F diminished
How to play Fdim — Diminished
Fdim (Diminished)F · A♭ · C♭
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
F diminished — notes and structure
The Fdim chord stacks minor thirds up to the flattened fifth — tense and unstable, wanting to resolve.
The Fdim diminished consists of the notes F, A♭, C♭. 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.
Fdim stacks a minor third (A♭) and a diminished fifth (C♭) above the root F.
The finder shows 2 ways to play Fdim — an open-position shape reaching up to the 6th fret. 1 of them use a barre.
What key is Fdim in?
Every note of Fdim 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.
- F♯ major — the vii° chord
- D♯ minor — the ii° chord
Chords that go with Fdim
In F♯ major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put Fdim next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the F diminished chord?
- The Fdim chord contains the notes F, A♭, C♭. It stacks minor thirds up to the flattened fifth — tense and unstable, wanting to resolve.
- How many ways can you play Fdim on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is Fdim a hard chord to play?
- Some voicings use a barre, which takes practice, but the chord is very playable once that shape is comfortable.
- What key does Fdim belong to?
- Fdim fits F♯ major (where it is the vii° chord), D♯ minor (where it is the ii° chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.