Piano chord
G diminished chord
Gdim is a diminished triad: the root G, a minor 3rd up to B♭ and a diminished 5th up to D♭.
- Symbol
- Gdim
- Notes
- G – B♭ – D♭
Play it yourself
Tap G, B♭ and D♭ on the keys below, in any order.
- G
- B♭
- D♭
Diminished chords sound tense and unstable, as if they want to move on. In a major key the diminished chord is the one built on the seventh note, and it usually leads back home.
Inversions of Gdim
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
G – B♭ – D♭
- 1st inversion · Gdim/B♭
B♭ – D♭ – G
- 2nd inversion · Gdim/D♭
D♭ – G – B♭
Keys with Gdim
Gdim occurs naturally in these keys. The Roman numeral shows which step of the scale it is built on.