Guitar chord · Triads
E♭ diminished chord on guitar
xx1242 · 1st fret
All 6 shapes, tab & fingering ↓
6 ways to play E♭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.
E♭dim is the vii° chord in E major. In minor keys: ii° in C♯ minor.
- Notes
- E♭G♭B𝄫
- 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 · 1st fret
- 6th string (low E): don’t play — mute it
- 5th string (A): don’t play — mute it
- 4th string (D): 1st fret, index finger (1) E♭
- 3rd string (G): 2nd fret, middle finger (2) B𝄫
- 2nd string (B): 4th fret, pinky finger (4) E♭
- 1st string (high E): 2nd fret, ring finger (3) G♭
Tablature
e|--2---| B|--4---| G|--2---| D|--1---| A|--x---| E|--x---|
Top line is the high E string. x = don’t play, 0 = open string.
Every E♭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 E♭dim on guitar
On guitar, the usual E♭dim shape is xx1242 at the 1st fret. It has no open strings, so it’s a movable shape — slide it along the neck for other diminished chords. Don’t strum the low E and A strings.
Notice the B𝄫 in E♭dim (E♭ G♭ B𝄫): each note of the chord takes its own letter (E–G–B), so the diminished 5th has to be written B𝄫 rather than A — the same key on a piano, spelled to fit the chord.
