As the leading-tone chordG♭ major
- vii°F°
- IG♭
Every note pulls inward into G♭ by a semitone or a tone. This is the chord's primary function.
F Diminished Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The F Diminished chord is built on the root note F. Its notes are F, A♭ and C♭.
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
- F · A♭ · C♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 6
- Note
- F
- Quality
- Diminished
- Symbol
- F°
F 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 F Diminished on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on F, middle finger on A♭ and little finger on C♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard A♭ is a black key and F and C♭ are white. C♭ is the key you'd normally call B. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- F1
- A♭♭3
- C♭♭5
F Diminished on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, F Diminished is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 1: 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.
F · A♭ · C♭
Try F Diminished on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
F Diminished chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | A♭(Ab) | |
| ♭5 | Diminished fifth | 6 | C♭(Cb) |
How to use the F Diminished chord
The F Diminished chord is built from a root, a minor third and a diminished fifth. Start at the root F and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: F, A♭ and C♭. 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 F° is the vii° in G♭ major; in minor keys it's the ii° in E♭ minor.
How F Diminished differs from similar chords
F° is Fm with the fifth lowered by a half step, and that flat fifth is the whole difference. Add a minor seventh and you get Fm7♭5, add a diminished seventh and you get the fully symmetrical F°7. On its own it is the leading-tone chord (vii°) of the major key a half step up.
Where F 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 F°
These scales include F° as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.
E♭ Natural Minor
E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭
E♭ Harmonic Minor
E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D
E♭ Aeolian
E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭
E♭ Harmonic Major
E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D
E♭ Hindu
E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭
E♭ Arabian
E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B𝄫 · C♭ · D♭
F Locrian
F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭ · E♭
F Altered
F · G♭ · A♭ · B𝄫 · C♭ · D♭ · E♭
G Altered
G · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭ · E♭ · F
A♭ Melodic Minor
A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭ · E♭ · F · G
A♭ Dorian
A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭ · E♭ · F · G♭
A♭ Neapolitan Major
A♭ · B𝄫 · C♭ · D♭ · E♭ · F · G
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the F Diminished chord?
- The F Diminished chord contains F, A♭ and C♭ (F, Ab and Cb in plain text).
- Is the F Diminished chord major or minor?
- F 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 F Diminished chord in?
- In major keys F° is the vii° in G♭ major; in minor keys it's the ii° in E♭ minor.
- How do you play F Diminished on piano?
- Place your fingers on F, A♭ and C♭ 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 F and C♭ are white. C♭ is the key you'd normally call B.
- How do you play F Diminished on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 1: 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 F Diminished?
- F 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.