This is my understanding of the diminished chord spellings.
The notes are correct but I think that that there are a couple of spellings that should change.
Fdim would be F Ab Cb A#dim would be A# C# E
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
The notes are correct but I think that that there are a couple of spellings that should change.
Fdim would be F Ab Cb A#dim would be A# C# E
Yeah, this is that enharmonic thing again. I'm not sure if there is an absolute crisp solution that fully answers this.
This image is from pianochord.org but I'm not sure that even this is the "truth" . . .
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Yeah, this is that enharmonic thing again. I'm not sure if there is an absolute crisp solution that fully answers this.
If I may - you are playing the music not writting it - right? So root, minor third and flattened fifth is all you need to know to play a dim chord in any key.
Yeah, this is that enharmonic thing again. I'm not sure if there is an absolute crisp solution that fully answers this.
Up above I gave you a quick guideline you can use when unsure: skip a letter. So if you start with A#, the next note has to be some form of C (not B, and not D). Then some form of E (not D, not F). Make sense? As far as I know, this trick always works, although it can lead you into situations of double flats or double sharps. Pick your poison.
And I don't remember if anyone above mentioned another guideline, but I really detest mixing sharps and flats in the same chord spelling. For example, you would not want to write something like C, Eb, F# (though that example also fails the 'skip a letter' test).
Does that help? If you get stuck, you can always throw in Mike's wildcard F.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
The notes are correct but I think that that there are a couple of spellings that should change.
Fdim would be F Ab Cb A#dim would be A# C# E
Yeah, this is that enharmonic thing again. I'm not sure if there is an absolute crisp solution that fully answers this.
This image is from pianochord.org but I'm not sure that even this is the "truth" . . .
I reckon rule 1 is to not get too hung up about it.
I think rule 2 is probably that sometimes things are debatable. MarioD said that the 'old way' he used was that a chord should have the same #/b symbols as the scale it's in, which would mean in his rules my + or #5 should be a b6, but to me the chord is still a triad, so it should contain the 5 of whatever persuasion.
For me the most important thing is about which notes in the chord I should raise or lower by a semitone (or two in the case of a fully diminished). Generally when one does that the notes do keep the same #/b symbol as the scale.
There's a fairly full explanation on the Hear & Play website, which follows the "same #/b" rule, but I think it doesn't mention ... oh, yes it does and get this ... In one lesson it has:
Quote
The use of the sharp symbol should “raise” a red flag. It’s wrong to have a sharp symbol in the spelling of a flat-based major scale. Always remember that.
and in another it has
Quote
Some musicians don’t understand why I mixed sharps and flats.
Somewhere in their musical journey, they learned that either chords are sharp-based or flat-based (similar to how major keys either have all sharps or all flats). But this is wrong when it comes to sharping and flatting degrees.
In truth, I personally think the contradiction is probably unavoidable. It's a useful website, though mostly piano-oriented. It has 7 pages of explanation on this, which definitely indicates that it isn't always obvious: https://www.hearandplay.com/main/proper-spelling-of-chords
Remember my rule 1.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
Oh, here we go. We're back to talking about the diagram entries as if these are chords in a key signature. Very well.
Nothing is absolute about this stuff.
When writing for orchestra or big band, I may very well write notes with sharps in a flatted key signature. Why? Well, I don't want to be changing the key signature all the time, but a certain section (even a few bars) may have a different tonal center (example: we are humming along in Eb, but for four bars, it apparently modulates to A. Is it worth changing the key signature for four bars? I think No). The players will understand as long as you're consistent.
Another general rule is to write sharps if it's an ascending line, flats if it's a descending line. But I break that rule all the time. Pick your poison: you'll often not be able to comply with every guideline out there.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Yeah, this is that enharmonic thing again. I'm not sure if there is an absolute crisp solution that fully answers this.
If I may - you are playing the music not writting it - right? So root, minor third and flattened fifth is all you need to know to play a dim chord in any key.
Thank you Dan, you are right.
My goals for these tables are to be valuable tools for rapidly developing better bass lines; and they have already achieved that goal. Being absolutely musically "correct" as would be required by an orchestra conductor for example is not my primary goal. With any tool, it should be useful to the user. I do want them to be as correct as possible but only to the extent that they remain useful tools.
Put another way, I'd rather be a happy, productive, semi-ignorant, non-music scholar who can have fun learning new songs using imperfect tools rather than being frustrated and roadblocked because I can't understand the tools I've created. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be a music scholar but that's simply out of reach.
All that said, I defer to Gordon and Matt who obviously know much more than me in this area and so I made the changes. "Cb" shouldn't slow me down, I know that's equivalent to "B". But double sharps and double flats is another story entirely.
All is well, learning and stretching are good things
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Up above I gave you a quick guideline you can use when unsure: skip a letter. So if you start with A#, the next note has to be some form of C (not B, and not D). Then some form of E (not D, not F). Make sense? As far as I know, this trick always works, although it can lead you into situations of double flats or double sharps. Pick your poison.
I'm just now learning that a poison must be picked; I must say that I'm a tad disappointed in the math-music connection because (as I understand it) poison is not required in math But now that I ponder this skip-a-letter-rule I somehow like it. Alphabetically speaking, it is pleasing to the eye, for what that's worth.
And I don't remember if anyone above mentioned another guideline, but I really detest mixing sharps and flats in the same chord spelling. For example, you would not want to write something like C, Eb, F# (though that example also fails the 'skip a letter' test).
