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Intro: So you want to start using Diminished Scale:

To start incorporating diminished sounds into your playing you definitely need to wrap your ears around the SOUND more than anything. Think of it much like you probably did at some point with the Blues scale licks. Once you HEARD them you could play them in the right spots, and even expand on them...because you could HEAR what was right or what was wrong...because you understood the sound.

So, a good place to start getting your ears around the sound is chords. It's good to start finding some progressions that incorporate either diminished chords or diminished substitutions. Once you have something that forces the diminished sound down your throat and it forces you to use "that sound", your ear will be able to develop when and where you might want to try and use it.

IOW, there's a rare chance you'll go from a "Blues Scale Master" to a "Diminished Scale Master" overnight. So start finding stuff that forces you to use "that sound" and you'll get there quicker.

Part 1: What's inside the scale:

In a nutshell there are only two Diminished scales, the Whole-Half Tone scale (W-H scale) and the Half-Whole Tone scale (H-W scale).

These two scales are created with nothing but a repetitous sequence of Intervals like: W-H-W-H-W-H-W-H or H-W-H-W-H-W-H-W. And you should first notice that each one can contain the other depending on what Interval you start on.

But, if you start looking further into this scale will see also contains four interchangable dim7 chords, four interchangable dom7 chords, four interchangable m7 chords, and four interchangable m7b5 chords.

What this means is that when the time is right you can use the Diminished scales with normal run of the mill chords such as dom7 and m7 chords!

If we look at a Bb W-H scale we get: Bb C Db Eb E F# G A Bb

Here's the groups of "interchangable" chords in this scale:

four dim7 chords = Bbdim7, Dbdim7, Edim7, Gdim7 (each chord is a m3rd apart)
four dom7 chords = A7, C7, Eb7, F#7 (each chord is a m3rd apart)
four m7 chords = Am7, Cm7, Ebm7, F#m7 (each a m3rd apart)
four m7b5 chords = Am7b5, Cm7b5, Ebm7b5, F#m7b5 (each a m3rd apart)

And we can't forget about the Major and Minor triads from those chords either:

four Major triads = A, C, Eb, F#
four Minor triads- Am, Cm, Ebm, F#m

From the looks of this, the Diminished scale contains A LOT doesn't it?

Part 2: Where and when to suggest a Diminished sound:

There's a full-blown lesson on this section here: http://mikedodge.freeforums.org/substit ... 233e54c490

and more here: http://mikedodge.freeforums.org/substit ... 233e54c490

One of the most important concepts to understand and learn how to use is "tension and release". Without it you are either stuck in a "released" sound or a "tension" sound.

Most people stick with the released sound (like chord scales) because they don't understand how to use tension, and not only that, they don't understand how to use it WITH the released sound. When people try some of these "other scales" like the Diminished, they treat it as a "release scale" due to the fact that they are not into "tension and release playing" yet, IOW they use it like a "chord scale" playing it "over the the chord"...

So they safely stay with their "release" sound playing the straight common chord scales or Mode Names. This is very normal...until you FIND the tension and where it's used to make your "release" sound REALLY sound like a release.

Here's a "release" approach to a common I-IVm-IIm-V progression:

||: Fmaj7 | Dm7 | Gm7 | C7 :||

Most people stay on chord tones or they think of this as F Ionian-D Aeolian-G Dorian-D Mixolydian. This is fine, but you will not have any tension involved and this is why most people wonder where the "other guys" get all the cool notes to play over it.

The other guys are using the same (release) notes you are but the "other cool notes" are nothing but "tension" proceeding the "release". This my friend is what makes the "release" notes so much stronger.

You might not know it but, this is more like the progression the other guy is playing over (tread lightly with that C#9 chord):

||: Fmaj7 | Fmaj7 Dbdim7 | Dm7 | Dm7 F#dim7 | Gm7 | Gm7 C#9 | C7 | C7 Edim7 :|| MAKE SURE YOU REPEAT IT!!!!

The dim7 and C#9 chords are played on beats 3 & 4 of the measure.

Can you hear how much more lively this progression sounds with these chords? There's some movement going on, a sense of direction. That direction happens every time the dim7 and C#9 resolve to the next chord.

When the other guy plays, he's applying this type of "movement" within his playing to the basic I-VI-II-V progression. Each chord is getting some type of "half-step" approach chord/note. In case of the chords in the progression, all the dim7 chords are a "half step below approach" to the "target chords". The C#9 is a "half step above approach" to the target chord of C7.

