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. On the keyboard C𝄫 is a black key and F♭ and A𝄫 are white, the keys you'd normally call E and G. 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. The fretted notes sit between frets 7 and 9. Don't play strings 6 and 1.
F♭ · A𝄫 · C𝄫
Try F♭ Diminished on the virtual piano
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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.
How F♭ Diminished differs from similar chords
F♭° is F♭m with the fifth lowered by a half step, and that flat fifth is the whole difference. Add a minor seventh and you get F♭m7♭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
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. On the keyboard C𝄫 is a black key and F♭ and A𝄫 are white, the keys you'd normally call E and G.
- How do you play F♭ Diminished on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 7 and 9. Don't play strings 6 and 1.
- 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.