Gdim G diminished chord
- Notes
- G Bb Db
- Formula
- 1 b3 b5
- Semitones
- 0 3 6 above the root
- Other symbols
- G°, Gm(b5)
G to Bb is a minor third (3 semitones), Bb to Db is a minor third (3 semitones). Two minor thirds stacked, so G to Db is a tritone (6 semitones) instead of a perfect fifth. The four-note Gdim7 and Gm7b5 grow from it by adding a note on top.
Gdim on the piano
Root position from G4: G4, Bb4, Db5. Middle C is C4.
Gdim 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 G as its lowest note.
3 4 5 3 x x (low E to high e)
Sounds G2 Db3 G3 Bb3
x 10 11 12 11 x (low E to high e)
Sounds G3 Db4 G4 Bb4
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.
Gdim 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.
0131 (G C E A)
Sounds G4 Db4 G4 Bb4
Lowest note Db4, so the chord finder reads it as Gdim/Db (second inversion).
0764 (G C E A)
Sounds G4 G4 Bb4 Db5
Inversions of Gdim
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 | G Bb Db | Gdim | |
| 1st inversion | Bb Db G | Gdim/Bb | |
| 2nd inversion | Db G Bb | Gdim/Db |
Where Gdim fits
Gdim is vii° in Ab major, ii° in F minor, vii° in Ab minor. Its root G is the leading tone of Ab: a half step below the tonic, so the chord usually moves up to it.