Ddim D diminished chord
- Notes
- D F Ab
- Formula
- 1 b3 b5
- Semitones
- 0 3 6 above the root
- Other symbols
- D°, Dm(b5)
D to F is a minor third (3 semitones), F to Ab is a minor third (3 semitones). Two minor thirds stacked, so D to Ab is a tritone (6 semitones) instead of a perfect fifth. The four-note Ddim7 and Dm7b5 grow from it by adding a note on top.
Ddim on the piano
Root position from D4: D4, F4, Ab4. Middle C is C4.
Ddim on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has D as its lowest note.
x 5 6 7 6 x (low E to high e)
Sounds D3 Ab3 D4 F4
10 11 12 10 x x (low E to high e)
Sounds D3 Ab3 D4 F4
The E-shape and A-shape grips are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play diminished chords on other roots.
Ddim on the ukulele
Standard ukulele tuning is G C E A, drawn with the G string on the left and frets downwards, as ukulele chord charts show it. The G string is tuned higher than the C string (G4 above middle C, a fifth over C4), so the lowest note you hear is usually on the C or E string, not on the G string, and a shape can sound as an inversion even when its root is on the G string. All four strings are strummed, so every string plays a chord tone; the root is in blue-green.
7545 (G C E A)
Sounds D5 F4 Ab4 D5
Lowest note F4, so the chord finder reads it as Ddim/F (first inversion).
10-8-10-8 (G C E A)
Sounds F5 Ab4 D5 F5
Lowest note Ab4, so the chord finder reads it as Ddim/Ab (second inversion).
Inversions of Ddim
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | D F Ab | Ddim | |
| 1st inversion | F Ab D | Ddim/F | |
| 2nd inversion | Ab D F | Ddim/Ab |
Where Ddim fits
Ddim is vii° in Eb major, ii° in C minor, vii° in Eb minor. Its root D is the leading tone of Eb: a half step below the tonic, so the chord usually moves up to it.