F♯ diminished seventh (F♯dim7) chord on banjo

Looking for the F♯dim7 chord on banjo? It is a diminished seventh chord (three stacked minor thirds), made of four notes: F♯ – A – C – E♭. The same chord with a different spelling: G♭ diminished seventh (G♭dim7).

Dots show:

Basic shapemedium

Position 4medium

Position 7medium

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

Chord finder Transposer Tuner

What the F♯dim7 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 F♯dim7 chord

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

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape, barre at fret 1

String 1 (D): fret 1, index finger (E♭4)
String 2 (B): fret 1, index finger (C4)
String 3 (G): fret 2, middle finger (A3)
String 4 (D): fret 4, little finger (F♯3)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 1; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Position 4

String 1 (D): fret 7, little finger (A4)
String 2 (B): fret 4, middle finger (E♭4)
String 3 (G): fret 5, ring finger (C4)
String 4 (D): fret 4, index finger (F♯3)

Position 7, barre at fret 7

String 1 (D): fret 7, index finger (A4)
String 2 (B): fret 7, index finger (F♯4)
String 3 (G): fret 8, middle finger (E♭4)
String 4 (D): fret 10, little finger (C4)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 7; 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 F♯dim7 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

G minor: vii°7

Similar chords and substitutes

If F♯dim7 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

D7 – an incomplete dominant: the diminished chord is the top of this seventh chord
G – where it leads (leading tone → root)

Same notes

Cdim7 – the same notes with a different root
E♭dim7 – the same notes with a different root
Adim7 – the same notes with a different root

Simpler versions

F♯dim – all 3 of its notes are in this chord

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the F♯dim7 chord?

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

What is the easiest way to play F♯dim7 on banjo?

The easiest shape above is “Basic shape”. We show 3 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 F♯dim7 chord written?

The chord symbol is F♯dim7 (also written F#dim7), and its full name is F♯ diminished seventh.