What notes are in the Ebdim chord?

Ebdim is made of Eb, Gb and A — the 1, b3 and b5 degrees of a diminished chord built on Eb.

What keys use the Ebdim chord?

Every note of Ebdim belongs to 2 keys: E Major (vii°), C# Minor (ii°). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.

How do you play Ebdim on guitar and piano?

This page shows Ebdim on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin and banjo — 8 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.

Is Ebdim the same as D#dim?

Yes. Ebdim and D#dim are enharmonic — identical pitches written two different ways. Which spelling you use depends on the key you are in; Ebdim is the spelling this site treats as canonical.

Chord · Eb Diminished

E♭dim Chord

E♭dim is Eb, Gb and A — tense, unstable; resolves outward.

Hear it

E♭dim on every instrument

The same 3 notes, 6 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.

What E♭dim is made of

Eb Diminished (Eb diminished) is built from the notes Eb, Gb, A, with the interval pattern 1, b3, b5. A common diminished chord across many styles.

Stack 1, b3 and b5 on a root of E♭ and you get Eb, Gb and A. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a diminished chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why Cdim sounds like a transposed E♭dim.

Diminished: Tense, unstable; resolves outward.

Spelling: the notes above are written the way a score would write them, not simplified to the nearest piano key. That is why this chord is spelled with E♭ rather than its enharmonic equivalent.

Keys that contain E♭dim

All 3 notes sit inside the scale of 2 keys. The roman numeral marks the degree the chord is rooted on.

Major keys

E MajorD♯dim is the vii°

Minor keys

C♯ MinorD♯dim is the ii°

Other chords on E♭

Same root, different colour.

E♭Eb Major E♭mEb Minor E♭augEb Augmented E♭sus2Eb Suspended 2nd E♭sus4Eb Suspended 4th E♭5Eb Power Chord E♭6Eb Major 6th E♭m6Eb Minor 6th

The same diminished shape, moved

The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.

CdimC Diminished DdimD Diminished EdimE Diminished FdimF Diminished GdimG Diminished AdimA Diminished BdimB Diminished C♯dimC# Diminished

Questions people ask about Ebdim

What notes are in the Ebdim chord?: Ebdim is made of Eb, Gb and A — the 1, b3 and b5 degrees of a diminished chord built on Eb.
What keys use the Ebdim chord?: Every note of Ebdim belongs to 2 keys: E Major (vii°), C# Minor (ii°). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.
How do you play Ebdim on guitar and piano?: This page shows Ebdim on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin and banjo — 8 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
Is Ebdim the same as D#dim?: Yes. Ebdim and D#dim are enharmonic — identical pitches written two different ways. Which spelling you use depends on the key you are in; Ebdim is the spelling this site treats as canonical.

Learn the theory behind it

Why E♭dim behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.

Functional Harmony: Three Roles, One EngineDiminished chords are almost always doing a job. This explains which one.6 min read Cadences — The Four Ways a Phrase EndsWhere all that tension goes — how the chord resolves into the next one.4 min read Voice Leading — Hold What You Can, Move Only What You MustHalf-steps do the work here. Voice leading is how you find them.6 min read