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Diminished Chords Are Your Friends :-)


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Among many guitar students and players alike of all skill levels, there seems to be some "mystery" and perhaps a little fear when it comes to "Diminished:" chords. I know in the past if I saw a piece of sheet music with a BbDim or the like, I would think to myself, oh, I don't know that one... I'll pass on this song. 

Well over the last while I've come to really like this approach to playing rhythm and "comping" (that's short for accompanying )!    I found that these chords can really spice up your chord progressions! And they aren't scary at all! I think of them as a bridge to the next chord.  By nature, they sound "unstable" on their own, (unlike say a dominant  chord like say, an A7 barre chord) and demand to be "resolved" to the next major or minor chord.

I learned and used these chords in several "jazz tunes" I've recorded an posted on this site... but fear not, they are also used extensively in Country, Blues and Rock too. 

Here's a very good short teaching video from Steve Krenz desccribing what they are, and simply how to use them. Enjoy!

ps check out the attached "Skills House" Lesson on "What Good Is A Diminished Chords Anyway"?

https://web.archive.org/web/20130131044543im_/http://lm.gibson.com/Lessons/Foundation/WhatGoodisaDiminishedChord/WhatGoodisaDiminishedChord.mp4

WhatGoodisaDiminishedChord.pdf

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Thanks NeilES335 this is a great revision session. And particularly the jazz comp at the end. I tend to unthinkingly always go for the four string version.... but that 6 string one is fantastic on the the last example. 

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