If you notice, the Fmaj7-Dm7-Gm7-C7 all fit comfortably in the Key of F Major...so if you are using the F Major scale you are using nothing but all the safe notes.

Now look at the notes in those dim7 and C#9 chords, they mostly contain notes that aren't in the Key of F Major, they mostly contain notes that are "out of Key". This is why most people stay away from them...

but the more you learn about tension and release and music in general you'll find that these "out of Key" or "out of scale" notes are just as important to a Key as the notes in the particular "scale".

Try playing the last progression using nothing but simple arpeggio's or chord tones for each chord listed.

When you're in your arpeggio try to find the nearest note to get you to a chord tone for the next chord. The closer this note is, the better resolution, or release, you'll get when you land on the next chord.

Here's an example of a basic line that allows you to start hearing these chords in a line or phrase. All notes are played as Quarter Notes:

Code: Select all

    Fmaj7           Fmaj7  Dbdim7   Dm7            Dm7   F#din7   Gm7            Gm7   C#9       C7                   Ebdim7 Fmaj7
E----------------|---------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--5--3---------|--------------|--------------|-----
B----------------|---------------|--------------|--------------|--------3--6--|--------6------|--------------|--------2--5--|--6--
G-------------9--|------------6--|--7--5--------|--------------|-----3--------|------------4--|--5--3--------|-----3--------|-----
D------7--10-----|--10--7--8-----|--------7-----|--------4--7--|--5-----------|---------------|--------5--2--|--5-----------|-----
A---8------------|---------------|-----------8--|--5--6--------|--------------|---------------|--------------|--------------|-----
E----------------|---------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|--------------|--------------|-----


Part 3: More about Tension and Release

NOTE Learning how to play over ii-V-I's can be a huge asset to anyone's playing. And it helps you understand tension and release better than almost any other common music form. For a full-blown lesson on V-I's and ii-V-I's look here: http://mikedodge.freeforums.org/ii-v-i- ... 233e54c490

I think the Diminished scale used in Blues, or Jazz Blues is first evident by learning a specific Blues progression and seeing the V-I's, and the ii-V-I's and how to develop substitutions and Chromatic connections.

Before we go all crazy, lets see the Diminished scales use in a V-I, or ii-V-I if you will:

||: Em7 | A7 | Dmaj7 | Dmaj7 :||

Since the A7 is the V7 here you can use a W-H scale from the b7(G W-H), the b9(Bb W-H), the M3(C# W-H), or the 5(E W-H) of the A7 chord.

I find for beginners that starting out with the one from the b9 (or the Bb W-H) helps them with "the sound" quicker...mainly because starting from the M3, 5, or b7 still keeps their ears glued to that Mixolydian sound. But, starting on the odd or outside b9 makes a strong statement right on the first note that this isn't Mixolydian anymore. It's good for them to approach it this way for a bit until they learn how to make a strong "out statement" using inside notes (M3, 5, and b7).

The Bb W-H scale would be: Bb C Db Eb E F# G A Bb

You can play it here:

A7
E-----------------------------------
B------------------------8--10--11--
G--------------8--9--11-------------
D---8--10--11-----------------------
A-----------------------------------
E-----------------------------------

When you play over the V7(A7), definitely try starting your lines on the Bb note. You can think of this as "playing a W-H scale a half-step above the Root of a dom7 chord".

Remember when I said that the Diminished Scale contains FOUR dom7 chords? When you see that V7 chord, think of it as four dom7 chords a m3rd apart. So think of it as A7, C7, Eb7, and F#7.

So, if you use the "playing a W-H scale a half-step above the Root of a dom7 chord", you now have FOUR Diminished Scale you can use too: Bb W-H, Db W-H, E W-H, and G W-H!!!! Sure, they all contain the same notes, but now you can apply them from four different aspects, or "launching pads" if you will.

And if you decipher the W-H scales from each of their M3, 5, b7, and b9 you will find yourself creating new lines in areas you may have not been before. Some will start on notes that fall in A Mixolydian, and some won't. It'll start opening up different "views" and a more complete sound for you.

Also, never forget that a diminished scale not only has four Dominant chords a m3rd apart but also has four m7 chords a m3rd apart, and four m7b5 chords a m3rd apart. So, now you can get some diminished sounds using nothing but dom7, m7, and m7b5 arps!

Part 4: Let's take what we've learned so far and see where it exists in the 12-bar Blues

So where can you use some of this stuff in a 12-bar Blues? Look at this progression:

[code]
||: A7 | D7 | A7 | Em7 A7 | D7 | D#dim7 | A7 | F#7 | Bm7 | E7 | A7 F#7 | Bm7 E7 :||
[/code

Notice measures 4 and 5 are a ii-V-I (Em7-A7-D7) treating D7 as the I7 chord. So, try the Bb W-H just before resolving to D7 (or D Mixolydian).

