Piano chord

A Diminished 7th Piano Chord (Adim7)

The A Diminished 7th chord on piano is made of the notes A, C, E♭ and G♭. Highly tense and symmetrical. Every note is 3 semitones apart.

A Diminished 7th chord on a piano keyboard: A, C, E♭, G♭ C5C6 A C E♭ G♭

Adim7 A – C – E♭ – G♭

Tap any key to hear it.

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What notes are in A Diminished 7th?

4 notes, built 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭♭7 up from A.

Notes
A – C – E♭ – G♭
Formula
1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭♭7
Semitones from the root
0 – 3 – 6 – 9
Symbol
Adim7
Chord type
Diminished 7th, 4 notes

How to play A Diminished 7th on piano

  • Right hand: A (1), C (2), E♭ (3), G♭ (5). Fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5, thumb on A.
  • Left hand: A (5), C (3), E♭ (2), G♭ (1). Fingers 5 – 3 – 2 – 1, little finger on A.

Fingers are numbered 1 (thumb) to 5 (little finger) on both hands.

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A Diminished 7th inversions

Each inversion puts a different note of the chord in the bass. Written as a slash chord: Adim7/C, Adim7/E♭, Adim7/G♭.

A Diminished 7th root position on piano: A, C, E♭, G♭ A C E♭ G♭
Root position Adim7 A – C – E♭ – G♭ RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
A Diminished 7th 1st inversion on piano: C, E♭, G♭, A C E♭ G♭ A
1st inversion Adim7/C C – E♭ – G♭ – A RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
A Diminished 7th 2nd inversion on piano: E♭, G♭, A, C E♭ G♭ A C
2nd inversion Adim7/E♭ E♭ – G♭ – A – C RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
A Diminished 7th 3rd inversion on piano: G♭, A, C, E♭ G♭ A C E♭
3rd inversion Adim7/G♭ G♭ – A – C – E♭ RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1

Progressions with A Diminished 7th

Press play: the chords move across the keyboard as they sound, voiced so your hand barely moves.

Passing diminished

in A♭ major

  1. I A♭
  2. ♯i°7 Adim7
  3. ii B♭m
  4. V7 E♭7
Passing diminished in A♭ major: A♭, Adim7, B♭m, E♭7 C E♭ A♭

Diminished resolution

in B♭ minor

  1. iv E♭m
  2. vii°7 Adim7
  3. i B♭m
Diminished resolution in B♭ minor: E♭m, Adim7, B♭m B♭ E♭ G♭

Can you find A Diminished 7th?

Tap the notes on the keyboard, then check. Six chords, starting with this one.

1 / 6 Tap the notes of A Diminished 7th (Adim7)

Score 0

Any octave, any order. Each key you tap plays.

Practice keyboard: tap the notes of the chord

What key is A Diminished 7th in?

The keys whose scale contains every note of Adim7, with the chord’s Roman numeral in each.

Minor keys

  • B♭ minorvii°7 (harmonic minor)

A Diminished 7th chord FAQ

What notes are in the A Diminished 7th chord?

A Diminished 7th (Adim7) has 4 notes: A, C, E♭ and G♭. Its formula is 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭♭7, counted up from A.

How do you play A Diminished 7th on the piano?

Put your right thumb on A and play A, C, E♭ and G♭ with fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5. With the left hand, use fingers 5 – 3 – 2 – 1, little finger on A.

What are the inversions of A Diminished 7th?

1st inversion: C, E♭, G♭, A (Adim7/C). 2nd inversion: E♭, G♭, A, C (Adim7/E♭). 3rd inversion: G♭, A, C, E♭ (Adim7/G♭).

Other A chords

Diminished 7th chords on every root

Piano chord chart: all 264 chords Open Adim7 in the chord finder Free PDF chord chart Play it on the virtual piano