How do you use a diminished chord as a passing chord?

How to use a diminished chord in the same way that these songs do:

1. In a major key, identify your vi chord (the minor chord six scale degrees above your tonic note)
2. Build a diminished triad or 7th chord a half step below you iv chord.
3. Resolve to your vi chord.

What are passing chords and why are they used?

Passing chords are literally that, chords that you pass by. They are chords you pass through quickly on your way from one chord to the next in the chord progression. Because they are played quickly (they generally never last more than 1/2 a bar), they are not harmonically important.

What is D diminished chord?

The D diminished chord (D dim or D°) contains the notes D, F and Ab. It is produced by taking the 1st, flat 3rd and flat 5th notes of the D Major scale. A diminished often appears as D dim or D°.

What are Tritones used for?

The tritone can be used to avoid traditional tonality: “Any tendency for a tonality to emerge may be avoided by introducing a note three whole tones distant from the key note of that tonality.” The tritone found in the dominant seventh chord can also drive the piece of music towards resolution with its tonic.

How do you write Tritones?

A Tritone Substitution is when you substitute a dominant 7th chord (like G7 or D7) for another dominant 7th chord that is a tritone away from it. For example, above we said that D – G# forms a tritone, and Bb – E as well.

Why is it called a diminished seventh?

Because these chords have no leading tone in relation to the chords to which they resolve, they cannot properly have dominant function. They are therefore referred to commonly as non-dominant diminished seventh chords or common tone diminished seventh chords (see below).

What is a seventh chord in music theory?

A seventh chord is a chord consisting of a triad plus a note forming an interval of a seventh above the chord’s root. When not otherwise specified, a “seventh chord” usually means a dominant seventh chord: a major triad together with a minor seventh.