D diminished seventh (Ddim7) chord on banjo

Looking for the Ddim7 chord on banjo? It is a diminished seventh chord (three stacked minor thirds), made of four notes: D – F – A♭ – C♭.

Dots show:

Basic shapeeasy

Position 3medium

Position 6medium

Position 9easy

Tap a string on a diagram to hear just that string. The sound is generated in your browser with a physical string model.

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What the Ddim7 chord sounds like

A diminished seventh is three stacked minor thirds, so it is symmetrical: four different roots give the same notes. A dramatic, tense passing chord.

Notes of the Ddim7 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	D	root
3	F	minor third (3 semitones)
5	A♭	diminished fifth (6 semitones)
7	C♭	diminished seventh (9 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape

String 1 (D): fret 3, ring finger (F4)
String 2 (B): open (C♭4)
String 3 (G): fret 1, index finger (A♭3)
String 4 (D): open (D3)

Position 3, barre at fret 3

String 1 (D): fret 3, index finger (F4)
String 2 (B): fret 3, index finger (D4)
String 3 (G): fret 4, middle finger (C♭4)
String 4 (D): fret 6, little finger (A♭3)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 3; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Position 6, barre at fret 6

String 1 (D): fret 6, index finger (A♭4)
String 2 (B): fret 6, index finger (F4)
String 3 (G): fret 7, middle finger (D4)
String 4 (D): fret 9, little finger (C♭4)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 6; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Five-string banjo in open G tuning (g D G B D). The diagram shows the four long strings; the short 5th string (g) rings open – avoid it when G is not in the chord. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Which keys is it in?

The Ddim7 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

E♭ minor: vii°7

Similar chords and substitutes

If Ddim7 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

B♭7 – an incomplete dominant: the diminished chord is the top of this seventh chord
E♭ – where it leads (leading tone → root)

Same notes

Fdim7 – the same notes with a different root
A♭dim7 – the same notes with a different root
Bdim7 – the same notes with a different root

Simpler versions

Ddim – all 3 of its notes are in this chord

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Ddim7 chord?

D, F, A♭, C♭. The root is D; the intervals of the other notes from the root: minor third, diminished fifth, diminished seventh.

What is the easiest way to play Ddim7 on banjo?

The easiest shape above is “Basic shape”, rated easy. We show 4 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

How is the Ddim7 chord written?

The chord symbol is Ddim7, and its full name is D diminished seventh.