A♭ / G♯ diminished
How to play A♭dim — Diminished
A♭dim (Diminished)A♭ · C♭ · E♭♭
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
A♭ / G♯ diminished — notes and structure
The A♭dim chord stacks minor thirds up to the flattened fifth — tense and unstable, wanting to resolve.
The A♭dim diminished consists of the notes A♭, C♭, E♭♭. Its interval structure is R–3–5 — the root, then each chord tone stacked above it. This is the same chord you see in the interactive finder above, drawn on the guitar fretboard with the root circled and every chord tone labelled.
A♭dim stacks a minor third (C♭) and a diminished fifth (E♭♭) above the root A♭.
The finder shows 2 ways to play A♭dim — an open-position shape reaching up to the 4th fret. None of them need a barre.
What key is A♭dim in?
Every note of A♭dim belongs to the scales below, so the chord sounds at home in each of these keys — the roman numeral is the degree it sits on.
- A major — the vii° chord
- F♯ minor — the ii° chord
Chords that go with A♭dim
In A major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put A♭dim next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the A♭ / G♯ diminished chord?
- The A♭dim chord contains the notes A♭, C♭, E♭♭. It stacks minor thirds up to the flattened fifth — tense and unstable, wanting to resolve.
- How many ways can you play A♭dim on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is A♭dim a hard chord to play?
- It is fairly beginner-friendly — there is an open-position shape and none of the voicings need a barre.
- What key does A♭dim belong to?
- A♭dim fits A major (where it is the vii° chord), F♯ minor (where it is the ii° chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.