#Dark sounding music keys how to

To spice up the chorus, Smith and his co-writers added an Ab diminished chord to lead into the final repetition of the progression. The song is in C major, and the chord progression throughout the song remains A minor (the vi chord), F major (the IV chord), and C major (the I or “tonic” chord). “Stay with Me,” by Sam Smith is a great example of the diminished chord leading to a vi chord. This use, similar to the I-ii bridge, takes advantage of the diminished chord’s ability to lead the listener’s ears in a certain direction. Finish with a minor chord a half step above your diminished chord (called “ii” in jazz notation) Leading to a vi chordĪnother popular way to use diminished chords is leading into a song’s vi chord (the minor chord built upon the 6th scale degree of the key). Follow with a diminished triad or diminished 7th chord a half step above your tonic chord (called “bii°” in jazz notation)ģ. Build your major tonic chord (called “I” in jazz notation)Ģ.

#Dark sounding music keys how to

How to use a diminished chord in the same way that these songs do:ġ. In fact, the melody even outlines each note in the chord! This change takes the song’s relatively static feel and imbues an emotional gravity that compliments the lyrics of the song. Hear the tension that is created by the diminished chord, and the release that you feel once the F# minor chord is reached. This F diminished chord works as a bridge a half step between the E major chord and the F# minor chord. At about 26 seconds, the chords change, and you can hear an F diminished chord. One great example of a diminished chord used in this manner is in George Harrison’s classic, “My Sweet Lord.” The song’s main riff starts at about 16 seconds, where the chords alternate between E major (the tonic chord because the song starts in the key of E major) and C# minor (the iv chord, being at E major’s 6th scale degree). Not only that, but the diminished chord creates a stepwise motion in the root notes of the chords-where they move up in half-step increments -which sounds pretty slick and adds a powerful sense of movement to your piece.Īs a songwriter, we can take advantage of these properties to make our songs more interesting-let’s see how a few musicians have done it: This tension gives a sense of release once the progression arrives on its destination chord. The diminished chord works so well for this purpose because it contains a high amount of tension. One of the most popular uses for the diminished chord is as a bridge between two other chords.