Guitar, piano and ukulele chords

Gdim chord (G diminished)

The Gdim chord (G diminished) has 3 notes: G, B♭ and D♭. It is a diminished chord: root, minor third and diminished fifth. It sounds very tense and unstable. It works as vii° in A flat major and ii° in F minor.

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.

2fr ××
Usual shape
xx5323
5fr ××
Easy version
xx5686

Notes in the chord

NoteInterval
GRoot
B♭Minor third
D♭Diminished fifth

Inversions

  • Root position: G – B♭ – D♭
  • First inversion: B♭ – D♭ – G
  • Second inversion: D♭ – G – B♭

On piano

The highlighted keys (G, B♭ and D♭) make the chord in root position.

On ukulele

Usual shape
0131
4fr
Higher up the neck · fret 4
6764

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Gdim chord?

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

How do you play Gdim on guitar?

The usual shape is xx5323, read from the low E string to the high E string. If you can't play barre chords yet, start with the easy version: xx5686.

What keys is Gdim in?

Gdim is in A flat major (vii°) and F minor (ii°).