Not every time you write a song inspiration strikes from the first moment.
Yes, sometimes you start writing and everything falls into place easily and immediately. Just a few touches here and there and BOOM you have a song.
But most of the times this is not at all how it goes down, is it?
Most of the time you start with an idea, then you work a bit on it, let it rest, work a little bit more on it… and you polish it until it shines.
Unglamorous as it sounds, most songs are not the work of inspiration, but the work of perspiration. Musical elbow grease, so to speak.
To make your work easier (and more fun) it’s good to have a toolbox of tricks that you can apply to existing music and create new music. One of them is the infamous Negative Harmony to which I have dedicated many a videos.
But today we see something different: today we see a trick that uses diminished chords and can make your progressions sound either more ‘classical’ (or ‘neoclassical if you like your Yngwie) or ‘jazzier’.
Yes, the same trick can create two completely different sounds. What’s not to love? Have fun:
And yes, this is not the only way to use diminished chords.
Diminished chords are extremely versatile and flexible in their application. For instance, here’s another way to use them – diminished chords used to modulate (change key):
Have fun!
