diminished colors / tonic harmony

Are there any relatively common tonic type chords that use diminished intervals to enhance their color? Yes there is, and although somewhat rare in the written literature, it is not uncommon for players to alter a set of potentially genericized written changes of a song to suit their own tastes. Rarely if ever found in folk, rock, pop etc., we find tonic functioning chords with a bit of diminished color in jazz and in the blues. And with the blues environment being based for the most part in dominant harmony, we'll consider those possibilities in diminished colors / dominant harmony. The following ideas are concerned with tonic type chords and the environment they create.

The one reasonably common tonic type chord that employs a bit of the diminished color is generally known as the tonic major seven flat five, I major 7 b5. I place this chord here in that technically speaking, lowering the perfect fifth of a chord by half step creates a diminished fifth interval between the root and fifth. Let's compare the pitches of a vanilla tonic major seventh chord with this tonic major seventh b5 color. Cool with spelling chords? Thinking C major, example 1.

Thus, the combination of tonic harmony and diminished color. Again please realize that this particular chord is relatively rare in the literature, but it is a cool and advanced chordal color which provides an interesting way to delay tonal resolution. Consider the following common cadential motion in C major. Example 1.

Here the delay in the resolution? Even though the tension and tonal instability of the dominant chord has been relaxed, the tonic has a reduced sense of tonal stability due to the inclusion of the b5. We sure things up in the fourth measure above with the motion of the diminished fifth to the perfect fifth within the tonic C major 7 chord. Cool with this? Jazz pianist Bill Evans often used this simple coloring to great passionate effect in his interpretations of melody and improvisations.

Is there another way to numerically identify this tonic chordal color? Upon reflection, perhaps this chord is more commonly know as a tonic major 7 # 11 ( I maj 7 # 11 ). The b5 and the # 11 are the same pitch yes? The # 11 being up one octave? We definitely see the major 7 # 11 more often in the written literature. Sorry for the potential confusion, but # 11 generally means augmented 11, and when chords are built to this level of chord degree, there is oftentimes a ninth in the chord also, to properly support the 11th degree. Major 7 # 11 implies that the # 4 / b5 has been moved up an octave in the voicing, thus becoming the # 11 of the chord. Compare the following voicings. Example 2.

Better? Common practice say's yes to both the theory and the identification of this chord. Whatever "version" of the verbiage works best for you is best. Click to augmented tonic chord colors to compare perspectives. Check out Chick Corea's cool and modern composition "Crystal Silence" to hear this tonic color in action.

A bit more obscure perhaps is simply using the diminished color to delay resolution as it takes up position on the tonic pitch. Know as the common tone diminished, here we get to "play" a bit with tonal gravity. Example 3.

Sound a bit far fetched? It is a stretch for sure, but a potentially brilliant surprise to the players and listeners in the know. Other diminished coloring of tonic harmony? Got any suggestions? Related topics?

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