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Ukulele chords

E♭ diminished seventh (E♭dim7) chord on ukulele

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

Dots show:
E♭dim7 – Basic shape1324GCEAB𝄫E♭G♭D𝄫
Basic shapemedium
E♭dim7 – Position 55.1324GCEAD𝄫G♭B𝄫E♭
Position 5medium
E♭dim7 – Position 88.1324GCEAE♭B𝄫D𝄫G♭
Position 8medium
E♭dim7 – Position 1111.1324GCEAG♭D𝄫E♭B𝄫
Position 11medium

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

What the E♭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 E♭dim7 chord

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

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape

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

Position 5

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

Position 8

  • String 1 (A): fret 9, little finger (G♭5)
  • String 2 (E): fret 8, middle finger (D𝄫5)
  • String 3 (C): fret 9, ring finger (B𝄫4)
  • String 4 (G): fret 8, index finger (E♭5)

Tuning: G C E A (the G string is higher than the C – standard re-entrant ukulele tuning). In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Similar chords and substitutes

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

Substitutes (by function)

  • B7 – an incomplete dominant: the diminished chord is the top of this seventh chord
  • E – where it leads (leading tone → root)

Same notes

  • Cdim7 – the same notes with a different root
  • F♯dim7 – the same notes with a different root
  • Adim7 – the same notes with a different root

Simpler versions

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

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the E♭dim7 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 E♭dim7 on ukulele?

The easiest shape above is “Basic shape”. 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 E♭dim7 chord written?

The chord symbol is E♭dim7 (also written Ebdim7), and its full name is E♭ diminished seventh.

Related chords

The same chord on another instrument:

E♭dim7 on guitarE♭dim7 on pianoE♭dim7 on mandolinE♭dim7 on banjo

Other E♭ chords on ukulele:

E♭E♭mE♭7E♭maj7E♭m7E♭sus2E♭sus4E♭7sus4E♭6E♭m6E♭add9E♭dimE♭augE♭m7b5E♭9E♭m9E♭maj9E♭11E♭13

All ukulele chords in a table →

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Photos: Isak Photography, 42 North, Rachel Loughman, Vitaly Gariev, Vitaly Gariev, Isaac Martin / Unsplash