Triads
G♭ diminished chord
Tense and unstable — it usually wants to resolve up by a half step.
G♭dim is the vii° chord in G major. In minor keys: ii° in E minor.
- Notes
- G♭B𝄫D𝄫
- Formula
- 1♭3♭5
- Built from
- root · minor 3rd · diminished 5th
How to play G♭dim
About the G♭ diminished chord
Playing it
On guitar, G♭dim has an open-position shape, 20x212, using four fingers alongside the open strings. Don’t strum the D string.
On piano, G♭dim has one black key (G♭) and two white keys.
On ukulele the usual G♭dim shape is 2020, using two fingers.
Related chords
Move a single note and G♭dim becomes a different chord: raise D𝄫 to D♭ for G♭m, add F♭ for G♭m7♭5 and add F𝄫 for G♭dim7.
Where you’ll hear it
Notice the B𝄫 in G♭dim (G♭ B𝄫 D𝄫): each note of the chord takes its own letter (G–B–D), so the minor 3rd has to be written B𝄫 rather than A — the same key on a piano, spelled to fit the chord.
