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Adim Guitar Chord

A diminished (Adim) is made of the notes A C E♭. Here are 3 ways to play it on guitar, starting with the easiest.

How to play Adim on guitar

  1. Shape 1

    Open position

    1 2 A E♭ A C

    x0121x

  2. Shape 2

    From fret 4

    4fr 4 2 1 3 A C E♭ A

    xx7545

  3. Shape 3

    From fret 7

    7fr 1 2 4 3 A E♭ A C

    x-x-7-8-10-8

Notes in Adim

Formula 1 ♭3 ♭5
DegreeNote
1A
♭3C
♭5E♭

Shape 1 step by step

  1. Lay your index finger flat across strings 4 to 2 at fret 1.
  2. Put your middle finger on string 3 at fret 2.
  3. Let string 5 ring open.
  4. Don’t play strings 6, 1.
  5. Strum from string 5 to string 2.

Shape 2 step by step

  1. Put your little finger on string 4 at fret 7.
  2. Put your middle finger on string 3 at fret 5.
  3. Put your index finger on string 2 at fret 4.
  4. Put your ring finger on string 1 at fret 5.
  5. Don’t play strings 6, 5.
  6. Strum from string 4 to string 1.

Tune your guitar first

A chord only sounds right when your instrument is in tune. Check your strings with the free online tuner before you practise. Open the guitar tuner

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Adim chord?

A diminished has the notes A C E♭. Its formula is 1 ♭3 ♭5. The numbers are steps of the major scale, counted from the root.

What is the easiest way to play Adim on guitar?

Start with shape 1 (open position), written as x0121x from string 6 to string 1. Here x means you don’t play that string and 0 means it rings open.

Diminished chords in every key

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