Identification of Jazz Chords: Augmented vs. Diminished

Understanding the nuances of jazz chords, such as augmented and diminished triads, is a crucial skill for any musician, whether playing, arranging, or analyzing music. This guide aims to provide practical methods for recognizing these essential components of jazz and beyond.

The Role of Ear Training

The first step in identifying augmented and diminished chords is ear training. It involves training your ear to recognize the unique qualities of each chord. Here are some personal anecdotes to illustrate this:

ldquo;How would one identify whether a jazz chord is augmented or diminished?rdquo; You train your ear to do it. I sing the solfege. do mi si is augmented; La do me is diminished.
Go on and run yourself through the exercises.rdquo;

Recognizing Chord Quality

The key to recognizing augmented and diminished chords is understanding their distinctive qualities. Much like learning your colors, you learn to recognize the sounds of various triads:

Major triads sound ldquo;happyrdquo; (except for the last chord of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet… the saddest sounding C major triad ever written). Minor triads tend to sound ldquo;sad.rdquo; Diminished triads are ldquo;a little crunchyrdquo; but are mostly used as some form of dominant 7th without a root, so they feel like they want to resolve somewhere. Augmented triads sound ldquo;unsettledrdquo; because they do not want to resolve anywhere. Listen to the opening of ldquo;A Faust Symphonyrdquo; by Franz Liszt, which cascades of descending augmented triads create a perpetual motion that describes Faust’s descent into Hell.

Practicing Chord Identification

Augmented and diminished chords arenrsquo;t exclusive to jazz, but they are integral parts of many musical genres. Serious musicians typically use a combination of notation and ear training to analyze and recognize these chords:

Analyzing chord notations provides a visual reference to the structure of the chords. Recognizing their characteristic sounds allows you to identify them by ear. Both approaches reinforce each other, making your understanding more comprehensive.

Listening Exercises

To improve your ability to identify augmented and diminished chords, practice listening to the following exercises:

Play a series of major, minor, diminished, and augmented triads and try to identify their qualities. Listen to jazz pieces and focus on the chord progressions, trying to identify the types of chords used. Create your own chord progressions and play them for yourself or a friend to identify.

Conclusion

Identifying jazz chords, particularly augmented and diminished triads, may take time and effort. However, with consistent practice, you will improve and find that engaging with music is both enjoyable and rewarding. Remember, the effort is worth it as you develop your musical skills and deepen your understanding of jazz.

Further Reading

Chord Quality PCMag: Augmented Triad Diminished Triad