Tools / Chords / A♭ diminished

A♭ diminished chord on bass (A♭dim)

Also written A♭dim or A♭°

A♭ diminished contains A♭, C♭, and E♭♭. The 4th fret position is a comfortable stretch for intermediate players.

4th fret4-5-6-4

Positions on the neck1 of 4

How it’s built

A♭1Root

C♭♭3Minor 3rd

E♭♭♭5Diminished 5th

Formula 1, ♭3, ♭5

Positions on the neck1 of 4

Inversions

The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.

Root positionA♭–C♭–E♭♭A♭dimBass A♭

First inversionC♭–E♭♭–A♭A♭dim/C♭Bass C♭

Second inversionE♭♭–A♭–C♭A♭dim/E♭♭Bass E♭♭

Why it sounds like that

A♭ diminished is built from the 1, ♭3, ♭5 formula. The diminished 5th between A♭ and E♭♭ gives it a tense, unstable sound. Compare it to A♭ minor, which has a perfect 5th (E♭).

What goes wrong with A♭ diminished?

Letting the pinky collapse and buzz on the D string.
Allowing the middle finger to touch the A string and mute the C♭.

When to use it

A♭ diminished works over A♭ minor and A♭ 5th chords. It also fits B major and B minor progressions. Use it for tense passing lines in classical or metal.

Changing to and from A♭ diminished

Sliding the shape down two frets to the 2nd fret gives F♯ diminished.
Sliding the shape up one fret to the 5th fret gives A diminished.

Which voicing to use

The 4th fret position puts A♭ in the bass for a root-position sound. The A♭dim/B inversion starts on C♭ at the 5th fret, giving a darker, less stable feel.

How do you play an A♭ diminished chord on bass?

4th fret

Intermediate● On the diagram

A♭ diminished is played at the 4th fret as 4 5 6 4: index finger on the E string at fret 4, ring finger on the A string at fret 5, pinky finger on the D string at fret 6 and middle finger on the G string at fret 4.

Tip — The pinky must reach the 6th fret on the D string while the index and middle fingers hold the 4th fret on the outer strings.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (E)	4	1	A♭ (1)
3 (A)	5	3	E♭♭ (♭5)
2 (D)	6	4	A♭ (1)
1 (G)	4	2	C♭ (♭3)

A♭dim/C♭ inversion

Intermediate

A♭ diminished is played at the 5th fret as 7 5 6 7: ring finger on the E string at fret 7, index finger on the A string at fret 5, middle finger on the D string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 7.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (E)	7	3	C♭ (♭3)
3 (A)	5	1	E♭♭ (♭5)
2 (D)	6	2	A♭ (1)
1 (G)	7	4	E♭♭ (♭5)

A♭dim/E♭♭ inversion · fret 4

Intermediate

A♭ diminished is played at the 4th fret as × 5 6 4: middle finger on the A string at fret 5, ring finger on the D string at fret 6 and index finger on the G string at fret 4. The E string stays muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (E)	muted	—	—
3 (A)	5	2	E♭♭ (♭5)
2 (D)	6	3	A♭ (1)
1 (G)	4	1	C♭ (♭3)

A♭dim/E♭♭ inversion · fret 9

Intermediate

A♭ diminished is played at the 9th fret as 10 11 9 ×: middle finger on the E string at fret 10, ring finger on the A string at fret 11 and index finger on the D string at fret 9. The G string stays muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (E)	10	2	E♭♭ (♭5)
3 (A)	11	3	A♭ (1)
2 (D)	9	1	C♭ (♭3)
1 (G)	muted	—	—

Common questions

How is A♭ diminished written?

A♭ diminished is written A♭° or A♭dim. The root is typed as Ab in ASCII. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.

What is the difference between A♭ diminished and A♭ minor?

A♭ diminished has a diminished 5th (E♭♭), while A♭ minor has a perfect 5th (E♭). The lowered fifth creates the diminished chord's tense quality.

Can A♭ diminished be played in a lower register?

Yes, the A♭dim/D inversion at the 4th fret on the G string uses only three strings, starting on E♭♭. It omits the low E string for a lighter texture.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (E)

A♭ (1)

3 (A)

E♭♭ (♭5)

2 (D)

A♭ (1)

1 (G)

C♭ (♭3)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (E)

C♭ (♭3)

3 (A)

E♭♭ (♭5)

2 (D)

A♭ (1)

1 (G)

E♭♭ (♭5)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (E)

muted

—

3 (A)

E♭♭ (♭5)

2 (D)

A♭ (1)

1 (G)

C♭ (♭3)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (E)

E♭♭ (♭5)

3 (A)

A♭ (1)

2 (D)

C♭ (♭3)

1 (G)

muted

—