Measure 1 and 2 can also be viewed as a V7-I7 (A7->D7). Handling it this way and not losing the listener, or falling on your face, can be difficult, so tread lightly before you try a soar. But why not try the Bb W-H scale there, can't hurt. But focus on measures 4 and 5 first.

How about the D#dim7 chord in measure 6? This is a dead ringer for the diminished scale or diminished arpeggio, right?

Now look at measures 7 and 8, you have two dom7 chord a m3rd apart. You can think of those as a diminished subset of chords...

So, maybe play A7 arps over A7, then play the Bb W-H scale over the F#7 chord, or better yet...try the G W-H scale over the F#7 because it would really reference the b9 of the F#7 chord!!!!

Or, you might even substitute A7, C7, Eb7, and F#7 chords and arps interchangeably over the A7 and F#7 chords...EXPERIMENT!

And, remember each of those four Dominant chords each have a m7b5 chord built from their M3's, so also experiment by substitutuing A7 and or F#7 with C#m7b5, Em7b5, Gm7b5, and Bbm7b5 ...again...EXPERIMENT.

Part 5: An example of the I-IV change in measure 4 and 5

This is using some of the same stuff I mentioned in Part 4...

When you treat the I-IV change as a V-I or ii-V-I change you are really treating the I-IV change as a V7alt-I change....for A7->D7, treat it like A7alt->D7 (or A7b9-D7) just before the change. You can get your ears around it by trying Bbdim7 and Gdim7 arps over the A7 chord, just resolve it nicely to D7 using a chord tone at first.

You could try something simple like this for measures 4 and 5 (A7->D7 respectively) of the A Blues Progression (this uses the G W-H to "get to" the D7 chord, play this as 1/8 notes):

Code: Select all

     A7                          D7
E-------------------------6--|---5--------
B----------------5--7--8-----|------7-----
G-------------6--------------|---------7--
D----5--7--8-----------------|------------
A----------------------------|------------
E----------------------------|------------


This mixes tones from the A7 chord, Bbdim7 and Gdim7 arps, and the Bb and G W-H scale...all "leading" to the D7 chord.

Part 6: My head hurts, FOUR dom7 chord, Four m7, Four m7b5, playing a half step above the Root, I want to go home and play my Mixolydian scale!!!!

So far you have a few areas that you can incorporate diminished "thinking" into the blues by looking at nothing but the straight Blues chord chart/progression.

TAKE THIS STUFF SLOW. It seems like a lot of moving around but once things fall in place...which could take months...you'll be much more familiar with "those other sounds" that you will NEVER get if you just play the safe/release notes of a scale.

Now read back through everything up to this point again...that was a lot of stuff!!!

Ok, let's continue on...

Part 7: How to find Chromatic Movement in the 12-bar Blue progression:

The next thing to check out would be substitution chords over the last 2 measures to create Chromatic movement.

Both of those lesson links in Part 2 will show you much detail on where this concept comes from but without going into a ton of detail of "how" you get there...

...you can change the last 2 measure of that progression a few ways to give yourself more a of diminished view to them.

The last two measure are this:

| A7 F#7 | Bm7 E7 |

By using the "four dominant chords for every dominant chord" idea, you can change F#7 to C7 and change E7 to Bb7 to get this chromatic movement:

| A7 C7 | Bm7 Bb7 |...resolving back to A7 on measure 1 again.

So you have the Chromatic Root Movement of C->B->Bb->resolving to A.

Next you can change the Bm7 to a B7 if you want too, to get:

| A7 C7 | B7 Bb7 |...resolving back to A7 on measure 1 again.

So now not only do you have the Chromatic Root movement, but you also have a pure Chromatic chordal line of ALL dom7 chords!!!! A7->C7->B7->Bb->resolve to A7.

ARE YOU READY????....

And each of those dom7 chords has four dom7s, four m7b5, and four m7 chords you can associate with them!!!!!!

So for each of those Chromatic Dom7 chords, you can substitute four other dom7 chords and diminished scales!!!!

Definitely try and comprehend somethings you can play with these "Chromatic" possibilities BUT...

as you comprehend them you are going to find you can play almost any note over those last 2 measure...so...

try to also just let your fingers do the walking and you'll feel just how free you can play over these chords...

PRACTICE THIS "FREEDOM"!!!!

Pretty cool stuff!