Piano chord · Sevenths
D diminished 7th chord on piano
Right hand: D (1), F (2), A♭ (3), C♭ (5)
How to play Ddim7 on piano: the keys to press, which fingers to use, inversions and how it’s written on the staff.
Symmetrical and very tense — every note is a minor 3rd apart.
Ddim7 is the vii°7 chord in E♭ minor.
- Notes
- DFA♭C♭
- Formula
- 1♭3♭5𝄫7
- Built from
- root · minor 3rd · diminished 5th · diminished 7th
Piano
Root position · numbers are finger numbers
How to play it
Right handD1 · thumbF2 · indexA♭3 · middleC♭5 · pinky
Left handD5 · pinkythe root, an octave lower
Finger numbers: 1 thumb · 2 index · 3 middle · 4 ring · 5 pinky. Inversions use the same notes with a different one on the bottom — they help you move smoothly between chords. Tap any key to hear it.
Tips for playing Ddim7 on piano
On piano, Ddim7 has one black key (A♭) and three white keys.
Notice the C♭ in Ddim7 (D F A♭ C♭): each note of the chord takes its own letter (D–F–A–C), so the diminished 7th has to be written C♭ rather than B — the same key on a piano, spelled to fit the chord.
