Read left to right, 6th string to 1st: a number is a fret, 0 is an open string, x is a string you do not play.
- Index finger on the 1st fret of the D string (4th).
- Middle finger on the 2nd fret of the G string (3rd).
- Ring finger on the 2nd fret of the high E string (1st).
- Little finger on the 4th fret of the B string (2nd).
- Do not play the low E and A strings: start the strum from the D string.
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) | not played | — | — | — |
| 5th (A) | not played | — | — | — |
| 4th (D) | fret 1 | index | E♭3 | root |
| 3rd (G) | fret 2 | middle | B𝄫3 | flat fifth |
| 2nd (B) | fret 4 | little | E♭4 | root |
| 1st (high E) | fret 2 | ring | G♭4 | minor third |
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.
Another way to play E♭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.
- x6787xA shape at the 6th fret · four fingers
Holding it cleanly
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 2 lowest strings are left out, because their open notes are not in the chord. Aim the strum to start below them, or let the tip of a fretting finger rest against the unwanted string to keep it quiet.
The notes in E♭dim
A diminished chord is built from the root (1), ♭3 and ♭5 of its root’s major scale. From E♭ that gives E♭ – G♭ – B𝄫 (A). Two minor thirds stacked: tense and unstable, a passing chord between two steadier ones.
The same root, other chords: E♭ major, E♭m, E♭7, E♭maj7, E♭m7, E♭sus2, E♭sus4, E♭aug.
Keys that use E♭dim
E♭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 E♭dim chord?
E♭ diminished is three notes: E♭ – G♭ – B𝄫 (A) — the root, ♭3 and ♭5 of the E♭ major scale. On guitar the shape xx1242 sounds E♭3, B𝄫3, E♭4 and G♭4, so some of those notes appear more than once.
What is the easiest way to play E♭dim on guitar?
The usual shape is xx1242 — a shape at the 1st fret, with four fingers. It is already about as easy as this chord gets.
Is E♭dim the same chord as D♯dim?
Yes — on guitar they are the same frets and the same sound. E♭ and D♯ are two names for one pitch, and which name a songbook prints depends on the key: a piece in a sharp key writes D♯dim, a piece in a flat key writes E♭dim.
What is the difference between E♭dim and E♭m?
One note. E♭dim is E♭m with its fifth lowered a semitone, to B𝄫. That flattened fifth is a tritone above the root — the most unstable interval there is — which is why E♭dim never sounds like a place to stop.
What keys is E♭dim in?
E♭dim is one of the seven chords of E major (as vii°) and C♯ minor (as ii°).