bob gregory - Posted - 05/07/2009:  15:31:23

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G'day all, I need some advice how do you do a Gdim chord?
Thanks Bob

folkfan - Posted - 05/07/2009:  16:44:20

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In G tuning (gDGBD), a Gdim chord is played o4211.

neplusultra - Posted - 05/07/2009:  17:46:26

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hmmm...that doesn't make sense...the chord would have a G-Bflat-Dflat-Fflat notes...assuming that you mean Gdim7 or G half-diminished. (if you don't, just omit the Fflat) (I know, why not call it an E natural...well, from a theoretical perspective, a diminished 7th consists of a tonic, diminished 3rd, diminished 5th and diminished 7th intervals. So, in the case of a G dim7, the last note must be an F of some sort...in this case Fflat)

So, since I spend my life in C tuning, it is formed by 4325 (from low to high giving me Fflat-Bflat-Dflat-G) in G tuning, I suppose you would just drop the 4 to a 2 (leave the g open) so using the the nomenclature used by folkfan...it would be o2325 or, since you already have a G note, you could do it o2322 and and double the Fflat notes...depends on what you want on top.

somebody who regularly plays G tuning....please feel free to correct the fingerings (I play plectrum, 4-string) but I did want to cover the theoretical naming in case it helps.

beegee - Posted - 05/07/2009:  19:41:28

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Go here:
http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/c...-banjo-G.htm

__________________________
"It is better, of course, to know useless things than to know nothing." -Seneca

bob gregory - Posted - 05/07/2009:  20:03:12

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Thanks fellas , beegee top site thanks

minstrelmike - Posted - 05/08/2009:  06:39:43

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You start from one of the 3 possible major chord shapes, barre, F or D and then drop everything but the root note one fret.

F shape G: 5435 becomes 5325 which is a stretch but can be reshaped to 2325 or 5322 or just 2322

D shape G: 9789 becomes 8688 but it can also be played as 8988 (Notice the shape compared to 2322)

The barre (let's call it C 5555) becomes a Cdim at 4544. Notice the shape.

Mike Moxcey Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
http://moxcey.net/mike/minstrel/index.html

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Edited by - minstrelmike on 05/08/2009 06:41:03

KI4PRK - Posted - 05/08/2009:  14:59:29

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quote:

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Originally posted by minstrelmike

You start from one of the 3 possible major chord shapes, barre, F or D and then drop everything but the root note one fret.

F shape G: 5435 becomes 5325 which is a stretch but can be reshaped to 2325 or 5322 or just 2322

D shape G: 9789 becomes 8688 but it can also be played as 8988 (Notice the shape compared to 2322)

The barre (let's call it C 5555) becomes a Cdim at 4544. Notice the shape.

Mike Moxcey Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
http://moxcey.net/mike/minstrel/index.html

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This works, but it doesn't give a "hard-core" diminished sound because you're missing one note (the 6th). A full diminished chord is made of stacked minor 3rds, so a G diminished would be G, Bb, Dd, and E (and just keep repeating). In other terminology, a diminished chord is made of the Root, flat 3rd, flat 5th, and 6th.

so my G diminished would be (from 5th to 1st): 05322, or in tab

|—2——|
|—2——|
|—3——|
|—5——|
|—0——|

OR

|—5———|
|—2———|
|—3———|
|—2———|
|—X———|


Note that the 5th string doesn't work in all diminished chords (obviously). A diminished chord I like to use past the 5th fret is to barre across all 5 strings, and then make the 2nd tab example from there, except including the fretted 5th string. Here is a C diminished chord.

|—13——|
|—10——|
|—11——|
|—10——|
|—10——|

You can move any of these examples around. Diminished chords have very interesting properties that are worth finding out because it's useful and very cool.

73, Brennen

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Edited by - KI4PRK on 05/08/2009 15:03:20

Joe Larson - Posted - 05/08/2009:  16:47:42

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One way to look at it - take the G7th and flat every note but the root

j

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user...&view=videos
I''d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

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Edited by - Joe Larson on 05/09/2009 15:00:55

billkeith - Posted - 05/12/2009:  19:26:59

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I think it's interesting that if you locate the four notes of a G dim chord (G, Bb, Db, and E) on the circle of fifths, they form a square. Since the square is symmetrical, it means that a G dim chord has exactly the same notes in it that the chords Bb dim, Db dim, and E dim have in them. It also means that there are only three "unique" diminished chords, corresponding to the three possible orientations of the square within the circle.

As Joe Larson points out, if you take a G7 chord and lower every note but the root, you'll have a G dim chord. So here's the same reasoning (almost) in reverse: lower any note in a diminished chord, and the new note will be the root of a dominant 7th chord. And since the diminished chord repeats every three frets (there are four of them in any octave), you can use this method to reveal 16 dominant 7th chord positions up through the octave.

Also, if you raise any note of a diminished chord, the note you raise will become the b7th note of a half-diminished chord (a minor 7th flat 5). Example: raise the E in a G dim chord to F, and the resulting chord is a G half-diminished chord. if you raise the Db to D, the resulting chord is an E half-diminished chord, etc. " What's the use of a half-diminished chord?" you may ask. When playing in a minor key, a half diminished chord is often used as the II chord in a II - V - I progression. Example in the key of E minor: II - V - I = F#m7b5, B7, E min.

Of course, G major is the "parent scale" of E minor (they both have the same key signature) and so the F# half-dim and the E min chord are made from notes of the G scale. However, the III chord in the G maj scale is B min7, not B7. By changing the B min7 chord to B7 (by raising the D to D#), we have formed the E harmonic minor scale! ( E F# G A B C D# E).

And try this -- find the notes of a G augmented chord ( G B D# ) on the circle of fifths --they form an equilateral triangle. Similarly, this demonstrates that a G aug chord has the same notes as a B aug and a D# aug. The augmented chord repeats every four frets up through the octave, so there are only four "unique" augmented chords, corresponding to the four different orientations of an equilateral triangle in the circle. And if you lower any note of any augmented chord, you'll find a major chord. This procedure will reveal the three inversions of a major chord in the octave.

Fascinating, ain't it??

Bill Keith