ABSTRACT
This lesson plan introduces the topic of common-tone diminished-seventh chords, an embellishing harmony that functions as a chromatic neighbor chord. The lesson demonstrates the essential aspects of this chord type, how to construct and resolve them, and compares them to other typical neighbor chords. Examples are drawn from nineteenth-century art music, jazz, and rock. The lesson is designed to fit into the chromatic harmony unit of an undergraduate core music theory sequence, but could also be used for advanced high school students or in a graduate theory review course.
