vii°–I

The vii°–I progression features the diminished triad built on the leading tone resolving directly to the tonic. The diminished chord's inherent instability — caused by its tritone between root and flat fifth — creates powerful tension that demands resolution. It functions similarly to V–I but with even more urgency, and is a staple of classical part-writing and jazz voice leading.

Pattern: vii° – I Example in C Major: Bdim – C

Genre: classical, jazz, pop Difficulty: intermediate

Choose a Key

C Major Bdim – C G Major F♯dim – G D Major C♯dim – D A Major G♯dim – A E Major D♯dim – E B Major A♯dim – B F♯ Major Fdim – F♯ F Major Edim – F B♭ Major Adim – B♭ E♭ Major Ddim – E♭ A♭ Major Gdim – A♭ D♭ Major Cdim – D♭

Song Examples

Prelude in C Major — J.S. Bach
Killing Me Softly — Roberta Flack
Moonlight Sonata — Beethoven

Related Progressions

V–I viidim7–I viihd7–I