A Diminished 7 Chord

The A Diminished 7 chord is a diminished seventh chord built on the root note A. Its notes are A, C, E♭ and G♭.

Diminished seventh chords are pure tension, built from three stacked minor thirds. The shape repeats every three frets and every three keys, so any note in it can act as the root, which is exactly why composers use it to pivot into distant keys.

Root

Quality

A Diminished 7 on piano

Inversion:

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To play A Diminished 7 on piano, place your right-hand thumb on A, then index, middle and little finger on C, E♭ and G♭. Press all keys at the same time and listen for a clear, balanced sound. Practice switching to and from this chord slowly, then with a metronome at a comfortable tempo.

A Diminished 7 on guitar

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Intermediate

Open

On guitar, A Diminished 7 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. If the chord contains barred notes, keep your index finger flat across the fretboard and curve the other fingers so they don't mute the open strings. Strum only the strings marked as active in the diagram for the cleanest tone.

Play the chord

A Diminished 7

A · C · E♭ · G♭

A Diminished 7 chord notes

Formula: 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · °7Notes: A · C · E♭ · G♭

Degree	Interval	Semitones	Note
1	Root	0	A
♭3	Minor third	3	C
♭5	Tritone	6	E♭(Eb)
°7	Major sixth	9	G♭(Gb)

How to use the A Diminished 7 chord

The A Diminished 7 chord is built from a root, a minor third, a diminished fifth and a diminished seventh. Starting from the root A, stack the intervals to get the complete chord: A, C, E♭ and G♭. Learning the formula is the fastest way to transpose the chord to any other key.

Diminished seventh chords work as passing chords between two diatonic chords a whole step apart, and as the vii°7 leading to the tonic. Jazz, ragtime, gypsy jazz and classical music all use them to move sideways.

Common progressions

The A Diminished 7 chord works beautifully in these progressions. Click a chord name to jump to its page.

Pop progression

I → V → vi → IV

A E F♯m D

Once you are comfortable with A Diminished 7, explore neighbouring chords to unlock new progressions. The chords below share notes, keys or functions with A Diminished 7 and are a natural next step in your practice.

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the A Diminished 7 chord?

The A Diminished 7 chord contains A, C, E♭ and G♭ (A, C, Eb and Gb in plain text).

Is the A Diminished 7 chord major or minor?

A Diminished 7 is a diminished seventh chord. Diminished seventh chords are pure tension, built from three stacked minor thirds. The shape repeats every three frets and every three keys, so any note in it can act as the root, which is exactly why composers use it to pivot into distant keys.

How do you play A Diminished 7 on piano?

Place your fingers on A, C, E♭ and G♭ and play the notes together. On piano, the root is usually played with the little finger of the left hand and the upper notes with the right hand.

How do you play A Diminished 7 on guitar?

A Diminished 7 is typically played using the fingering shown in the interactive diagram above. You can also try an open position if one of the chord tones lines up with an open string.

What chords work well with A Diminished 7?

A Diminished 7 pairs naturally with the chords listed in the related chords section. Chords a perfect fifth up or down, relative major or minor chords, and chords sharing two notes are all strong choices.

Keep exploring

Deepen your understanding of the A Diminished 7 chord with our other music theory tools.

Browse all chords Explore scales Explore progressions Chord Transposer Chord Finder Try the Piano Open Circle of Fifths