Diminished Seventh Chord Generator

The diminished seventh formula

A fully diminished seventh stacks three minor thirds. The seventh is nine semitones above the root and is spelled as a diminished seventh. For C, B-double-flat sounds like A but keeps the seventh's letter identity.

The formula 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭♭7 describes intervals from the selected root. The C example is C · E♭ · G♭ · B♭♭; these are 4 separate chord tones. A root change transposes the entire collection, while a voicing change rearranges the same pitch classes.

• Degree 1: 0 semitones above the root.
• Degree 3: 3 semitones above the root.
• Degree 5: 6 semitones above the root.
• Degree 7: 9 semitones above the root.

Distinguish the double-flat seventh

Compare Cdim7 with Cm7-flat5. Only B-double-flat rises to B-flat. Then select B and inspect B-D-F-A-flat to hear a common fully diminished spelling.

The Compare half-diminished button keeps the selected root and root octave, and uses the comparison chord in root position. Set this chord to root position too for the clearest quality comparison. Use headphones or a quiet room and keep your listening volume comfortable.

Half-Diminished chord generator →

Read the bass before naming an inversion

Root position starts on degree 1. First inversion starts on degree 3; second inversion starts on degree 5. Third inversion starts on degree 7. The slash label shows the sounding bass and the displayed MIDI values let you verify its pitch.

Inversions preserve the root and quality. This tool raises rotated notes by an octave so the selected bass is the lowest note. For an added ninth, the inversion examples use a close pitch-class voicing; root position retains the compound ninth. These are reference voicings, not the only musical arrangements.

Try the four inversions to hear the evenly spaced pitch-class structure. The selected root determines the notation; the tool does not infer harmonic function from an audio recording.

Understand inversions in webcam playing →

Connect the reference to gesture playing

The webcam engine supports a diminished-seventh colour on degree VII in major world with seventh quality. This explicit calculator supplies other roots too.

The chord laboratory uses buttons and menus for direct note selection. The main gesture instrument uses webcam recognition and has its own supported chord controls. Open that instrument when you want live two-hand performance; the sound and voicing need not match this sine-wave reference exactly.

Gesture chord player → · Music theory and all chord tools →

Spelling, playback and export limits

The double-flat seventh is not a major sixth in chord spelling, even though those notes can sound the same in equal temperament. Naming follows the chosen root and interval degrees.

Note names preserve the chosen root letter and chord degrees. A sharp, flat or double flat may sound the same as a simpler enharmonic name in equal temperament. The tool keeps the theoretical spelling while MIDI numbers show the actual sounding pitches.

The WAV download is a 2.4-second, mono, 44.1 kHz synthesized chord with a short fade. It contains the currently displayed voicing, not the comparison chord, a melody, a guitar fingering or an automatic chord progression. Stop sound cancels playback; Reset returns to C in octave 3 and root position.

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