A diminished (Adim) chord on guitar

Looking for the Adim chord on guitar? It is a diminished triad (two minor thirds), made of three notes: A – C – E♭.

Dots show:

Easy versioneasy

Position 4easy

Position 4medium

Position 7medium

Position 12medium

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 Adim chord sounds like

A diminished triad is two stacked minor thirds with a diminished fifth. It sounds tense and unsettled; in a major key it sits on degree vii and leads into the tonic.

Notes of the Adim chord

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

How to play it – with fingering

Easy version

String 1 (e): not played
String 2 (B): fret 1, middle finger (C4)
String 3 (G): fret 2, ring finger (A3)
String 4 (D): fret 1, index finger (E♭3)
String 5 (A): open (A2)
String 6 (E): not played

Position 4

String 1 (e): fret 5, ring finger (A4)
String 2 (B): fret 4, index finger (E♭4)
String 3 (G): fret 5, middle finger (C4)
String 4 (D): not played
String 5 (A): open (A2)
String 6 (E): not played

Position 4

String 1 (e): fret 5, little finger (A4)
String 2 (B): fret 4, index finger (E♭4)
String 3 (G): fret 5, ring finger (C4)
String 4 (D): not played
String 5 (A): open (A2)
String 6 (E): fret 5, middle finger (A2)

Tuning: E A D G B E (low to high). String 6 is the thickest, the low E. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Which keys is it in?

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

B♭ major: vii°
B♭ minor: vii°
G minor: ii°

Similar chords and substitutes

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

Substitutes (by function)

F7 – an incomplete dominant: the diminished chord is the top of this seventh chord
B♭ – where it leads (leading tone → root)

Richer versions

Adim7 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
Am7b5 – the same chord plus 1 colour note

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Adim chord?

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

What is the easiest way to play Adim on guitar?

The easiest shape above is “Easy version”, rated easy. We show 6 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 Adim chord written?

The chord symbol is Adim, and its full name is A diminished.