Adim7 Guitar Chord (A Diminished 7th)

The Adim7 guitar chord (A diminished 7th) has 4 notes: A, C, E♭ and G♭. Below you'll find 4 shapes with diagrams, how to play it step by step, easier options, the keys it belongs to and common progressions that use it.

Adim7 guitar chord: x012121324EADGBE
x01212 · open position
Notes
A – C – E♭ – G♭
Formula
1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – 𝄫7
Type
diminished 7th
Difficulty
medium

Transpose a song

All 4 ways to play Adim7 on guitar

  • Adim7 guitar chord: x012121324
    x01212 open position
  • Adim7 guitar chord: x078787fr1324
    x07878 open position
  • Adim7 guitar chord: 5x454x4fr213
    5x454x at the 4th fret
  • Adim7 guitar chord: 5675755fr1234
    567575 at the 5th fret

Diagrams: strings run from the lowest on the left; X = don't play, O = open string, numbers = fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little finger).

How to play Adim7 on guitar

Main shape: x01212 (open position).

  1. Put your index finger (1) on the 1st fret of the D (4th) string.
  2. Put your ring finger (3) on the 2nd fret of the G (3rd) string.
  3. Put your middle finger (2) on the 1st fret of the B (2nd) string.
  4. Put your little finger (4) on the 2nd fret of the high E (1st) string.
  5. Let the A (5th) string ring open (marked O).
  6. Don't play the low E (6th) string (marked X).
  7. Strum from the A (5th) string down (5 strings).

Adim7 notes and intervals

NoteFormulaInterval from the root
A 1 root
C ♭3 minor 3rd
E♭ ♭5 diminished 5th
G♭ 𝄫7 diminished 7th

Inversions: the same notes with another one in the bass, written as slash chords: Adim7/C (1st inversion), Adim7/E♭ (2nd inversion) and Adim7/G♭ (3rd inversion).

Easier ways to play Adim7

  • Play Adim instead: it keeps A, C and E♭ and leaves out G♭.

Adim7 on piano and ukulele

  • Adim7 piano chord: A C E♭ G♭ACE♭G♭
    Adim7 on piano A – C – E♭ – G♭
  • Adim7 ukulele chord: 23231324
    Adim7 on ukulele 2323

Which keys use Adim7?

Adim7 is one of the basic chords of 1 key. Its number (Roman numeral) and job change with the key:

KeyWrittenNumeralFunction
B♭ minor A°7 vii°7 dominant (harmonic minor)

Transpose Adim7

Move the chord up or down by semitones to see its name and notes in another key.

Adim7 A C E♭ G♭ original

Diminished 7th chords on every root: Edim7Fdim7 F♯dim7 Gdim7A♭dim7Adim7B♭dim7Bdim7 Cdim7 C♯dim7 Ddim7 E♭dim7

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Adim7 chord?

Adim7 has 4 notes: A, C, E♭ and G♭. Its formula is 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – 𝄫7: A is the root, C a minor 3rd, E♭ a diminished 5th and G♭ a diminished 7th above it.

What key is Adim7 in?

Adim7 is vii°7 in B♭ minor (harmonic minor, with the raised 7th). The other chords of B♭ minor are B♭m, C°, D♭, E♭m, Fm and G♭.

How do you play Adim7 on guitar?

The shape in the main diagram is x01212 (open position).

  1. Put your index finger (1) on the 1st fret of the D (4th) string.
  2. Put your ring finger (3) on the 2nd fret of the G (3rd) string.
  3. Put your middle finger (2) on the 1st fret of the B (2nd) string.
  4. Put your little finger (4) on the 2nd fret of the high E (1st) string.
  5. Let the A (5th) string ring open (marked O).
  6. Don't play the low E (6th) string (marked X).
  7. Strum from the A (5th) string down (5 strings).
Is Adim7 hard to play on guitar?

It is a medium chord: the easiest shape (x01212) has no barre and uses 4 fingers. (Difficulty here is a rough guide based on barres, stretches and the number of fingers.)

Is there an easy way to play Adim7?
  • Play Adim instead: it keeps A, C and E♭ and leaves out G♭.
What is a diminished 7th chord?

A diminished 7th chord is a diminished chord plus a diminished 7th (1–♭3–♭5–𝄫7): four notes, each a minor 3rd apart. It is written dim7 or °7. Only three different diminished 7th chords exist, and each one has four names.

More chords

Related guitar chords: Am7 A Amaj7 A5 Adim Am A7 Aaug

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