Fretboard
Chord Identifier & Player

Gdim chord

G diminished. The notes are G, B♭ and D♭. Four ways to play it are below the neck.

GdimDiminished
G · D♭ · G · B♭R ♭5 ♭3also
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Ways to play Gdim

Lowest on the neck first. Tap a shape to put it on the fretboard above and hear it. The numbers are fingers (1 is your index), × means leave that string out, and ○ means let it ring open.

What's in Gdim

A diminished triad stacks two minor 3rds: root, minor 3rd and flat 5th. Gdim is G, B♭, D♭. The root and ♭5 are a tritone apart, the same interval that drives a dominant 7th.

NoteFormulaInterval from G
G1Root
B♭♭3Minor 3rd
D♭♭5Diminished 5th

Tight and unsettled, and it rarely stays put. It is the vii° chord of a major key, and as a passing chord it bridges two chords a whole step apart.

Keys that use Gdim

Every major and minor key whose scale contains all of G, B♭ and D♭, and the chord's Roman numeral in each. Minor keys marked harmonic get the chord from the raised 7th of the harmonic minor scale.

KeyGdim is the
F minorii°
A♭ majorvii°
G♯ minor (harmonic)vii°

Progressions to try

vii°–I in A♭ major

  1. Gdim
  2. A♭

A diminished triad wants to rise a half step to the chord above it.

I–♯i°–ii in F♯ major

  1. F♯
  2. Gdim
  3. G♯m

As a passing chord, the bass climbs one half step at a time between two chords a whole step apart.

Other chords on G:

See every chord in the library