Learn Jazz Standards Podcast Why Diminished Arpeggios Sound Awesome Over Dominant 7ths?
Feb 26, 2024
Learn how using diminished arpeggios over dominant 7th chords can enhance jazz improvisation, create tension and resolution, and add unique sounds. Explore the practical applications of this harmonic approach and gain valuable insights into jazz music theory.
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Diminished Arpeggio Equals G7(b9)
- An A♭ diminished seventh arpeggio over G7 supplies G7's 3rd, 5th, and b7 plus a b9 instead of the root.
- That combination creates a G7(b9) sound that works especially well resolving to a tonic.
Add Flat-9 Tension On Resolving Dominants
- Use the flat nine (from the diminished arpeggio) as an altered extension over dominant sevenths to add tension.
- Apply that sound when the dominant chord is resolving to create strong tension-and-resolution lines.
Diminished Viewpoint For Altered Sounds
- The diminished arpeggio approach offers an alternate conceptual angle to altered scales when improvising over dominants.
- The diminished scale's symmetry means different diminished arpeggios are just inversions of the same sound.