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10 DIMINISHED
PATTERNS THAT WILL
TRANSFORM YOUR NEXT
JAZZ SOLO…
W
hat comes to mind when you hear the word
diminished? A chord? A scale? Wait, is it
whole-steps and half-steps…or the other
way around? If you’re like most players, the
diminished sound often creates more questions than
answers. But it’s a sound that the greatest players – from
John Coltrane to Michael Brecker and beyond – have
used to add harmonic complexity and melodic interest to
their solos.
And it’s one that you can use in your solos as well…if you have the know-how.
You see, the premise of a diminished chord or pattern is simple, but when you
start applying this sound to your solos, the details can get complex very quickly.
And luckily it’s pretty straightforward, a fully diminished chord is simply a stack
of minor 3rds…
And again, since the construction of the structure is symmetrical you can apply
this sound to any dominant chord built from the related chord tones: (C7, Eb7,
F#7, A7)
Whichever V7 chord you choose to apply it to, you’ll always highlight the root,
#9, #11, and 13 of that dominant chord. For example, if you play that F# fully
diminished over a C7…
Start by being able to visualize this structure from any starting note, (remember
there are only 3 options). Keep in mind that every example that we’ll show
below is built off of this basic structure
Because a scale is just one option for accessing a diminished sound in your
solos. And thinking of only one scale can put you in a box. However, by thinking
of the diminished chord structure as a whole, you open up many other
possibilities (that can include scales and much more).
And this will become apparent when you study at the examples below…
And one of these avenues was the minor third relationship of the diminished
sound…
Probably the most well known diminished pattern comes from his solo on
Moment’s Notice. Over a Bb pedal he plays the following line:
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Two months after recording the Blue Train session, Coltrane recorded a live
perfomance at Carnegie Hall with Thelonious Monk. In his solo over the tune
Epistrophy you can hear the same diminished pattern in action:
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In both solos, Coltrane is using the same diminished concept and this is the first
diminished pattern for you to know:
Here he plays a whole-step below each diminished chord tone and alternates
direction. Take away the whole-steps and you’re left with the skeleton of the
diminished chord tones:
And one device that he often employed was the diminished pattern. Take a
listen to the opening of My One and Only Love:
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This is a pattern that he often used in his solos, check out his solo on Peep. Here
he takes the Coltrane pattern from above and substitutes a descending 4th into
the mix, instead of the descending whole-step:
(You can also think of this as a descending 1st inversion triad, but we’ll get to
that later…)
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In this pattern, like Brecker, he also utilizes descending 4ths. Notice how he
alternates the direction of the interval within the line and ends by shifting the
pattern into a new key.
After you ingrain this descending pattern in the 3 keys variations of the
diminished structure, explore changing direction and alternating between keys
as Mulgrew does in his line.
Start with the diminished structure stacked in minor 3rds and build a major
triad off of each note – like this:
One player that utilizes this sound in his solos is Mulgrew Miller. Check out how
he employs this major triad concept in his solo from Hand In Hand:
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Over a Bb7 sound he is implying a Bb triad, a G triad, and an E triad. Note how
he inverts the triads and connects them by half-step in a melodic way.
Michael Brecker also uses this triadic concept in his solos as well. Let’s take
another look at his solo on My One and Only Love. :
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In this line he’s implying a pattern of first inversion triads (C, A, F#, Eb) but
leaving out the 5th – a minor 6th jump from 3rd to root. Start by practicing a
pattern of first inversion triads on each diminished chord tones.
The larger intervals he uses in the original line are a great way to create melodic
interest and avoid sounding mechanical when using a pattern.
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In this pattern he utilizes the diminished sound over a C7 chord that resolves to
F-7. Let’s take a closer look at this line. Below you can see how he is using a
descending C triad, A triad, and so on:
Here’s how you can practice a triadic approach to the diminished sound:
Along with a triadic or chord tone approach to the diminished sound, many
great players have also applied this scale to their solos. If we go back to the
earlier Coltrane line from Epistrophy, you’ll notice that he ends the line with this
diminished scale:
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Another notable improviser that used this scale in a melodic way is Herbie
Hancock. Check out this line from his solo on There is no Greater Love and
notice how he utilizes the diminished scale over a C7 chord:
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Now check out Herbie’s solo on Freedom Jazz Dance. Listen to the way he
creatively uses the diminished scale to create melodies:
At 5:10 in the video you can hear Herbie play the following line:
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Note how he doesn’t just use the scale note for note, but instead crafts melodic
lines that create rhythmic and harmonic interest. Here’s how to practice this:
Listen to this excerpt from his solo on the tune Black Nile:
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In this line, Kirkland is using the inverse of the Coltrane pattern – moving a
whole step up from each diminished chord tone. You can also conceptualize this
pattern as derived from the whole-half diminished scale:
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Let’s start by listening to his solo on Spain. As you listen, keep your ears open for
the way he utilizes diminished patterns over dominant sounds:
Chick Corea and Return to Forever - Spain
At 5:34 in the video, Chick plays this line over the F#7 chord:
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Here Chick is using the first inversion triads that we talked about earlier,
emphasizing them with a chromatic approach note.
Later on in his solo, he plays the following line over an F#7 sus chord:
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There’s a lot going on in this line…but based on what we’ve covered so far you
should be able to pick out some of the diminished concepts at work.
Start by breaking down the line into pieces and figure out what individual
techniques Chick is using to access the different variations of the diminished
sound.
READY, SET, GO
So there you have it…
Then pick one of the 10 diminished patterns and take it into the practice room
for a week. After you feel confident with it, start applying it to the dominant
chords in your solos.
Keep in mind that these diminished patterns can sound contrived or out of
place when played note for note or forced into a solo.
Aim to apply these patterns in a musical way. You don’t want to sound like a
robot when you improvise. These diminished options, like any other jazz
language that you learn, are just more tools for you to create your sound.
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