A♭ diminished seventh (A♭dim7) chord on guitar

The A♭ diminished seventh chord (A♭dim7) is a diminished seventh chord (three stacked minor thirds), made of four notes: A♭ – C♭ – E𝄫 – G𝄫. The same chord with a different spelling: G♯ diminished seventh (G♯dim7).

Dots show:

Easy versioneasy

Open positionmedium

E shape, fret 4hard

D shape, fret 6medium

Position 9medium

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 A♭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 A♭dim7 chord

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

How to play it – with fingering

Easy version

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

Open position

String 1 (e): fret 1, middle finger (G𝄫4)
String 2 (B): open (C♭4)
String 3 (G): fret 1, index finger (A♭3)
String 4 (D): open (E𝄫3)
String 5 (A): fret 2, ring finger (C♭3)
String 6 (E): fret 4, little finger (A♭2)

E shape, fret 4, barre at fret 4

String 1 (e): fret 4, index finger (A♭4)
String 2 (B): fret 6, little finger (G𝄫4)
String 3 (G): fret 4, index finger (C♭4)
String 4 (D): fret 6, ring finger (A♭3)
String 5 (A): fret 5, middle finger (E𝄫3)
String 6 (E): fret 4, index finger (A♭2)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 4; your other fingers press the higher frets.

The “C, A, G, E and D shapes” are the CAGED system: you slide the shape of the open C, A, G, E or D chord up the neck and your index finger (a barre) takes over the job of the nut. That way the same chord can be played in five places, anywhere on the fretboard.

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.

Playing A♭dim7 with a capo

A capo clamps all the strings at one fret, so a familiar open shape sounds higher. You can also get a A♭dim7 chord with these open shapes:

Capo: fret 4
shape: Edim7

Capo: fret 6
shape: Ddim7

Rework a whole song for a capo: chord transposer →

Similar chords and substitutes

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

Substitutes (by function)

E7 – an incomplete dominant: the diminished chord is the top of this seventh chord
A – where it leads (leading tone → root)

Same notes

Ddim7 – the same notes with a different root
Fdim7 – the same notes with a different root
Bdim7 – the same notes with a different root

Simpler versions

A♭dim – all 3 of its notes are in this chord

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the A♭dim7 chord?

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

What is the easiest way to play A♭dim7 on guitar?

The easiest shape above is “Easy version”, rated easy. We show 5 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck. With a capo you can also play it as a Edim7 shape at fret 4 or a Ddim7 shape at fret 6.

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 A♭dim7 chord written?

The chord symbol is A♭dim7 (also written Abdim7), and its full name is A♭ diminished seventh.