Triads
D♭ diminished chord
Tense and unstable — it usually wants to resolve up by a half step.
D♭dim is the vii° chord in D major. In minor keys: ii° in B minor.
- Notes
- D♭F♭A𝄫
- Formula
- 1♭3♭5
- Built from
- root · minor 3rd · diminished 5th
How to play D♭dim
About the D♭ diminished chord
Playing it
On guitar, D♭dim has an open-position shape, x42020, using three fingers alongside the open strings. Don’t strum the low E string.
On piano, D♭dim has one black key (D♭) and two white keys.
On ukulele the usual D♭dim shape is 0404, using two fingers.
Related chords
Move a single note and D♭dim becomes a different chord: raise A𝄫 to A♭ for D♭m, add C♭ for D♭m7♭5 and add C𝄫 for D♭dim7.
Where you’ll hear it
Notice the F♭ in D♭dim (D♭ F♭ A𝄫): each note of the chord takes its own letter (D–F–A), so the minor 3rd has to be written F♭ rather than E — the same key on a piano, spelled to fit the chord.
