Guitar chord · Triads
F diminished chord on guitar
xx3101 · Open position
All 6 shapes, tab & fingering ↓
6 ways to play Fdim on guitar, with finger positions, tabs and step-by-step instructions.
Tense and unstable — it usually wants to resolve up by a half step.
Fdim is the vii° chord in F♯ major. In minor keys: ii° in E♭ minor.
- Notes
- FA♭C♭
- 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): don’t play — mute it
- 5th string (A): don’t play — mute it
- 4th string (D): 3rd fret, ring finger (3) F
- 3rd string (G): 1st fret, index finger (1) A♭
- 2nd string (B): play open C♭
- 1st string (high E): 1st fret, middle finger (2) F
Tablature
e|--1---| B|--0---| G|--1---| D|--3---| A|--x---| E|--x---|
Top line is the high E string. x = don’t play, 0 = open string.
Every Fdim 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 Fdim on guitar
On guitar, Fdim has an open-position shape, xx3101, using three fingers alongside the open strings. Don’t strum the low E and A strings.
Notice the C♭ in Fdim (F A♭ C♭): each note of the chord takes its own letter (F–A–C), so the diminished 5th has to be written C♭ rather than B — the same key on a piano, spelled to fit the chord.
