Understanding diminished chords on the Guitar

In case you’ve already got the hang of playing the most common minor and major chords on the guitar, it’s time to start expanding your repertoire to other, less common guitar chords to spice up your playing. These include, for example, suspended and 7th chords, but also diminished chords, the star of this blog post.

Although a diminished chord can add interesting and captivating sound to your playing, this does not mean that diminished guitar chords are any more difficult to learn and play once you’ve memorized the chord shape. Let’s explore diminished chords in more detail and how they differ from other kinds of guitar chords you might already be familiar with.

What Is a Diminished Chord on the Guitar?

Whereas a regular minor chord consists of the 1st (the root note), 3rd, and 5th notes of a major scale, a diminished chord in the same major scale contains the 1st, 3rd, and a diminished 5th note.

The diminished chord is abbreviated as “dim” when reading guitar chord charts or diagrams. Alternatively, a diminished chord can be indicated with a small circle (°). As an example, the Ddim chord consists of D, F, and Ab. For comparison, the major D chord is made up of D, F#, and A, and the minor D chord consists of D, F, and A notes.

The diminished 5th note in the chord creates a tense, dissonant sound that can have a powerful impact when incorporated just right into a song. Compared to a major or minor chord, the diminished guitar chord sounds somewhat unstable and might feel off when played independently without the other chords.

Diminished Seventh Chord

We have the diminished guitar chord covered, so let’s build on that to create a diminished seventh chord. As you now know, a diminished chord is a diminished triad (i.e., two minor thirds above the root note). To create a diminished seventh chord, take the regular diminished chord shape and add a seventh note. For example, a C diminished chord (or Cdim) is made up of the C, Eb, and Gb notes. Meanwhile, the C diminished seventh chord (or Cdim7) adds a double-flatted seventh note: C, Eb, Gb, and Bbb.

Here are the Cdim and Cdim7 chords:

In addition to the diminished triads and diminished seventh chords, there are half-diminished chords, also known as minor seventh flat five chords. In other words, you need four notes (three notes of the diminished triad and a seventh) to play a half-diminished chord. For example, the C half-diminished chord is written as Cm7b5.

Other Guitar Chords

In addition to diminished chords, there are many other types of chords you can learn to expand your guitar-playing repertoire. Here are a few examples:

• Beginner guitar players learn early on the distinction between major and minor chords. Whereas a major chord is made up of the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes on a major scale, a minor chord consists of a 1st, flattened 3rd, and 5th note. You can hear the difference, as minor chords sound sadder than the bright and happy minor chords.

• Suspended chords come in two flavors, sus2 and sus4 chords, depending on the note that replaces the chord’s third note. Use a suspended chord when you want to add a sense of tension to a song.

• 7th chords, such as major seventh (maj7), dominant seventh (7), and minor seventh (m7), are used commonly in jazz and blues. For example, you can form a maj7 chord by adding a major 7th note to the triad.

• Power chords are essential to every rhythm guitar player’s arsenal and can be played with simpler, movable chord shapes than many other guitar chords. Power chords are commonly used in rock, punk, and metal genres.
• Barre chords allow you to use the same chord shape while moving up and down the guitar fretboard.

How to Use Diminished Chords

Diminished chords are relatively rare in popular music, or at least the chord progressions don’t tend to center around diminished chords. Yet you can find diminished chords in a number of different genres, especially jazz. If you want to add an interesting twist to a chord progression you’ve written, try substituting a major or minor chord with a diminished one, and listen to how it sounds.

Diminished chords tend to sound a bit off-putting when played out of context, but don’t let that fool you. When timed just right, a diminished chord can elevate your song to a new level. Because of the tension a diminished chord creates, it should be followed by another chord to release that tension. Otherwise, the listener is left hanging and waiting for something to follow. Therefore, a diminished chord works well as a bridge between two chords.

Master Guitar Chords with Yousician

After dipping your toes into diminished chords, try your hand at other chord types, such as suspended chords. And don’t forget to experiment with different diminished chords and play them in place of other chords to see how it feels.

To expand your repertoire of guitar chords and songs to play, try Yousician, your personal music teacher for guitar, bass, piano, ukulele, and singing.