Diminished Chords for Guitar: The Ultimate Guide

Sometimes you just need a chord with a lot of tension, and for that, we have diminished chords. They are an incredibly useful tool to have in your guitar arsenal, but many guitarists often overlook them. Whether it’s because they think they’re too difficult or just unnecessary, diminished chords are oft-forgotten. 

So today, let’s take a look at diminished chords and try to make things simple. We’ll cover what diminished chords are, how to play them, and most importantly—how to use them. By the end, you’ll be able to implement diminished chords in your own playing and add some extra spice to your writing.

What Are Diminished Chords?

First, we need to understand what diminished chords actually are. So let’s start at square one—major and minor chords. 

Major chords are constructed using three notes called a triad. For major chords, that’s the root, major third, and perfect fifth. Minor chords are constructed the same way, but with a minor third instead. So the C major triad would be C-E-G, while the C minor triad would be C-Eb-G.

Diminished chords are also constructed the same way, using a simple triad. However, the diminished triad uses the root, minor third, and diminished fifth. For reference, diminished in this context means it is lowered a half step. So a C diminished triad would be C-Eb-Gb.

That is the basic construction of a diminished chord/triad. However, just like major and minor chords, the basic triad is often used as a building block to create further chords. Let’s use C minor as an example. 

Since we’re using C minor (C-Eb-G), we’ll be referencing the C minor scale. So let’s try and make a C minor 7. All you need to do is add the 7th scale tone, which in this case is Bb. So now we have C-Eb-G-Bb, which is a C minor 7 chord. Now, let’s apply that to diminished chords. 

Let’s start with the C diminished we made earlier (C-Eb-Gb). Adding a 7th is one of the most popular choices, so we’ll make a C diminished 7. The 7th of the C minor scale is Bb, but we need to diminish it (lower by a half step). So, a C diminished 7 chord would be (C-Eb-Gb-Bbb).

For clarification, a B double flat (Bbb) is just an A in practical terms. But due to the rules of theory, it’s technically a Bbb instead of an A. So don’t get too hung-up on the double flat. 

There are many more chords you can make from the basic diminished triad, such as 9ths and 11ths. But the basic triad and the diminished 7th chord are a great starting point that can cover a lot of ground. 

How to Play Diminished Chords

Now that you know what diminished chords are and how they’re made, let’s move on to how to actually play them on guitar. Thankfully, the guitar makes chords relatively easy. You can learn a couple of shapes and shift them up and down to cover every key, so let’s go over the most essential diminished chord shapes. 

However, before delving into shapes, let’s take a moment to think about how we can apply what we just learned about how diminished chords are made. Though learning shapes is the quick and easy way to learn diminished chords, making the shapes yourself using your own knowledge of theory can be greatly beneficial. 

Assuming you already know how to play minor chords, making any minor chord diminished should be simple. Let’s use a Cminor chord (X-3-5-5-4-X). All we need to do is lower the fifth by a half step (X-3-4-5-4-X), and you get a diminished chord.

You can use this technique to make any chord diminished. Just remember that if you’re starting from a major chord, you’ll need to flat both the third and the fifth. 

Consider applying your own knowledge to create your own diminished shapes instead of just looking at shapes. Shapes are useful, but the practical knowledge you get from applying these concepts on your own is incredibly valuable. 

For those just looking for the shapes though, here are the basic diminished chord shapes using the CAGED system for reference. These are all for C diminished chords, but as always, you can move these shapes up and down the fretboard as needed. 

A shape: X-3-4-5-4-X

G shape: 8-6-X-8-7-X

E shape: 8-9-10-8-7-X

D shape: X-X-10-11-13-11

C shape: X-15-13-11-13-X

Using Diminished Chords

Now you know what diminished chords are, how they’re made, and how to play them. But all of that is pretty useless unless you know how to actually apply them in musical settings. In music theory, breaking the rules is half the fun. But first, you need to know what the rules are. 

So in this section, we’re going to look at two common uses of diminished chords in music. There are numerous other ways to use diminished chords, and we encourage you to try things out on your own and experiment. But to get started, let’s look at a couple of common uses for diminished chords. 

Leading Away From or Back to the I Chord

This is an incredibly common way to use a diminished chord, and you’ve heard it before whether you realize it or not. Basically, the diminished chord functions as a way to transition away from or back to the I chord.

Many songs go from the I chord to a diminished chord a half step up, and then to the ii chord. So in the key of C, that would be C>C#dim>Dm. In this setting, the diminished chord is used to move away from the root to the ii. 

The other common use is leading back to the I instead of away from it. It’s used similarly, except you use a diminished chord a half step below the I to lead back, instead of a half step above to lead away. An example of this is in “How to Fight Loneliness” by Wilco. In the chorus, Tweedy goes from A7 to A#dim and then back to the tonic chord, Bm. 

https://youtu.be/LaYxcGVj38k

Leading to a vi Chord

Another frequently seen usage of diminished chords is as a leading chord to the vi. Just like with the last example, the diminished chord functions as a way to lead into another chord. This is easier to see in practice, so let’s look at an example.

“Stay With Me,” the Sam Smith song we’ve all heard a thousand times, is actually a perfect example of this. The song is in the key of C, and most of it utilizes a standard Am-F-C progression. On the third chord loop of the chorus, a G is added, making it G-Am-F-C. 

But on the last loop of chords in the chorus, Smith and company swap the G with a G#dim, resulting in G#dim-Am-F-C. The G#dim adds a lot of tension that gets resolved with the Am, making an effective leading chord. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB-5XG-DbAA

Experimenting with Diminished Chords

Diminished chords may seem intimidating and hard to use at first, but they are an incredibly useful tool to have. Whether you’re using them to create clever chord progressions that lead back to the root, for jazzy changes, or using them for heavy riffs, diminished chords are something every guitarist should be familiar with. 

With this guide, you should have a better understanding of what diminished chords are, how they’re made, how they’re played, and how they’re used. So get out the guitar and start experimenting with diminished chords. See how you can use them in your own music for unique and powerful chord progressions. And don’t forget to throw on a fresh set of Stringjoys so those chords sound great!