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Piano chord

Gdim7G diminished seventh

  • G1
  • B♭♭3
  • D♭♭5
  • F♭𝄫7
Notes
4
Positions
4
Span
9semitones
Fingers
1-2-3-5

How to play Gdim7 on piano

  1. Find G: it is the root and the lowest note of the chord in root position.
  2. Right hand: 1 on G, 2 on B♭, 3 on D♭, 5 on F♭.
  3. Or with the left hand: 5 on G, 3 on B♭, 2 on D♭, 1 on F♭.
  4. Press the keys together, with curved fingers and a loose wrist, and let them ring.
  1. Gdim7 on piano, Root position: G B♭ D♭ F♭G, B♭, D♭, F♭GF♭B♭D♭1523
    Gdim7 on piano, Root position: G B♭ D♭ F♭G, B♭, D♭, F♭GF♭B♭D♭5132

    Root position · G – B♭ – D♭ – F♭

  2. Gdim7 on piano, 1st inversion: B♭ D♭ F♭ GB♭, D♭, F♭, GF♭GB♭D♭3512
    Gdim7 on piano, 1st inversion: B♭ D♭ F♭ GB♭, D♭, F♭, GF♭GB♭D♭2153

    1st inversion · B♭ – D♭ – F♭ – G

  3. Gdim7 on piano, 2nd inversion: D♭ F♭ G B♭D♭, F♭, G, B♭F♭GD♭B♭2315
    Gdim7 on piano, 2nd inversion: D♭ F♭ G B♭D♭, F♭, G, B♭F♭GD♭B♭3251

    2nd inversion · D♭ – F♭ – G – B♭

  4. Gdim7 on piano, 3rd inversion: F♭ G B♭ D♭F♭, G, B♭, D♭F♭GB♭D♭1235
    Gdim7 on piano, 3rd inversion: F♭ G B♭ D♭F♭, G, B♭, D♭F♭GB♭D♭5321

    3rd inversion · F♭ – G – B♭ – D♭

Numbers on the keys are fingers: 1 thumb, 2 index, 3 middle, 4 ring, 5 little finger.

Gdim7 inversions

Use these 4 positions to move between chords with as little hand movement as possible. Root position starts on G; the inversions start on the other notes of the chord.

Chords that go with Gdim7

The other chords of G sharp minor, the key where Gdim7 is home (vii°7). Songs in this key move between them.

Gdim7 with two hands

A full sound: the left hand plays G an octave lower, the right hand plays G–B♭–D♭–F♭.

Gdim7 with two handsG, G, B♭, D♭, F♭GGF♭B♭D♭51523

Gdim7 on other instruments

About the Gdim7 chord

To build G diminished seventh, take these 4 notes from the root up: G (1), B♭ (♭3), D♭ (♭5), F♭ (𝄫7). A diminished seventh: three minor thirds stacked. Every note is three semitones from the next, so the same keys name four different chords.

The keys are G – B♭ – D♭ – F♭, counted up from G; the distance from the lowest to the highest key is 9 semitones. Any hand that reaches an octave can hold Gdim7, so it works in either hand.

In the inversions of Gdim7 the root moves up and another note takes the bass. In the 1st inversion the bass is B♭ (B♭–D♭–F♭–G). In the 2nd inversion the bass is D♭ (D♭–F♭–G–B♭). In the 3rd inversion the bass is F♭ (F♭–G–B♭–D♭).

Compared with Gdim, Gdim7 has one more note, F♭.

You meet Gdim7 in these keys: G sharp minor (vii°7).

Questions

What notes are in the Gdim7 chord?

Gdim7 (G diminished seventh) has 4 notes: G (1), B♭ (♭3), D♭ (♭5), F♭ (𝄫7).

How many inversions does Gdim7 have?

Gdim7 can be played in 4 positions: Root position (G–B♭–D♭–F♭); 1st inversion (B♭–D♭–F♭–G); 2nd inversion (D♭–F♭–G–B♭); 3rd inversion (F♭–G–B♭–D♭).

What is the difference between Gdim7 and Gdim?

Compared with Gdim, Gdim7 has one more note, F♭.

Can I play Gdim7 with one hand?

Yes. In root position Gdim7 spans 9 semitones, less than an octave, so one hand holds it easily.

More G chords