Guitar, piano and ukulele chords

Adim chord (A diminished)

The Adim chord (A diminished) has 3 notes: A, C and E♭. It is a diminished chord: root, minor third and diminished fifth. It sounds very tense and unstable. It rarely stays: it links two chords and it is the vii° chord of a major key.

How to play it on guitar

An x is a string you don't play and 0 is an open string. The number on the left is the fret where the shape starts.

××
Barre chord · fret 1
x0121x
4fr ××
Easy version
xx7545

Notes in the chord

NoteInterval
ARoot
CMinor third
E♭Diminished fifth

Inversions

  • Root position: A – C – E♭
  • First inversion: C – E♭ – A
  • Second inversion: E♭ – A – C

On piano

The highlighted keys make the chord in root position.

On ukulele

2fr
Usual shape
2353
6fr
Higher up the neck · fret 6
8986

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Adim chord?

Adim has 3 notes: A, C and E♭. It is a diminished chord: root, minor third and diminished fifth.

How do you play Adim on guitar?

The usual shape is x0121x, read from the low E string to the high E string. If you can't play barre chords yet, start with the easy version: xx7545.

What keys is Adim in?

Adim is in B flat major (vii°) and G minor (ii°).

Get started in 4 steps

Turn the loop into a song
and keep every take with it

Create your account

Open Zoundroom in your browser or download the app from the App Store and Google Play.

Create your first project

Create the safe space where your music lives and grows.

Import your ideas

Keep your recordings, lyrics, notes, and files in one place.

Collaborate and share

Invite other artists and collaborate in real time, each from their own device.