Position 1 / 4

This chord has 4 voicings across the fretboard. Use the arrows to see each shape and fingering — and tap any dot on the diagram to hear that note.

Intermediate

Gdim Guitar Chord

A diminished chord. Gdim has eerie quality.

Also known as

  • G °
  • G dim
  • Gdiminished
  • G diminished

How to Play This Chord

Position your fingers on the fretboard as shown in the diagram. The vertical lines represent the strings, from low E (left) to high E (right), and the horizontal lines are the frets. Numbers inside the dots indicate which finger to use: 1 (index), 2 (middle), 3 (ring), 4 (pinky). An X means don't play that string; an O means play it open. A bar spanning multiple strings means one finger presses across all of them at once — this is known as a barre chord.

Tips & Tricks

G diminished is the vii° chord in the key of Ab, but it also serves as a useful chromatic passing chord. Use the movable shape at the 3rd fret on the E string. It's tense and wants to resolve — try moving to Ab major to hear its natural resolution.

There are many ways to play this chord. Try these:

eBGDAE 3 1 3 2 3 1 3 2
eBGDAE 2 3 1 3 2 3 1 3
eBGDAE 3 2 1 3 3 2 1 3
eBGDAE 3 2 3 2 1 2 3 2

See how Gdim works with other chords — Progression Generator