Fdim F diminished chord
- Notes
- F Ab Cb
- Formula
- 1 b3 b5
- Semitones
- 0 3 6 above the root
- Other symbols
- F°, Fm(b5)
F to Ab is a minor third (3 semitones), Ab to Cb is a minor third (3 semitones). Two minor thirds stacked, so F to Cb is a tritone (6 semitones) instead of a perfect fifth. The four-note Fdim7 and Fm7b5 grow from it by adding a note on top.
Fdim on the piano
Root position from F4: F4, Ab4, Cb5. Middle C is C4.
Fdim 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 F as its lowest note.
1 2 3 1 x x (low E to high e)
Sounds F2 Cb3 F3 Ab3
x 8 9 10 9 x (low E to high e)
Sounds F3 Cb4 F4 Ab4
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.
Fdim 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.
4542 (G C E A)
Sounds Cb5 F4 Ab4 Cb5
10-8-7-8 (G C E A)
Sounds F5 Ab4 Cb5 F5
Lowest note Ab4, so the chord finder reads it as Fdim/Ab (first inversion).
Inversions of Fdim
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 | F Ab Cb | Fdim | |
| 1st inversion | Ab Cb F | Fdim/Ab | |
| 2nd inversion | Cb F Ab | Fdim/B |
Where Fdim fits
Fdim is vii° in Gb major, ii° in Eb minor, vii° in F# minor (where it is spelled E#dim). Its root F is the leading tone of Gb: a half step below the tonic, so the chord usually moves up to it.