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Half diminished chords are generally overlooked. They are the neglected daughter of a V7 chord in a minor two-five, that never gets the attention she deserves. The result: we suck at them. Think about it. Are you as comfortable on Bb half diminished as Bb major? Im guessing not. But there really is no reason you cant be.
Another common way people get by on half diminished chords is by arpeggiating the chord. Again, not a bad place to start, but at some point youre going to want to move beyond this.
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Always knowing a few sure-fire ways of getting through a chord or set of chords is important, but it is just a starting point. The goal is freedom. If you are truly free over chords, then you are not limited by the number of phrases you know that work over them. In other words, you have gathered a fair amount of workable knowledge that you can implement, that allows you to freely create.
Starting out
When you play the following exercises, do not learn them to reproduce them when you perform. Although they may come out at some point, their purpose is to increase you comfort level and familiarity with the sounds and fingerings over the chords, thereby giving you freedom on the chords to create your own original melodies. As you know, Im a big fan of transcribing and I highly suggest you transcribe lines you like over half diminished chords. Use the exercises here to supplement your transcribed lines, not to replace them. A great way to practice these exercises is to hammer down the chord on the piano and hold the sustain pedal, while you play through the exercise. Pay close attention to how the notes sound against the chord. Practicing in this manner overtime, you will hear the chord in your mind and how each note you are playing functions against that chord, making it unnecessary to have the chord sounded while you play the exercise.
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to hear the notes in the context of the locrian scale. In other words, make sure to hear the tonic of the Locrian scale as the tonic, not the tonic of the parent major scale.
Now play the scale full range of your horn. Remember, this is just to warm up and get the feel for the scale. Only spend a minute or two refreshing yourself on these. Next play 1234531. Take this pattern up chromatically through all the keys. This exercise will help you get familiar with the diminished triad (ie. B-D-F).
After you play the previous pattern for a while, follow it immediately by 5432135 in the same key. Then take the whole pattern through all the keys.
When I do these type of exercises, not only do I frequently accompany myself with the chord on the piano, but I also make sure to visualize the chord symbol while Im playing through each key.
Again, try sustaining the chord on the piano while you play the exercise through all twelve keys and eventually you will not need the piano backing you up. The chords will naturally begin to function in your ear, allowing you to hear and create your own original melodies.
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If you've found this website helpful, please click the Donate button. The average donation is about $14. We greatly appreciate your support! Related Posts: Why You Still Suck At Half Diminished Chords Formulas For Applying Jazz Language To Different Harmonic Do You Know Your Four Triads? Fundamental Ear Training: Seventh Chords Hearing in Color: Chord tones in context A Simple Way To Hear Difficult Intervals: The 2-step method Curing Chord Confusion Syndrome 10 Visualization Exercises To Boost Your Chord Progression Slash Chords Made Simple 3 Steps to Freedom In All 12 Keys How to Acquire Useful Language: The Building Blocks of Your Navigating Altered Dominants: Strategies for the V7#9 Chord Ear Training For One 100 New Years Resloution Ideas to Get You Amped For 2011 Fundamental Ear Training Exercises
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We are Forrest and Eric. Weve learned from a ton of great musicians (Mulgrew Miller, Rich Perry and many more). We are sharing anything that continues to inspire us as musicians and creative individuals alike. Enjoy.
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