E♭ Diminished Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The E♭ Diminished chord is built on the root note E♭. Its notes are E♭, G♭ and B𝄫. It's enharmonically the same chord as D♯ 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
- E♭ · G♭ · B𝄫
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 6
- Note
- E♭
- Quality
- Diminished
- Symbol
- E♭°
E♭ 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 E♭ Diminished on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on E♭, middle finger on G♭ and little finger on B𝄫. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard E♭ and G♭ are black keys and B𝄫 is white, the key you'd normally call A. 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.
- E♭1
- G♭♭3
- B𝄫♭5
E♭ Diminished on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, E♭ Diminished is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 6 and 8. Don't play strings 6 and 1.
E♭ · G♭ · B𝄫
Play E♭ Diminished on the online piano
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E♭ Diminished chord notes
Also known as D♯ Diminished
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | E♭(Eb) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | G♭(Gb) | |
| ♭5 | Diminished fifth | 6 | B𝄫(Bbb) |
How to use the E♭ Diminished chord
The E♭ Diminished chord is built from a root, a minor third and a diminished fifth. Start at the root E♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: E♭, G♭ and B𝄫. 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 E♭ Diminished differs from similar chords
E♭° is E♭m with the fifth lowered by a half step, and that flat fifth is the whole difference. Add a minor seventh and you get E♭m7♭5, add a diminished seventh and you get the fully symmetrical E♭°7. On its own it is the leading-tone chord (vii°) of the major key a half step up.
Where E♭ Diminished is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key E♭ 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 E♭°
These scales include E♭° 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 E♭ Diminished chord?
- The E♭ Diminished chord contains E♭, G♭ and B𝄫 (Eb, Gb and Bbb in plain text).
- Is the E♭ Diminished chord major or minor?
- E♭ 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 E♭ Diminished on piano?
- Place your fingers on E♭, G♭ and B𝄫 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♭ and G♭ are black keys and B𝄫 is white, the key you'd normally call A. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play E♭ Diminished on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 6 and 8. Don't play strings 6 and 1.
- What is another name for the E♭ Diminished chord?
- E♭ Diminished is enharmonically equivalent to D♯ Diminished. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.