Guitar chord · Triads
A♭ diminished chord on guitar
420404 · Open position
All 6 shapes, tab & fingering ↓
6 ways to play A♭dim on guitar, with finger positions, tabs and step-by-step instructions.
Tense and unstable — it usually wants to resolve up by a half step.
A♭dim is the vii° chord in A major. In minor keys: ii° in F♯ minor.
- Notes
- A♭C♭E𝄫
- Formula
- 1♭3♭5
- Built from
- root · minor 3rd · diminished 5th
Guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E) · 6 voicings · E string on the left · Other tunings →
How to play it · Open position
- 6th string (low E): 4th fret, middle finger (2) A♭
- 5th string (A): 2nd fret, index finger (1) C♭
- 4th string (D): play open E𝄫
- 3rd string (G): 4th fret, ring finger (3) C♭
- 2nd string (B): play open C♭
- 1st string (high E): 4th fret, pinky finger (4) A♭
Tablature
e|--4---| B|--0---| G|--4---| D|--0---| A|--2---| E|--4---|
Top line is the high E string. x = don’t play, 0 = open string.
Every A♭dim note on the guitar neck
Bright dots are the selected voicing — the rest are other places you can find the same chord tones.
Tips for playing A♭dim on guitar
On guitar, A♭dim has an open-position shape, 420404, using four fingers alongside the open strings.
Notice the C♭ in A♭dim (A♭ C♭ E𝄫): each note of the chord takes its own letter (A–C–E), so the minor 3rd has to be written C♭ rather than B — the same key on a piano, spelled to fit the chord.
