Edim Guitar Chord
Edim is the E diminished chord, a diminished triad. It has three notes: E, G and B♭. Do not confuse it with the open E or Em chords: Edim shares no shape with them, and its standard grip lives at the 2nd fret on the top four strings, no barre. It is the built in diminished chord of the key of F major.
The Ddim grip at the 2nd fret: root on the D string, pinky reaching two frets past the others on the B string. Slides to any root.
How to play Edim, step by step
- Index finger: 2nd fret, D string
- Middle finger: 3rd fret, G string
- Ring finger: 3rd fret, high E string
- Pinky finger: 5th fret, B string
- Strum from the D string down, skipping the two lowest strings.
More ways to play Edim
There are 2 common Edim 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.
Fatter and darker, the low E root on the A string filling out the bottom.
If the chord will not speak
- Buzz under the pinky
- The pinky has to sit at the 5th fret while the rest of the hand stays around 2 and 3. Rotate your forearm slightly toward the bridge so the pinky reaches its fret without dragging.
- The high E note gets smothered
- The ring finger's note at the 3rd fret dies when the stretched pinky sags onto the first string. Keep the pinky on its very tip, knuckle up.
- Open low strings bleed in
- Only the top four strings play. Start your strum on the D string; if the low E keeps sneaking in, hook your thumb over it.
What makes it an Edim
E · G · B♭ 1 ♭3 ♭5
Edim is two minor thirds stacked: E to G, then G to B♭. It is an E minor chord whose fifth has slipped down from B to B♭, and losing that perfect fifth costs the chord all of its stability. What is left is pull: E is the leading tone of F, so the whole chord tips forward into F major.
That makes Edim the vii chord of F major and the ii chord of D minor, two places it earns real work. It is also C7 with the C left off (C7 is C, E, G, B♭), so it can imply that dominant sound with just three notes when a full C7 would be too thick.
Edim vs Em
Em is one of the first chords anyone learns: E, G, B, all six strings ringing. Edim changes a single note, B down to B♭, but as a grip it is a different animal: four fretted strings, no open strings at all, played mid neck. The sound difference matches the effort difference. Em is calm and endless; Edim is a tightly wound spring that wants to release into F. They are not interchangeable, and a chart that writes E° is never asking for Em.
Edim chord questions
Is Edim the same as Em?
No. Em has a perfect fifth (B), Edim has a flat fifth (B♭). One note apart in theory, but completely different shapes and completely different jobs on guitar.
What is the difference between Edim and Edim7?
Edim is the triad: E, G, B♭. Edim7 stacks a diminished seventh (D♭) on top for a four note chord. When a chart says Edim or E° it means the three note version shown here.
What key is Edim in?
F major is its home: build a chord on the seventh note of the F scale and you get E, G, B♭. It also serves as the ii chord in D minor.
Is there an open Edim shape?
No common one. B♭ has no open string, so every practical Edim is fretted, and the movable shapes at frets 2 and 7 on this page are the standard choices.
What does Edim resolve to?
F major, one half step above it. It also resolves anywhere C7 does, since it contains three of that chord's four notes.
Chords to learn next
Other E chords
Edim guitar chord chart (xx2353) from melodician.com