E diminished chord on piano

The E diminished chord (Edim) is E, G and B♭. Here it is on the keyboard, with the fingers to use, every inversion and how it fits into keys.

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Edim, diminished chord

E, G and B♭

E diminished chord on a piano keyboard: E, G and B♭, starting from middle C upwardC4EGC5B♭
Root
E
Minor third
G
Diminished fifth
B♭

Formula

1 ♭3 ♭5 (3, 6 half steps above E)

Fingering in root position

Edim root position: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesEGB♭
Right hand135
Left hand531

E diminished inversions

E diminished has 2 inversions. Each one keeps the same notes and puts a different one at the bottom, so your hand can stay close to the chord before or after it.

Edim

Root position

E diminished, root position, on the piano: E, G and B♭ from the bottom upC4EGC5B♭
Edim root position: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesEGB♭
Right hand135
Left hand531

Edim/G

First inversion

E diminished, first inversion, on the piano: G, B♭ and E from the bottom upC4GC5EB♭
Edim/G first inversion: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesGB♭E
Right hand125
Left hand531

Edim/B♭

Second inversion

E diminished, second inversion, on the piano: B♭, E and G from the bottom upC4C5EGB♭
Edim/B♭ second inversion: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesB♭EG
Right hand135
Left hand521

Keys with E diminished

Roman numerals give a chord's place in a key: capitals for major chords, small letters for minor, ° for diminished. E diminished appears as:

  • vii° in F major
  • ii° in D minor
  • vii° in F minor

How E diminished is built

E is the root, G the minor third and B♭ the diminished fifth.

A diminished chord stacks two minor thirds: the root, a minor third (3 half steps up) and a diminished fifth (6 half steps up). It sounds tense and usually moves on to another chord.

Every chord takes every other letter of the alphabet, so the letters of E diminished are E, G, B. That is why it is spelled E, G and B♭.

Find E diminished yourself

Without looking at the diagrams, find the chord on the keyboard, then each inversion. Saying the notes out loud as you tap them helps them stick.

Step 1 of 3

Tap the notes of E diminished, in any octave and any order.

CDEFGABCDEFGAB

Practice E diminished in real music

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Questions

What notes are in the E diminished chord?

E diminished (Edim) has three notes: E, G and B♭. E is the root, G the minor third and B♭ the diminished fifth.

What fingers do you use for E diminished on piano?

In root position, play E, G and B♭ with right hand fingers 1, 3 and 5 (thumb, middle finger and little finger) and left hand fingers 5, 3 and 1. The fingers change a little in each inversion; every inversion on this page shows its own.

What are the inversions of E diminished?

E diminished has 2 inversions, one for each note other than the root at the bottom. First inversion (Edim/G): G, B♭ and E. Second inversion (Edim/B♭): B♭, E and G.

What key is E diminished in?

E diminished appears as vii° in F major, ii° in D minor and vii° in F minor.

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