Piano chord
A diminished 7 chord
Adim7 is a diminished seventh chord: the root A, a minor 3rd up to C, a diminished 5th up to E♭ and a diminished 7th up to G♭.
- Symbol
- Adim7
- Notes
- A – C – E♭ – G♭
Play it yourself
Tap A, C, E♭ and G♭ on the keys below, in any order.
- A
- C
- E♭
- G♭
Diminished seventh chords stack three minor thirds. Every note is the same distance apart, which makes them very tense and a favourite for dramatic moments.
Inversions of Adim7
An inversion keeps the same notes but puts a different one at the bottom. Pianists use them to move between chords with less jumping.
- Root position
A – C – E♭ – G♭
- 1st inversion · Adim7/C
C – E♭ – G♭ – A
- 2nd inversion · Adim7/E♭
E♭ – G♭ – A – C
- 3rd inversion · Adim7/G♭
G♭ – A – C – E♭
Keys with Adim7
Adim7 doesn't occur naturally in a major or natural minor key. It's used as a colour chord, borrowed or altered.