As the leading-tone chordB♭ major
- vii°A°
- IB♭
Every note pulls inward into B♭ by a semitone or a tone. This is the chord's primary function.
A Diminished Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The A Diminished chord is built on the root note A. Its notes are A, C and E♭.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Diminished chords sound unstable and suspenseful. Two stacked minor thirds create a tight, dissonant tension that composers use for passing chords, horror scores and dramatic turnarounds.
- Notes
- A · C · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 6
- Note
- A
- Quality
- Diminished
- Symbol
- A°
A Diminished on piano
3 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play A Diminished on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on A, middle finger on C and little finger on E♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard E♭ is a black key and A and C are white. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- A1
- C♭3
- E♭♭5
A Diminished on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, A Diminished is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 5: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play strings 2 and 1.
A · C · E♭
Play A Diminished on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
A Diminished chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | C | |
| ♭5 | Diminished fifth | 6 | E♭(Eb) |
How to use the A Diminished chord
The A Diminished chord is built from a root, a minor third and a diminished fifth. Start at the root A and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: A, C and E♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Diminished chords are passing tools in classical, jazz, bluegrass and film music. They're often used as vii° leading to the tonic or as chromatic passing chords between diatonic chords.
In major keys A° is the vii° in B♭ major; in minor keys it's the ii° in G minor.
How A Diminished differs from similar chords
A° is Am with the fifth lowered by a half step, and that flat fifth is the whole difference. Add a minor seventh and you get Am7♭5, add a diminished seventh and you get the fully symmetrical A°7. On its own it is the leading-tone chord (vii°) of the major key a half step up.
Where A Diminished is used
A diminished chord is a tension chord. It works as the leading-tone chord of a key, and as a dominant seventh with its root left out.
Scales that contain A°
These scales include A° as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.
C Melodic Minor
C · D · E♭ · F · G · A · B
C Dorian
C · D · E♭ · F · G · A · B♭
C Neapolitan Major
C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G · A · B
D Phrygian
D · E♭ · F · G · A · B♭ · C
D Phrygian Dominant
D · E♭ · F♯ · G · A · B♭ · C
E♭ Lydian
E♭ · F · G · A · B♭ · C · D
E♭ Lydian Augmented
E♭ · F · G · A · B · C · D
E♭ Lydian Dominant
E♭ · F · G · A · B♭ · C · D♭
F Mixolydian
F · G · A · B♭ · C · D · E♭
F Phrygian Dominant
F · G♭ · A · B♭ · C · D♭ · E♭
F Lydian Dominant
F · G · A · B · C · D · E♭
F Hindu
F · G · A · B♭ · C · D♭ · E♭
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the A Diminished chord?
- The A Diminished chord contains A, C and E♭ (A, C and Eb in plain text).
- Is the A Diminished chord major or minor?
- A Diminished is a diminished chord. Diminished chords sound unstable and suspenseful. Two stacked minor thirds create a tight, dissonant tension that composers use for passing chords, horror scores and dramatic turnarounds.
- What key is the A Diminished chord in?
- In major keys A° is the vii° in B♭ major; in minor keys it's the ii° in G minor.
- How do you play A Diminished on piano?
- Place your fingers on A, C and E♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard E♭ is a black key and A and C are white.
- How do you play A Diminished on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 5: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play strings 2 and 1.
- What chords work well with A Diminished?
- A Diminished pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.