Skip to main content
Humanities LibreTexts

18.2: Secondary Diminished Chords in Major and Minor

  • Page ID
    117489
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    18.2 Secondary Diminished Chords in Major and Minor

    Below are the secondary diminished chords that occur in major and minor.

    sec-dim-dim7ths-in-major.svg

    /
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Secondary Diminished Triads and Seventh Chords in Major

    sec-dim-dim7ths-in-minor.svg

    /
    Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): Secondary Diminished Triads and Seventh Chords in Minor

    Notice that viiIIIvii∘/III in minor is not included because it is iiii∘. Notice also that viiøIIIviiø7/IIIhas no accidentals—it is the same as iiøiiø7 but functions differently. The iiøiiø7 chord has pre–dominant function and progresses to VV whereas the viiøIIIviiø7/III chord progresses to IIIIII.

    Minor triads are tonicized by fully diminished seventh chords. Major triads are traditionally tonicized by half diminished seventh chords but can also be tonicized by fully diminished seventh chords.


    This page titled 18.2: Secondary Diminished Chords in Major and Minor is shared under a GNU Free Documentation License 1.3 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Robert Hutchinson via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.