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E♭ diminished 7th chord on guitar (E♭dim7)
Also called or written E♭dim7 or E♭°7
E♭ diminished 7th is built from E♭, G♭, B♭♭, and D♭♭. The 1st fret voicing uses four fretted notes and no open strings.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭♭7
- Root positionE♭–G♭–B♭♭–D♭♭E♭dim7×-×-1-2-1-2
- First inversionG♭–B♭♭–D♭♭–E♭E♭dim7/G♭2-0-1-2-1-×
- Second inversionB♭♭–D♭♭–E♭–G♭E♭dim7/B♭♭×-0-1-2-1-2
- Third inversionD♭♭–E♭–G♭–B♭♭E♭dim7/D♭♭×-3-1-2-1-2
How do you play an E♭ diminished 7th chord on guitar?
E♭ diminished 7th is played at the 1st fret as × × 1 2 1 2: index finger on the D string at fret 1, ring finger on the G string at fret 2, middle finger on the B string at fret 1 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 2. The low E and A strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 2 | 3 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 2 | D♭♭ (6) |
| 1 (e) | 2 | 4 | G♭ (♭3) |
AdvancedThe 1st fret voicing requires precise finger placement across four fretted strings without a barre.
4th fret
E♭ diminished 7th is played at the 4th fret as × 6 4 5 4 5: barre your index finger across fret 4, pinky finger on the A string at fret 6, middle finger on the G string at fret 5 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 5. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 4 | E♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 4 | 1 (barre) | G♭ (♭3) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 2 | D♭♭ (6) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 1 (e) | 5 | 3 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
5th fret
E♭ diminished 7th is played at the 5th fret as × 6 7 5 7 5: barre your index finger across fret 5, middle finger on the A string at fret 6, ring finger on the D string at fret 7 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 7. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 2 | E♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 7 | 3 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 1 (barre) | D♭♭ (6) |
| 2 (B) | 7 | 4 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 5 | 1 (barre) | B♭♭ (♭5) |
10th fret
E♭ diminished 7th is played at the 10th fret as 11 12 10 11 10 ×: barre your index finger across fret 10, middle finger on the low E string at fret 11, pinky finger on the A string at fret 12 and ring finger on the G string at fret 11. The high e string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11 | 2 | E♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 12 | 4 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 4 (D) | 10 | 1 (barre) | D♭♭ (6) |
| 3 (G) | 11 | 3 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 10 | 1 (barre) | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
11th fret
E♭ diminished 7th is played at the 11th fret as 11 12 13 11 13 11: barre your index finger across fret 11, middle finger on the A string at fret 12, ring finger on the D string at fret 13 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 13.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 12 | 2 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 4 (D) | 13 | 3 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 11 | 1 (barre) | G♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 13 | 4 | D♭♭ (6) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
Why it sounds like that
E♭ diminished 7th stacks three minor 3rds on E♭: 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭♭7. The diminished 5th between E♭ and B♭♭ gives the chord its tense quality. Compare it with E♭ minor 7th flat 5th, which has a ♭7 instead of a ♭♭7.
What goes wrong with E♭ diminished 7th?
- Letting the low E or A string ring, which adds non-chord tones.
- Flattening the ring finger onto the B string, muting the note.
- Pressing the pinky too hard on the high E, causing the note to go sharp.
When to use it
Use the supplied linked chords to hear its tension without adding unsupported harmony. Its tense sound suits classical cadences and jazz turnarounds. Try it before F major or F minor.
Changing to and from E♭ diminished 7th
- Move to <a href="/guitar/e-dim-7-chord">E diminished 7th</a> by sliding the shape up one fret to the 2nd fret.
- Shift to <a href="/guitar/f-dim-7-chord">F diminished 7th</a> by moving the shape up two frets to the 3rd fret.
Which voicing to use
The 1st fret voicing keeps E♭ in the bass and is the most compact. The 10th fret barre version offers a higher register with the same bass note but more sustain.
Other E♭ chords
Common questions
How is E♭ diminished 7th written?
E♭ diminished 7th is written E♭°7 or E♭dim7. On a keyboard, use Eb for the root. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between E♭ diminished 7th and E♭ minor 7th flat 5th?
E♭ diminished 7th has a ♭♭7 (D♭♭), while E♭ minor 7th flat 5th has a ♭7 (D♭). The diminished 7th chord is more dissonant and symmetrical.
Why does E♭ diminished 7th sound unstable?
E♭ diminished 7th contains two diminished 5th intervals, creating strong tension. The chord wants to resolve, usually to a chord a half step above one of its notes.