As the leading-tone chordA♭ major
- vii°G°
- IA♭
Every note pulls inward into A♭ by a semitone or a tone. This is the chord's primary function.
G Diminished Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The G Diminished chord is built on the root note G. Its notes are G, B♭ and D♭.
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
- G · B♭ · D♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 6
- Note
- G
- Quality
- Diminished
- Symbol
- G°
G 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 G Diminished on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on G, middle finger on B♭ and little finger on D♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard B♭ and D♭ are black keys and G is white. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- G1
- B♭♭3
- D♭♭5
G Diminished on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, G Diminished is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 3: 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.
G · B♭ · D♭
Play G Diminished on the online piano
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G Diminished chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | G | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | B♭(Bb) | |
| ♭5 | Diminished fifth | 6 | D♭(Db) |
How to use the G Diminished chord
The G Diminished chord is built from a root, a minor third and a diminished fifth. Start at the root G and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: G, B♭ and D♭. 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 G° is the vii° in A♭ major; in minor keys it's the ii° in F minor.
How G Diminished differs from similar chords
G° is Gm with the fifth lowered by a half step, and that flat fifth is the whole difference. Add a minor seventh and you get Gm7♭5, add a diminished seventh and you get the fully symmetrical G°7. On its own it is the leading-tone chord (vii°) of the major key a half step up.
Where G 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 G°
These scales include G° as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.
C Phrygian
C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭
C Phrygian Dominant
C · D♭ · E · F · G · A♭ · B♭
E♭ Mixolydian
E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭ · C · D♭
E♭ Phrygian Dominant
E♭ · F♭ · G · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭
E♭ Lydian Dominant
E♭ · F · G · A · B♭ · C · D♭
E♭ Hindu
E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭
F Natural Minor
F · G · A♭ · B♭ · C · D♭ · E♭
F Harmonic Minor
F · G · A♭ · B♭ · C · D♭ · E
F Aeolian
F · G · A♭ · B♭ · C · D♭ · E♭
F Harmonic Major
F · G · A · B♭ · C · D♭ · E
F Hindu
F · G · A · B♭ · C · D♭ · E♭
F Arabian
F · G · A · B♭ · C♭ · D♭ · E♭
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the G Diminished chord?
- The G Diminished chord contains G, B♭ and D♭ (G, Bb and Db in plain text).
- Is the G Diminished chord major or minor?
- G 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 G Diminished chord in?
- In major keys G° is the vii° in A♭ major; in minor keys it's the ii° in F minor.
- How do you play G Diminished on piano?
- Place your fingers on G, B♭ and D♭ 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 B♭ and D♭ are black keys and G is white.
- How do you play G Diminished on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 3: 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 G Diminished?
- G 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.