Piano chord
F diminished 7 chord
Fdim7 is a diminished seventh chord: the root F, a minor 3rd up to A♭, a diminished 5th up to C♭ and a diminished 7th up to E𝄫.
- Symbol
- Fdim7
- Notes
- F – A♭ – C♭ – E𝄫
Play it yourself
Tap F, A♭, C♭ and E𝄫 on the keys below, in any order.
- F
- A♭
- C♭
- E𝄫
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 Fdim7
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
F – A♭ – C♭ – E𝄫
- 1st inversion · Fdim7/A♭
A♭ – C♭ – E𝄫 – F
- 2nd inversion · Fdim7/C♭
C♭ – E𝄫 – F – A♭
- 3rd inversion · Fdim7/E𝄫
E𝄫 – F – A♭ – C♭
Keys with Fdim7
Fdim7 doesn't occur naturally in a major or natural minor key. It's used as a colour chord, borrowed or altered.