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E♭ diminished major 7th chord on guitar (E♭dimMaj7)
Also called or written E♭dimMaj7, E♭dimM7, E♭°M7, E♭ augmented minor seventh or E♭ minor seventh sharp five
E♭ diminished major 7th is built from E♭, G♭, B♭♭ and D. The 1st fret shape mutes the A string, which is a chord tone here.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, 7
- Root positionE♭–G♭–B♭♭–DE♭dimMaj7×-×-1-2-3-2
- First inversionG♭–B♭♭–D–E♭E♭dimMaj7/G♭2-0-1-2-3-×
- Second inversionB♭♭–D–E♭–G♭E♭dimMaj7/B♭♭×-0-1-2-3-2
- Third inversionD–E♭–G♭–B♭♭E♭dimMaj7/D×-×-12-11-10-11
How do you play an E♭ diminished major 7th chord on guitar?
E♭ diminished major 7th is played at the 1st fret as × × 1 2 3 2: index finger on the D string at fret 1, middle finger on the G string at fret 2, pinky finger on the B string at fret 3 and ring 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 | 2 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (B) | 3 | 4 | D (7) |
| 1 (e) | 2 | 3 | G♭ (♭3) |
AdvancedThe pinky on the B string at fret 3 must stretch past the ring finger on the high e at fret 2, while the A string stays muted despite being a chord tone.
6th fret
E♭ diminished major 7th is played at the 6th fret as × 6 7 7 7 ×: index finger on the A string at fret 6, middle finger on the D string at fret 7, ring finger on the G string at fret 7 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 7. The low E and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 7 | 2 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (G) | 7 | 3 | D (7) |
| 2 (B) | 7 | 4 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
11th fret
E♭ diminished major 7th is played at the 11th fret as 11 12 12 11 × ×: index finger on the low E string at fret 11, ring finger on the A string at fret 12, pinky finger on the D string at fret 12 and middle finger on the G string at fret 11. The B and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 12 | 3 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 4 (D) | 12 | 4 | D (7) |
| 3 (G) | 11 | 2 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
13th fret
E♭ diminished major 7th is played at the 13th fret as × × 13 14 15 14: index finger on the D string at fret 13, middle finger on the G string at fret 14, pinky finger on the B string at fret 15 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 14. 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) | 13 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 14 | 2 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (B) | 15 | 4 | D (7) |
| 1 (e) | 14 | 3 | G♭ (♭3) |
E♭dimM7/G♭ inversion
E♭ diminished major 7th is played in open position as 2 0 1 2 3 ×: middle finger on the low E string at fret 2, index finger on the D string at fret 1, ring finger on the G string at fret 2 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 3. The A string rings open. The high e string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 2 | 2 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 5 (A) | open | — | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 2 | 3 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (B) | 3 | 4 | D (7) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
Why it sounds like that
E♭ diminished major 7th uses the formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, 7. The diminished 5th between E♭ and B♭♭ creates a tritone, and the major 7th D is the leading tone. Compare it to E♭ minor 7th flat 5th, which lowers the 7th to D♭.
What goes wrong with E♭ diminished major 7th?
- Letting the A string ring open and doubling the bass.
- Flattening the pinky onto the high e string and muting the 7th.
When to use it
E♭ diminished major 7th works as a passing chord in E♭ minor, often moving to E♭ minor or E♭ major 7th. The leading tone D pulls to E♭, so use it before an E♭ major cadence. It suits dark jazz and film-score tension.
Changing to and from E♭ diminished major 7th
- Sliding the shape up one fret to the 2nd fret gives E diminished major 7th.
Which voicing to use
The 1st fret shape keeps the bass on E♭ and is the default. The 6th fret position repeats the voicing an octave higher, while the 13th fret adds a brighter register for solos.
Other E♭ chords
Common questions
How is E♭ diminished major 7th written?
E♭ diminished major 7th is written E♭°M7 or E♭dimM7. The ASCII root spelling is Eb. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between E♭ diminished major 7th and E♭ minor 7th flat 5th?
E♭ diminished major 7th has a major 7th, D. E♭ minor 7th flat 5th lowers that note to D♭, creating a dominant-quality chord.
Why does E♭ diminished major 7th sound so tense?
The diminished 5th between E♭ and B♭♭ creates a tritone, and the major 7th D rubs against the root. Together they produce a strong leading-tone pull.