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 2nd fret of the B string (2nd).
- Middle finger on the 3rd fret of the G string (3rd).
- Ring finger on the 3rd fret of the high E string (1st).
- Little finger on the 5th fret of the D string (4th).
- 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 5 | little | G3 | root |
| 3rd (G) | fret 3 | middle | B♭3 | minor third |
| 2nd (B) | fret 2 | index | D♭4 | flat fifth |
| 1st (high E) | fret 3 | ring | G4 | 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.
3 other ways to play Gdim
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.
- xx5686A shape at the 5th fret · four fingers
- x-10-11-12-11-xA shape at the 10th fret · four fingers
- x-10-8-0-11-9A shape at the 8th fret · four fingers
If the usual shape is too hard for now
xx532x is Gdim 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
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 Gdim
A diminished chord is built from the root (1), ♭3 and ♭5 of its root’s major scale. From G that gives G – B♭ – D♭. Two minor thirds stacked: tense and unstable, a passing chord between two steadier ones.
The same root, other chords: G major, Gm, G7, Gmaj7, Gm7, Gsus2, Gsus4, Gaug.
Keys that use Gdim
Gdim 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 Gdim chord?
G diminished is three notes: G – B♭ – D♭ — the root, ♭3 and ♭5 of the G major scale. On guitar the shape xx5323 sounds G3, B♭3, D♭4 and G4, so some of those notes appear more than once.
What is the easiest way to play Gdim on guitar?
The usual shape is xx5323 — a shape at the 2nd fret, with four fingers. If that is out of reach for now, xx532x is the same chord without the full barre.
What is the difference between Gdim and Gm?
One note. Gdim is Gm with its fifth lowered a semitone, to D♭. That flattened fifth is a tritone above the root — the most unstable interval there is — which is why Gdim never sounds like a place to stop.
What keys is Gdim in?
Gdim is one of the seven chords of A♭ major (as vii°) and F minor (as ii°).