voicings
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yes, e dim has the same notes as c7b9 (without the c). the trick to diminished chords is to realize that there are really only two diminished chords (a 1/2 step apart). i think of a c7b9 as an e diminished chord with the c added in (and you don't really even need the c for rootless voicings).
basically, i don't think it matters how you think of it, as long as you get the right sound. you will need to discover for yourself how to "think of it".
some random thoughts on voicings:
keep it simple, and use fewer notes.
leave a gap between the lowest note and the next note (especially if you are lower on the keyboard). for example, on a diminished voicing play the low note and then skip a note in the dimished chord before the next note.
altered chords tend to have b9,#9,b5,or #5. generally i use either (b5 and b9) or (#5 and #9). some good choices then for a calt7 are:
bb db e ab c (b5 and b9 ) (this doesn't have a large gap between the first two notes, so it is best higher on the keyboard).
or
e bb c eb ab (#5 and #9 )
one of my thoughts on voicings is to look for a major 7th interval in the notes. i think the presence of a major 7th gives a nice sharp "jazzy" sound without being too dissonant. thus, here are some examples of simple (one hand) voicings i like:
c7 : e bb eb (this has a #9)
or bb e a (has the 13th)
cmin7: eb bb d (has 9th)
cmin7b5: gb bb eb f (has 11th)
cmaj7: c a b e
you notice that each of these chords has a major 7th interval in them somewhere.
the point of this is that when you first learn chords it can seem at first like "anything goes" because there are so many options. i personally found this concept of looking for the major 7th as the most useful in understanding why you can add a #9 or 13th to a c7, a 9 to a cmin7 and a 11 to a cmin7b5.
maybe this is all more than you wanted to know. basically, i would experiment around and find voicings you like for different chords and use just 1 or 2 different voicings for each quality of chord. if it sounds good to you, you don't need a theoretical argument to play it.
are you doing group playing or solo playing?
yes you are right. no wonder my playing has been missing something! (just kidding).
ex: gdim (g bb db e) to me would be the upper reaches of a c7b9
(c e g bb db)
take the very common progression c c#dim dm7 g7. the c#dim which originally just appears to be some scrunched up notes that facilitate the passage from the i chord to the ii chord, is actually the upper part of an a7 b9.
looked at this way we see the entire progression as i vi ii v, the diminished being a substitution.
when analysing the music of bach, i used to get very confused with the diminished chords until i started seeing them as parts of dominant chords. this cleared up some problems for me. it also gave me added respect for how far ahead of his time he was. you don't normally think of dominants with flat 9s as part of the music of the early 1700s.
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