Adim Guitar Chord

Adim is the A diminished chord, a diminished triad. It has three notes: A, C and E♭. It is one of the few diminished chords with an open shape: three fingers in the first two frets, no barre, and the open A string as the root. It is a tense chord, so you will almost always play it for a beat or two on the way between two stable chords.

Three fingers in the first two frets over an open A root. A rare thing: a diminished chord you can play in open position.

How to play Adim, step by step

Index finger: 1st fret, D string
Middle finger: 1st fret, B string
Ring finger: 2nd fret, G string
Leave the A string open. Strum from the A string down, skipping the low E. The high E string stays muted; let the nearest fretting finger touch it lightly.

Once this feels clean, learn the compact shape at fret 7. It has no open strings, so you can slide it to any fret and get a diminished chord on a new root.

More ways to play Adim

There are 2 common Adim shapes in total: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these, easiest first. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.

Adim guitar chord diagram, compact, frets 7 to 10, played x x 7 8 10 8 — Compact, frets 7 to 10

If it buzzes or sounds dead

Open A string goes quiet: The index finger on the D string is leaning over. Stand it up on its tip so the A string has room to ring.
High E rings when it should not: The high E is not part of this shape. Let the underside of your middle finger touch it lightly, or stop the strum at the B string.
Buzzing in the middle strings: Three fingers share two frets here, so they crowd each other. Pull each fingertip right behind its fret and keep the knuckles curled.

What makes it an Adim

A · C · E♭ 1 ♭3 ♭5

Adim is two minor thirds stacked on top of each other: A up to C, then C up to E♭. A minor chord would reach up to E; the diminished chord stops one fret short, and that narrow flat fifth is what makes it sound tense and unfinished.

In real music Adim is the leading tone chord of B♭: it sits one fret below B♭ and wants to climb into it. It also works as the ii chord in G minor. A useful way to hear it: A, C and E♭ are three of the four notes of F7, so Adim pushes toward B♭ the same way F7 does.

Adim vs Am

Both chords start with A and C. Am finishes with E, a perfect fifth, and sounds settled. Adim finishes with E♭, one fret lower, and sounds like it cannot stay where it is. On guitar the two open shapes are different grips, so you cannot morph one into the other; you simply pick by job. Am is a home chord you can sit on, Adim is a passing chord you move through, and when a chart writes A° it means the diminished one.

Adim chord questions

Is Adim hard to play?

No. The standard shape uses three fingers in the first two frets with an open A string and no barre. It is one of the easiest diminished chords on the guitar.

What is the difference between Adim and Adim7?

Adim is the three note triad: A, C, E♭. Adim7 adds a fourth note, the diminished seventh (G♭), for a thicker, jazzier sound. When a chart just writes Adim or A°, it means the triad, and the shapes on this page are what it is asking for.

What does Adim resolve to?

Most often B♭, one half step up. It also resolves nicely to B♭ minor. The pull upward is the whole point of the chord.

What does the circle in A° mean?

The small circle is the standard symbol for a diminished chord. A°, Adim and A diminished all name the same three notes.

When would a song actually use Adim?

Usually as a quick connector: one or two beats between two stable chords, often walking a bass line up toward B♭ or G minor. It is rarely a chord you strum for a whole bar.