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E♭ diminished 7th chord on ukulele (E♭dim7)
Also called or written E♭dim7 or E♭°7
E♭ diminished 7th is built from E♭, G♭, B♭♭, D♭♭. The 8th fret shape sits high enough to require clean finger placement on every string.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭♭7
- Root positionE♭–G♭–B♭♭–D♭♭E♭dim72-3-2-3
- First inversionG♭–B♭♭–D♭♭–E♭E♭dim7/G♭5-6-5-6
- Second inversionB♭♭–D♭♭–E♭–G♭E♭dim7/B♭♭8-9-8-9
- Third inversionD♭♭–E♭–G♭–B♭♭E♭dim7/D♭♭11-12-11-12
How do you play an E♭ diminished 7th chord on ukulele?
E♭ diminished 7th is played at the 8th fret as 8 9 8 9: index finger on the G string at fret 8, ring finger on the C string at fret 9, middle finger on the E string at fret 8 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 9.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 8 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (C) | 9 | 3 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (E) | 8 | 2 | D♭♭ (6) |
| 1 (A) | 9 | 4 | G♭ (♭3) |
AdvancedThe pinky must reach fret 9 on the A string while the ring finger holds fret 9 on the C string, creating a wide stretch.
E♭dim7/D♭♭ inversion
E♭ diminished 7th is played at the 11th fret as 11 12 11 12: index finger on the G string at fret 11, ring finger on the C string at fret 12, middle finger on the E string at fret 11 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 12.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 11 | 1 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 3 (C) | 12 | 3 | D♭♭ (6) |
| 2 (E) | 11 | 2 | E♭ (1) |
| 1 (A) | 12 | 4 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
2nd fret
E♭ diminished 7th is played at the 2nd fret as 2 3 2 3: index finger on the G string at fret 2, ring finger on the C string at fret 3, middle finger on the E string at fret 2 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 3.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 2 | 1 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (C) | 3 | 3 | E♭ (1) |
| 2 (E) | 2 | 2 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (A) | 3 | 4 | D♭♭ (6) |
E♭dim7/G♭ inversion
E♭ diminished 7th is played at the 5th fret as 5 6 5 6: index finger on the G string at fret 5, ring finger on the C string at fret 6, middle finger on the E string at fret 5 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 6.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 5 | 1 | D♭♭ (6) |
| 3 (C) | 6 | 3 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (E) | 5 | 2 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 1 (A) | 6 | 4 | E♭ (1) |
Why it sounds like that
E♭ diminished 7th stacks minor thirds: 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭♭7. The ♭♭7, D♭♭, is the same pitch as C but spelled as a diminished seventh to keep the chord's symmetry. Compare it with E♭ minor 7th flat 5th, which has a minor seventh instead.
What goes wrong with E♭ diminished 7th?
- Letting the index finger collapse and mute the C string.
- Pressing the pinky on the A string fret 9 without enough arch, deadening the E string.
- Strumming before all four fingers are firmly placed.
When to use it
E♭ diminished 7th works as a passing chord between E♭ minor 7th flat 5th and F minor. Its tense, symmetrical sound suits jazz turnarounds and dramatic pauses in ballads.
Changing to and from E♭ diminished 7th
- Sliding the shape down one fret to the 7th fret gives D diminished 7th.
- Sliding the shape up one fret to the 9th fret gives E diminished 7th.
Which voicing to use
The 8th fret voicing puts E♭ in the bass, giving the most direct root-position sound. The E♭dim7/F♯ inversion at the 11th fret places G♭ in the bass, which softens the chord's attack and works well when moving to an F chord.
Other E♭ chords
Common questions
How is E♭ diminished 7th written?
E♭ diminished 7th is written E♭°7 or E♭dim7. The root is E♭, also written Eb. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
Why does E♭ diminished 7th use D♭♭ instead of C?
The diminished seventh interval from E♭ is D♭♭, not C. Spelling it D♭♭ keeps the chord's formula as 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭♭7. Using C would make the interval a major sixth.
How does E♭ diminished 7th differ from E♭ minor 7th flat 5th?
E♭ minor 7th flat 5th has a minor seventh, D♭, while E♭ diminished 7th has a diminished seventh, D♭♭. That one-semitone difference makes the diminished chord sound more tense and symmetrical.
Can I play E♭ diminished 7th with a barre?
No, the 8th fret voicing uses four separate fingers. A barre would fret the G and E strings at fret 8, but you still need fingers for the C and A strings at fret 9.