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𝄫. It's enharmonically the same chord as E 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
- F♭ · A𝄫 · C𝄫
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 6
- Note
- F♭
- Quality
- Diminished
- Symbol
- F♭°
F♭ 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 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. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- F♭1
- A𝄫♭3
- C𝄫♭5
F♭ Diminished on guitar
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 shape: keep the index finger flat across the fretboard and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Strum only the strings marked as active in the diagram.
F♭ Diminished chord notes
Also known as E Diminished
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F♭(Fb) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | A𝄫(Abb) | |
| ♭5 | Diminished fifth | 6 | C𝄫(Cbb) |
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.
Where F♭ Diminished is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key F♭ 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 F♭°
These scales include F♭° 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 F♭ Diminished chord?
- The F♭ Diminished chord contains F♭, A𝄫 and C𝄫 (Fb, Abb and Cbb 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.
- 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.
- How do you play F♭ Diminished on guitar?
- F♭ Diminished is typically played with the fingering shown in the diagram above. If one of the chord tones lines up with an open string, an open position is worth trying too.
- What is another name for the F♭ Diminished chord?
- F♭ Diminished is enharmonically equivalent to E Diminished. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.