Read left to right, 6th string to 1st: a number is a fret, 0 is an open string.
- Index finger on the 1st fret of the G string (3rd).
- Middle finger on the 2nd fret of the A string (5th).
- Ring finger on the 4th fret of the low E string (6th).
- Little finger on the 4th fret of the high E string (1st).
- Let the D and B strings ring open.
String by string
What each string does in this shape, and which note of the chord it sounds. This is what to listen for when you pluck them one at a time.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note | In the chord |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th (low E) | fret 4 | ring | A♭2 | root |
| 5th (A) | fret 2 | middle | C♭2 | minor third |
| 4th (D) | open | — | E𝄫3 | flat fifth |
| 3rd (G) | fret 1 | index | A♭3 | root |
| 2nd (B) | open | — | C♭3 | minor third |
| 1st (high E) | fret 4 | little | A♭4 | root |
One string at a time: a chord strummed into a microphone is several notes at once, and a single string is something the page can hear exactly. A string in tune but on the wrong fret, or deadened by the finger beside it, shows up here and not on a tuner. Tap a string to check it again.
2 other ways to play A♭dim
The same 3 notes, somewhere else on the neck. A different shape puts a different note on top, so each one colours the chord slightly differently — and one of them is usually nearer the chord you are coming from.
- xx6434A shape at the 3rd fret · four fingers
- xx6797A shape at the 6th fret · four fingers
If the usual shape is too hard for now
42010x is A♭dim without the full barre — fewer strings, the same chord. It is a real voicing, not a cheat, and plenty of players keep using it.
Holding it cleanly
2 strings ring open next to fretted ones. Arch the fingers so they come down on their tips — a finger lying flat will deaden the open string beside it, and the chord loses a note without sounding obviously wrong.
It spans 4 frets. Bring the elbow in and let the hand turn slightly toward the body of the guitar; the stretch comes from the hand opening, not from the fingers reaching.
The notes in A♭dim
A diminished chord is built from the root (1), ♭3 and ♭5 of its root’s major scale. From A♭ that gives A♭ – C♭ (B) – E𝄫 (D). Two minor thirds stacked: tense and unstable, a passing chord between two steadier ones.
The same root, other chords: A♭ major, A♭m, A♭7, A♭maj7, A♭m7, A♭sus2, A♭sus4, A♭aug.
Keys that use A♭dim
A♭dim is built from the notes of 2 keys. Each link is that key’s full set of guitar chords — the ones that sound right next to this one.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in a A♭dim chord?
A♭ diminished is three notes: A♭ – C♭ (B) – E𝄫 (D) — the root, ♭3 and ♭5 of the A♭ major scale. On guitar the shape 420104 sounds A♭2, C♭2, E𝄫3, A♭3, C♭3 and A♭4, so some of those notes appear more than once.
What is the easiest way to play A♭dim on guitar?
The usual shape is 420104 — an open-position shape, with four fingers. If that is out of reach for now, 42010x is the same chord without the full barre.
Is A♭dim the same chord as G♯dim?
Yes — on guitar they are the same frets and the same sound. A♭ and G♯ are two names for one pitch, and which name a songbook prints depends on the key: a piece in a sharp key writes G♯dim, a piece in a flat key writes A♭dim.
What is the difference between A♭dim and A♭m?
One note. A♭dim is A♭m with its fifth lowered a semitone, to E𝄫. That flattened fifth is a tritone above the root — the most unstable interval there is — which is why A♭dim never sounds like a place to stop.
What keys is A♭dim in?
A♭dim is one of the seven chords of A major (as vii°) and F♯ minor (as ii°).