Ruedi to go

In these quick explainers, our conductor Ruedi Lutz gets straight to the heart of a variety of musical concepts. Clear, concise, entertaining. Simply “Ruedi to go”!

Diminished seventh chord

What is a diminished seventh chord? In this video, Ruedi is given three minutes to teach Konrad the basics. He shows Konrad how to build the chord as a series of minor-third intervals: F sharp, A, C, and E flat – “or is that a D sharp?” asks Konrad. That’s the problem, explains Ruedi. When the diminished seventh note is treated as an E flat, it resolves downwards in the chordal progression, when treated at as a D sharp, it resolves upwards. That’s what makes the chord so enigmatic – something of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, they decide.