E diminished 7 chord on piano

The E diminished 7 chord (Edim7) is E, G, B♭ and D♭. Here it is on the keyboard, with the fingers to use, every inversion and how it fits into keys.

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Edim7, diminished seventh chord

E, G, B♭ and D♭

E diminished 7 chord on a piano keyboard: E, G, B♭ and D♭, starting from middle C upwardC4EGC5B♭D♭
Root
E
Minor third
G
Diminished fifth
B♭
Diminished seventh
D♭

Formula

1 ♭3 ♭5 𝄫7 (3, 6, 9 half steps above E)

Fingering in root position

Edim7 root position: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesEGB♭D♭
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

E diminished 7 inversions

E diminished 7 has 3 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.

Edim7

Root position

E diminished 7, root position, on the piano: E, G, B♭ and D♭ from the bottom upC4EGC5B♭D♭
Edim7 root position: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesEGB♭D♭
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

Edim7/G

First inversion

E diminished 7, first inversion, on the piano: G, B♭, D♭ and E from the bottom upC4GC5EB♭D♭
Edim7/G first inversion: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesGB♭D♭E
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

Edim7/B♭

Second inversion

E diminished 7, second inversion, on the piano: B♭, D♭, E and G from the bottom upC4C5EGB♭D♭
Edim7/B♭ second inversion: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesB♭D♭EG
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

Edim7/D♭

Third inversion

E diminished 7, third inversion, on the piano: D♭, E, G and B♭ from the bottom upC4EGC5D♭B♭
Edim7/D♭ third inversion: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesD♭EGB♭
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

Keys with E diminished 7

Roman numerals give a chord's place in a key: capitals for major chords, small letters for minor, ° for diminished. E diminished 7 appears as:

  • vii°7 in F minor

How E diminished 7 is built

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

A diminished seventh chord stacks three minor thirds, so every note is 3 half steps from the next. That symmetry means E diminished 7 uses the same four keys as G diminished 7, A♯ diminished 7 and C♯ diminished 7.

Every chord takes every other letter of the alphabet, so the letters of E diminished 7 are E, G, B, D. That is why it is spelled E, G, B♭ and D♭.

Find E diminished 7 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 4

Tap the notes of E diminished 7, in any octave and any order.

CDEFGABCDEFGAB

Practice E diminished 7 in real music

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Questions

What notes are in the E diminished 7 chord?

E diminished 7 (Edim7) has four notes: E, G, B♭ and D♭. E is the root, G the minor third, B♭ the diminished fifth and D♭ the diminished seventh.

What fingers do you use for E diminished 7 on piano?

In root position, play E, G, B♭ and D♭ with right hand fingers 1, 2, 3 and 5 (thumb, index finger, middle finger and little finger) and left hand fingers 5, 3, 2 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 7?

E diminished 7 has 3 inversions, one for each note other than the root at the bottom. First inversion (Edim7/G): G, B♭, D♭ and E. Second inversion (Edim7/B♭): B♭, D♭, E and G. Third inversion (Edim7/D♭): D♭, E, G and B♭.

What key is E diminished 7 in?

E diminished 7 appears as vii°7 in F minor.

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