Hi all,

I don't run across them often in pop music, but when I do - I'm always amazed at how well they fit in the spot the composer gave them. I'm sure if overused, they would get boring quickly. I don't play a lot of older standards, where I think you find more of them. (lol - define "older" - say 40's and 50's big band jazz standard stuff - older than the old ones I'm using as examples )

Recently - while learning a few older pop songs, I came acroos these chords in :
1.) Billy Joel - Moving Out (...saving his pennies for some day...), The Stranger (during intro after modulation to E major before returning to Em)
2.) Elton John - The Border Song (during the words "Holy Moses")

Now these are the chords listed in the transcription books I'm using - but they sound pretty correct and true to the original to me.

Do any of you out there put these chords in your songs, or have some favorites that use these chords tastefully ?

When I played in a cover band back in the 80s we used to play "Spooky" by the Atlanta Rhythm Section (originally done by the Classics IV), that had a diminished chord in it.

I think often diminished and augmented chords are laid in there to embellish stuff. Not necessarily written as such in rock or country but often just put in there. One might go to a G7 at the end of a middle eight or chorus then go to a C to start the next verse or alternatively G7 , G+ then C. This rides up nice and rounds the end of the chorus. Sometimes works great even in rock but often it is not written.

Yes Joe I do use both diminished and augmented chords in some of my songs.

My favorite and the song that got me into such chords is Because by The Dave Clark Five:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxbYxIggR_I

"The Greatest Love Of All" uses a number of augmented chords.

I don't know how recent you are looking for.

The Ariana Grande song "Break Free" has one before the chorus.

Ciara "Like A Boy"

"This Love" Maroon 5 (I like this song. Check out the Bdim7 Chord starting the verse)

"Friends in Low Places" Garth Brooks

ELO "Living Thing"..always loved that song.

Ironically my kids are watching "Mamma Mia" as I'm typing this! How I didn't start with that one, I don't know.

I remember friends of mine having a discussion along these lines. It turned into an argument...or maybe an augument (that was bad). Anyway, if I'm wrong on any of mine, totally cool. I'm wrong, you're right. I'm not Mr. Theory by a long shot!

6 Wives of Henry the 8th by Rick Wakeman
I have a 'Complete Anthology' Yes book with the music written out for most of their songs. It includes a transcript of the medley that he did live with Yes for a while (I think it was from one of the live releases like Yes Songs).

Anyhow, that's how I learned to play/use diminished runs and sections; I learned that piece.
Interesting piece to learn if you are into that kind of thing like I am.

These almost always will be used as passing note/chords. We just don’t like to hear measures full of them. But as a setup for a payoff chord they are great.

I think David Bowie banged away on augmented and diminished chords quite a bit and it’s one reason, besides the vibrato theatrics, that I could rarely listen all the way through one of his songs. I think he also used dominant 7 chords quite a bit and that added to the musical theatre sound of his songs. I can’t stand most musicals.

Both of these dislikes, I understand, are not shared by many.

This chordmap idea has been a blessing to me in the last 12 years when my songwriting output changed by an order of magnitude. Note how diminished chords always pass into a larger shape and they don’t lie on the main trunk. http://www.readmusicfree.com/images/chordprogressionmap.png

Note. No augmented chords on that major map!

Oh, btw, the way to use the map is to start a progression out away from the trunk and follow the branch in and down the trunk to the root.

Pretty slick!

I always liked "Steal Away" by Robbie Dupree.

The verse goes:

| A | % | Aaug | % |
| A6 | % | A7 | % |

Note: % used above as a substitute for the repeat previous measure symbol.

It uses the A+ as more than a passing chord, and I hear a lot of pop songs using descending lines in the harmony very well ("Stairway" "This Masquerade", etc) but very few with ascending internal harmony done this well.

Insights and incites by Notes

Great examples and comments. THanks for sharing : )

Really enjoying the comments in this thread. Also it's giving me some song ideas which I always love.

Thanks for the share sir..... I've used a much simpler one too:

Poetry in Motion - Johnny Tillotson.
The intro

While not a top 40 song, a good modern example of a song that uses diminished chords well is "Icky Thump" by The White Stripes. And while far from being modern anymore, Led Zeppelin used tons of them.

Great topic - excited to hear other mentions

Right from the start