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Ukulele chords

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

Looking for the F♯dim7 chord on ukulele? 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:
F♯dim7 – Basic shape1324GCEAAE♭F♯C
Basic shapemedium
F♯dim7 – Position 55.1324GCEACF♯AE♭
Position 5medium
F♯dim7 – Position 88.1324GCEAE♭ACF♯
Position 8medium
F♯dim7 – Position 1111.1324GCEAF♯CE♭A
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 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

DegreeNoteInterval from the root
1F♯root
3Aminor third (3 semitones)
5Cdiminished fifth (6 semitones)
7E♭diminished seventh (9 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape

  • String 1 (A): fret 3, little finger (C5)
  • String 2 (E): fret 2, middle finger (F♯4)
  • String 3 (C): fret 3, ring finger (E♭4)
  • String 4 (G): fret 2, index finger (A4)

Position 5

  • String 1 (A): fret 6, little finger (E♭5)
  • String 2 (E): fret 5, middle finger (A4)
  • String 3 (C): fret 6, ring finger (F♯4)
  • String 4 (G): fret 5, index finger (C5)

Position 8

  • String 1 (A): fret 9, little finger (F♯5)
  • String 2 (E): fret 8, middle finger (C5)
  • String 3 (C): fret 9, ring finger (A4)
  • 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.

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 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 F♯dim7 chord written?

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

Related chords

The same chord on another instrument:

F♯dim7 on guitarF♯dim7 on pianoF♯dim7 on mandolinF♯dim7 on banjo

Other F♯ chords on ukulele:

F♯F♯mF♯7F♯maj7F♯m7F♯sus2F♯sus4F♯7sus4F♯6F♯m6F♯add9F♯dimF♯augF♯m7b5F♯9F♯m9F♯maj9F♯11F♯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