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𝄫. It's enharmonically the same chord as G♯ Diminished.
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 notes
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 A♭ is a black key and C♭ and E𝄫 are white, the keys you'd normally call B and D. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- A♭1
- C♭♭3
- E𝄫♭5
A♭ Diminished on guitar
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 4: 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
Also known as G♯ Diminished
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A♭(Ab) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | C♭(Cb) | |
| ♭5 | Diminished fifth | 6 | E𝄫(Ebb) |
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.
How A♭ Diminished differs from similar chords
A♭° is A♭m with the fifth lowered by a half step, and that flat fifth is the whole difference. Add a minor seventh and you get A♭m7♭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
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key A♭ Diminished would have a function in has a tonic that needs a double accidental, which is not a key this library teaches. The enharmonic spelling carries the same chord in a key that exists.
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.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the A♭ Diminished chord?
- The A♭ Diminished chord contains A♭, C♭ and E𝄫 (Ab, Cb and Ebb 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.
- 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 A♭ is a black key and C♭ and E𝄫 are white, the keys you'd normally call B and D. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play A♭ Diminished on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 4: 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 is another name for the A♭ Diminished chord?
- A♭ Diminished is enharmonically equivalent to G♯ Diminished. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.