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F diminished major 7th chord on guitar (FdimMaj7)
Also called or written FdimMaj7, FdimM7, F°M7, F augmented minor seventh or F minor seventh sharp five
F diminished major 7th is built from F, A♭, C♭ and E. The open shape uses all six strings with two open notes.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, 7
- Root positionF–A♭–C♭–EFdimMaj71-2-2-1-0-0
- First inversionA♭–C♭–E–FFdimMaj7/A♭4-×-3-4-5-×
- Second inversionC♭–E–F–A♭FdimMaj7/C♭×-2-2-1-0-1
- Third inversionE–F–A♭–C♭FdimMaj7/E0-2-2-1-0-1
How do you play an F diminished major 7th chord on guitar?
F diminished major 7th is played in open position as 1 2 2 1 0 0: index finger on the low E string at fret 1, ring finger on the A string at fret 2, pinky finger on the D string at fret 2 and middle finger on the G string at fret 1. The B and high e strings ring open.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 1 | 1 | F (1) |
| 5 (A) | 2 | 3 | C♭ (♭5) |
| 4 (D) | 2 | 4 | E (7) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 2 | A♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | open | — | C♭ (♭5) |
| 1 (e) | open | — | E (7) |
AdvancedThe pinky on the D string at fret 2 must arch cleanly over the ring finger on the A string, while the index and middle fingers hold adjacent frets.
Open · 1-2-3-1-0-0
F diminished major 7th is played in open position as 1 2 3 1 0 0: index finger on the low E string at fret 1, ring finger on the A string at fret 2, pinky finger on the D string at fret 3 and middle finger on the G string at fret 1. The B and high e strings ring open.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 1 | 1 | F (1) |
| 5 (A) | 2 | 3 | C♭ (♭5) |
| 4 (D) | 3 | 4 | F (1) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 2 | A♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | open | — | C♭ (♭5) |
| 1 (e) | open | — | E (7) |
3rd fret
F diminished major 7th is played at the 3rd fret as × × 3 4 5 4: index finger on the D string at fret 3, middle finger on the G string at fret 4, pinky finger on the B string at fret 5 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 4. 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) | 3 | 1 | F (1) |
| 3 (G) | 4 | 2 | C♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (B) | 5 | 4 | E (7) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 3 | A♭ (♭3) |
8th fret
F diminished major 7th is played at the 8th fret as × 8 9 9 9 ×: index finger on the A string at fret 8, middle finger on the D string at fret 9, ring finger on the G string at fret 9 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 9. The low E and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 8 | 1 | F (1) |
| 4 (D) | 9 | 2 | C♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (G) | 9 | 3 | E (7) |
| 2 (B) | 9 | 4 | A♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
13th fret
F diminished major 7th is played at the 13th fret as 13 14 14 13 × ×: index finger on the low E string at fret 13, ring finger on the A string at fret 14, pinky finger on the D string at fret 14 and middle finger on the G string at fret 13. The B and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 13 | 1 | F (1) |
| 5 (A) | 14 | 3 | C♭ (♭5) |
| 4 (D) | 14 | 4 | E (7) |
| 3 (G) | 13 | 2 | A♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
Why it sounds like that
F diminished major 7th uses the formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, 7. The diminished 5th between F and C♭ creates a tritone, and the major 7th E is the leading tone. Compare it to F minor 7th flat 5th, which lowers the 7th to E♭.
What goes wrong with F diminished major 7th?
- Flattening the pinky onto the G string and muting the ♭3.
- Letting the index finger mute the B string and choke the open 5th.
When to use it
F diminished major 7th works as a passing chord in F minor, often moving to F minor or F major 7th. The leading tone E pulls to F, so use it before an F major cadence. It suits dark jazz and classical tension.
Changing to and from F diminished major 7th
- Sliding the shape up one fret to the 2nd fret gives F♯ diminished major 7th.
Which voicing to use
The open shape keeps the bass on F and is the default. The 3rd fret shape repeats the voicing an octave higher, while the 13th fret adds a brighter register for solos.
Other F chords
Common questions
How is F diminished major 7th written?
F diminished major 7th is written F°M7 or FdimM7.
What is the difference between F diminished major 7th and F minor 7th flat 5th?
F diminished major 7th has a major 7th, E. F minor 7th flat 5th lowers that note to E♭, creating a dominant-quality chord.
Why does F diminished major 7th sound so tense?
The diminished 5th between F and C♭ creates a tritone, and the major 7th E rubs against the root. Together they produce a strong leading-tone pull.