E diminished seventh (Edim7) chord on guitar

Looking for the Edim7 chord on guitar? It is a diminished seventh chord (three stacked minor thirds), made of four notes: E – G – B♭ – D♭.

Dots show:

Open positioneasy

D shape, fret 2medium

Position 3medium

Position 5medium

E shape, fret 12hard

Position 14medium

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 Edim7 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 Edim7 chord

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

How to play it – with fingering

Open position

String 1 (e): open (E4)
String 2 (B): fret 2, ring finger (D♭4)
String 3 (G): open (G3)
String 4 (D): fret 2, middle finger (E3)
String 5 (A): fret 1, index finger (B♭2)
String 6 (E): open (E2)

D shape, fret 2

String 1 (e): fret 3, little finger (G4)
String 2 (B): fret 2, middle finger (D♭4)
String 3 (G): fret 3, ring finger (B♭3)
String 4 (D): fret 2, index finger (E3)
String 5 (A): not played
String 6 (E): not played

Position 3

String 1 (e): open (E4)
String 2 (B): fret 5, little finger (E4)
String 3 (G): fret 3, index finger (B♭3)
String 4 (D): fret 5, ring finger (G3)
String 5 (A): fret 4, middle finger (D♭3)
String 6 (E): open (E2)

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 Edim7 with a capo

A capo clamps all the strings at one fret, so a familiar open shape sounds higher. You can also get a Edim7 chord with these open shapes:

Capo: fret 2
shape: Ddim7

Capo: fret 7
shape: Adim7

Rework a whole song for a capo: chord transposer →

Which keys is it in?

The Edim7 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

F minor: vii°7

Similar chords and substitutes

If Edim7 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

C7 – an incomplete dominant: the diminished chord is the top of this seventh chord
F – where it leads (leading tone → root)

Same notes

C♯dim7 – the same notes with a different root
Gdim7 – the same notes with a different root
B♭dim7 – the same notes with a different root

Simpler versions

Edim – all 3 of its notes are in this chord

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Edim7 chord?

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

What is the easiest way to play Edim7 on guitar?

The easiest shape above is “Open position”, rated easy. We show 6 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck. With a capo you can also play it as a Ddim7 shape at fret 2 or a Adim7 shape at fret 7.

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 Edim7 chord written?

The chord symbol is Edim7, and its full name is E diminished seventh.