will always sound tense, unless it's resolved. In this "5-minute masterclass" we’re going to take a look into the diminished chord and scale. The diminished pattern diminishes the 3rd, 5th, 6th, m7 and 8. It can also be used for fusion and heavy metal. I feel like my playing is at it's best when I have some sort of daily technique routine. Dominant Diminished Scale Pattern. At that time, I was studying a book by Nicolas Slonimsky called Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns. This scale is primarily used in jazz music and works well together with alternate seventh chords. Diminished Seventh Chords. To learn the triads and have material to make lines it is practical to learn the inversions of the triads: Here are 3 of the 4 string sets. Patterns in improvisation are the "catch phrases" we all use, some more than others. Scale - Diminished 1,2,b3,4,b5,b6,6,7 FULL-th pattern Root note - D Guitar Tuning: Standard - E-A-D-G-B-E 2. This means that we can create some very interesting, repeating patterns. 0000000990 00000 n endstream endobj /Gs2 11 0 R /Gs1 12 0 R >> /Font /F1.0 6 0 R /F2.1 8 0 R /F3.0 Michael Brecker's diminished scale pattern based on major and minor triads. Its a symmetrical scale and thats what makes this possible. Hopefully you can see the half-whole diminished scale is the better fit for a dominant 7th chord because it contains the guide tones of a seventh chord. The Half/Whole Diminished Scale(C Db Eb E F# G A Bb) should be memorized before attempting memorization of the patterns below. Also, try searching for more diminished scale patterns to apply, or come up with your own. I guess the best place to start is to define what a diminished scale is. First lets look at the scale as a shape. Whole step/half step diminished scales are the same configuration of notes except that you start the scale with a whole step rather than a half step. Here is an example of an arpeggiated diminished scale pattern that I featured in the video. I like to think of these kinds of scales as mental gymnastics, not only for the player, but for the listener. So I’m gonna just play through one of the examples on page 30 for the E diminished scale or G, B flat D flat diminished scales. Diminished scale The diminished scale is an eight note scale. Unlike the modes, the diminished scale is built from a continuously symmetrical intervallic sequence as each four-note group progresses. There are plenty of resources to find these. the intervals repeat in a pattern) Because it is a symmetrical scale (and much like the diminished chord) there are only three unique diminished scales: C = E♭ = G♭ = A diminished scale; D♭ = E = G = B♭ diminished scale In other words, for a Cdim7 chord, C – Eb – F# – A, you would use a C whole step/half step diminished scale. To help dig deeper into this important scale, this lesson will cover one of the most commonly used dominant diminished scale patterns in jazz. Sheet Music: Jazz Piano Lesson #46 - Diminished Scale Workout I've mentioned many times before on this blog how big a fan I am of technical exercises. Patterns, scales & licks for intermediate to advanced players. The Diminished Scale. it has 8 notes) A Symmetrical Scale (i.e. I first learned about the double diminished scale in the 1970s, inspired by pianists like Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. Here is a diminished scale starting on a Bb and beginning with a half tone. Half/Whole Diminished Scale Starting on Bb. If your into jazz this is one you need to learn. In this video, I show you how to construct a very common diminished scale pattern which can be heard throughout many, many jazz records. Diminished Scales. The Diminished scale is a scale that you have probably heard of and you know that it is a symmetrical scale and most of the time when people talk about using it then you get all these patterns that repeat. In this page we're going to discuss a common jazz scale called the the Octatonic scale. The diminished scale is built with a direct formula of whole and half steps repeated one after the other. How to practise a diminished scale. These CAGED scale patterns help you learn the diminished scale as it relates to standard CAGED chords. Since the diminished scale is symmetrical and you can moving everything around in minor thirds we can also see that if we have a G major triad, we will also have Bb, Db and E major triads. They are symmetrical. Using the bebop scale over ii-V’s. ... however while learning the basic scales and diminished patterns it’s easier to use whatever seems simplest. Diminished harmony works as a ‘base’ or a ‘spine’ to all harmonic movement. This means that the scales are constructed using a repeated pattern of half and h w h w etc. The diminished scale, also known as the whole half scale, is an eight note scale with a numeric formula of 1-2-♭ 3-4-♭ 5-♯ 5-6-7-8/1. Both diminished scales have a repeating pattern: half step – whole step and whole step – half step. Here I have mostly followed the convention of sharps ascending and flats descending, but have used B