Edim chord (E diminished)

The Edim chord (E diminished) has 3 notes: E, G and B♭. 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.

Usual shape
xx2353

Easy version
x7898x

Notes in the chord

Note	Interval
E	Root
G	Minor third
B♭	Diminished fifth

Inversions

Root position: E – G – B♭
First inversion: G – B♭ – E
Second inversion: B♭ – E – G

On piano

The highlighted keys make the chord in root position.

On ukulele

Usual shape
3431

Higher up the neck · fret 6
9767

Keys it belongs to

Edim is one of the chords of these keys. The degree tells you its role.

Progressions to practise it

Open them in the chord progression player to loop them and write over them.

B♭ – Edim – F – F in F major Play in the chord player

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Edim chord?

Edim has 3 notes: E, G and B♭. It is a diminished chord: root, minor third and diminished fifth.

How do you play Edim on guitar?

The usual shape is xx2353, read from the low E string to the high E string. If you can't play barre chords yet, start with the easy version: x7898x.

What keys is Edim in?

Edim is in F major (vii°) and D minor (ii°).

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