Diminished 7th guitar chords
A diminished 7th chord stacks four notes three frets apart. Because the spacing is even, every shape repeats three frets higher with the same notes in a different order.
How diminished 7th chords are built
The formula is 1–♭3–♭5–♭♭7: the root, the minor third, the diminished fifth and the diminished seventh, counted from the root’s major scale. In Cdim7 that gives C · E♭ · G♭ · A.
All 12 diminished 7th chords on guitar
Fingerings read from the low E string to the high E string. x = not played, 0 = open. 9 of the twelve main shapes are easy, 3 medium and 0 hard.
| Chord | Notes | Fingering | Position | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cdim7 | C E♭ G♭ A | xx1212 | 1st fret | Easy |
| Dbdim7 | D♭ F♭ G B♭ | xx2323 | 2nd fret | Easy |
| Ddim7 | D F A♭ C♭ | xx0101 | open position | Easy |
| Ebdim7 | E♭ G♭ A C | xx1212 | 1st fret | Easy |
| Edim7 | E G B♭ D♭ | 012020 | open position | Easy |
| Fdim7 | F A♭ C♭ D | 1x0101 | open position | Easy |
| Gbdim7 | G♭ A C E♭ | 2x121x | 1st fret | Medium |
| Gdim7 | G B♭ D♭ F♭ | 31x320 | open position | Medium |
| Abdim7 | A♭ C♭ D F | xx0101 | open position | Easy |
| Adim7 | A C E♭ G♭ | x01212 | open position | Easy |
| Bbdim7 | B♭ D♭ F♭ G | x12020 | open position | Easy |
| Bdim7 | B D F A♭ | x23131 | 1st fret | Medium |
Diminished 7th chord diagrams
- Cdim7xx12124 fingerings · easy
- Edim70120204 fingerings · easy
- Fdim71x01014 fingerings · easy
- Gdim731x3204 fingerings · medium
- Bdim7x231314 fingerings · medium