instead of Cb. Ein anderer weit verbreiteter Name ist auch "symmetrical diminished", "dominant diminished" oder einfach nur "diminished" Scale, da die Tonleiter auch über verminderte Akkorde gespielt werden kann, doch dazu später mehr. Pattern 3. play notes. It is a symmetrical scale in that it follows a distinct pattern, constructed from a repeated sequence of intervals (major second, minor second). In classic music any music scale that contains eight notes is called an Octatonic scale. And as we’ll show you below…even ii-V’s. The dominant diminished scale, also known as the half whole scale, is an eight note scale with a numeric formula of 1-♭ 2-♯ 2-3-♯ 4-5-6-♭ 7-8/1. The half-whole diminished scale (the diminished scale) known as "dominant diminished scale" is constructed by repeating a pattern of half and whole steps. It displayed countless chords alongside scales that corresponded to them and connected dominant seventh chords with the double diminished scale. Randy Hunter. A whole step/half step diminished scale applies to diminished chords. The scales and patterns shown in this lesson are based on the half-whole versions of the diminished scales. IMPORTANT NOTE! As a general rule of thumb, you can think of the . The diminished scale and how to use this scale building patterns from the diminished scale has always been a bit unclear to me. Home » Piano Theory » The Diminished Scale. Pattern 4. play notes . It’s formula follows an alternating pattern of whole steps and half steps—whole, half, whole, half—that repeats up to the octave root note, as illustrated in The interval pattern is 1 - b9 - #9 - 3 - #11 (or b5) - 5 - 13 (6) - b7. This scale is great over a dominant chord, particularly a 13(b9) chord. Once again, we will consider all of the equivalent scales: A, C, Eb and F# dominant diminished are equivalent. The diminished scale pattern simply goes like this whole step half step whole step half step repeating this all thevway up and back. Two Scales As One . The Diminished Scale is: An Octatonic Scale (i.e. In the C Diminished Scale this would be C - Eb - Gb - A (Cdim7) and D - F - Ab - B (Ddim7). The Diminished Scale is built upon two diminished seventh chords. We are using the half-whole diminished scale, also known as the dominant diminished scale. “Whenever you see or hear one of the chords from above…” Jazz is aural. whole steps. Due to this symmetry, one quickly sees that in fact, there are only three different diminished scales; each of the three scales may be definted in terms of four different roots: In other words, the Db, E, G, and Bb diminished scales use the same eight pitches. It is a symmetrical scale in that it follows a distinct pattern of steps, those being half step, whole step in a repeating pattern, not to be confused with the diminished scale which follows a whole step, half step pattern. Half-Whole Diminished Scale (Auxiliary Diminished Blues) If you start with a half-step, the pattern is hwhwhwhw. Here is a pretty easy way to combine the usage of tritones on dominant chords and the playing of a diminished scale or pattern to compliment it. Some overall characteristics: There are 9 notes that make up a diminished scale instead of eight. The first one is G diminished half whole scale. The diminished scale is a symmetrical scale, constructed from a repeated sequence of intervals (major second, minor second). Master the bebop scale and its applications and you’ll have a technique that you can apply to Dominant, minor, half-diminished, and sus chords. If you look closely, you may notice that the A dominant diminished scale has exactly the same notes as the C, Eb, and F# dominant diminished scales. So we are going to do both of them as they are separated scales. We are going to talk about two diminished scale patterns that have whole and whole half. The next way you can use the bebop scale is over the ii-V-I progression. Diminished scales are symmetrical. Diminished Scale Patterns For Improvisation. Pattern 1. play notes. Once again we can see a pattern in the dominant diminished scales. In the video I’ve used the example of a Bb7 chord. Its one of these scales that just sound like jazz. Dealing with diminished scales naturally leads to diminished chords. Almost every exercise I work on is played and sung through all twelve keys. The diminished scale is an eight-note entity, as shown in FIGURE 2. Pattern 2. play notes. Diminished Scale Patterns Diminished scales are divided into two categories: half-whole diminished scales, and whole-half Example 1 diminished scales. There are plenty of lead sheets where you simply see a dominant seventh chord. Finger pattern can be several ways first, third, fourth next string first, second, fourth slide up a half step, next string first, second which is the octave. Otherwise, this may be practiced by younger players as simply a written exercise for technique. 0000001290 00000 n stream If your into jazz this is one you need to learn. It is generally played over dominant 7 chords (7b9). 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