Once again, I like this rule too. But as you say, one rule may end up breaking the requirements of another rule.
Does that help? If you get stuck, you can always throw in Mike's wildcard F.
I suppose, this does help, despite the fact that back when Dan introduced me to this subject regarding Am and minor chords my head wasn't spinning; now is a different story. I'm gonna ask my wife to bring me a beer, a brandy AND a whiskey
One thing I think I know, is we don't want to introduce that "F" !
Last edited by Bass Thumper; 11/08/2311:32 AM.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
[color:#3333FF]I suppose, this does help, despite the fact that back when Dan introduced me to this subject regarding Am and minor chords my head wasn't spinning; now is a different story.
Oh, here we go. We're back to talking about the diagram entries as if these are chords in a key signature. Very well.
Nothing is absolute about this stuff.
When writing for orchestra or big band, I may very well write notes with sharps in a flatted key signature. Why? Well, I don't want to be changing the key signature all the time, but a certain section (even a few bars) may have a different tonal center (example: we are humming along in Eb, but for four bars, it apparently modulates to A. Is it worth changing the key signature for four bars? I think No). The players will understand as long as you're consistent.
Another general rule is to write sharps if it's an ascending line, flats if it's a descending line. But I break that rule all the time. Pick your poison: you'll often not be able to comply with every guideline out there.
I personally don't like key signature changes for just a few bars. I would rather just read the accidentals, especially if I am sight reading something and didn't even get the time to look it over enough to see those key changes. But, as I had said before, for me it doesn't really make much difference if you write Cb I still know where it is and what it is even if it is not normally written that way.
My wife asked if I had seen the dog bowl. I told her I didn't even know he could.
I personally don't like key signature changes for just a few bars. I would rather just read the accidentals, especially if I am sight reading something and didn't even get the time to look it over enough to see those key changes. But, as I had said before, for me it doesn't really make much difference if you write Cb I still know where it is and what it is even if it is not normally written that way.
I too can handle Cb, it's the double sharps and douple flats that explode my head.
Also, FWIW, I don't read sheet music, I either play by ear or from chord sheets. And I enter chords into BiaB. Obviously my music theory is weak but growing. My understanding is that the chord spelling tables I'm putting together are completely independent of any key(s) the song may be in. In other words, these tables work for all keys. They are simply intended to show how chords are constructed (which is turning out to be valuable to me in at least 2 ways).
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
I'm for whatever makes the chart easier to sightread, and accidentals don't bother me one bit.
Double sharps and double flats will take a microsecond to register when sightreading, but the second time around they will be fine.
Any difficult piece of music will find me in the woodshed.
If the rhythm is tricky, I'll count it off in rhythm using 1 E & A 2 E & A … or 1 A LY … and so on. My first band director taught me that, and his words are ringing in my head today, “If you can say it, you can play it.”
I'm for whatever makes the chart easier to sightread
+1 I'm (albeit slowly) reaching this position. Nobody listens to a song for enjoyment and asks "Does his chord spelling tables meet my approval?" Or says "If this guy doesn't know how to read sheet music I'm not gonna like his songs."
That said, correct music notation is very important (even crucial) in some contexts but it isn't the end all and be all.
Just my 2 cents.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
All I can add is this. If I am playing a chart for a song in E and I see an Ab instead of a G# my brain goes out of automatic pilot and back to manual flight and for just that halfof an eye blink I am lost, because there's no Ab in the key of E.
I wouldn't put an Ab in an E chart, because the key signature already instructs all the G notes to be sharped, unless there is a natural sign in front of it. An Ab only becomes a stumbling block. As you pointed out Eddie, the Ab takes you out of autopilot while reading. That makes the chart more difficult to read.
There may be an exception if a song temporarily goes into a flat key for an amount of time too short to bother with a new key signature.
The chart should be as easy to read as possible. If I were to make a chart for one specific person, I'd take into account his/her personal experience and needs. If I make charts for everybody, I make it as easy to read as possible, but within the limits of proper notation.
There are certain things you can do. A couple of easy examples are to align codas, segnos and repeat signs to the left-hand side of the page, so people don't have to search for them. Also, put page turns in logical places if possible to make it less disrupting for the reader to move forward.
I write fake book companions for BiaB, and I've come across examples where you have to turn the page, play two or 4 bars, then turn it back for a repeat. Why would anyone do that? I want to tell the publisher to hire a college music student to proofread the book.
The point is that a person may be sightreading the chart. Make it easy for him/her to navigate it.
A related aside to what Notes just added about making parts for certain people. In addition to transposing instruments that may make switching from flatted key signatures to sharped or vice versa, you can run into the personal preference.
Here’s an example. I double on vibes. With my limited skills, the bar that is F# is always F# in my mind no matter what the key. Sorry, but I have enough to think about hitting the right bar than to read a correct enharmonic of Gb. It’s just not going to happen. Now, put a trumpet in my hands and I’ll read whatever and expect it to be enharmonically the ‘right’ spelling.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PDT today!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Mac® to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PDT on May 31st, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Check out the Band-in-a-Box® for Mac packages page to find the best package for you.
Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
Order before 11:59pm PDT today (May 15, 2026) to save up to 50% off your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrade and receive a FREE Bonus PAK loaded with great new Add-ons to use with this new version!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.
Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!
202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean