F#dim Piano Chord

F sharp diminished is the F#dim piano chord. It has three notes: F sharp, A and C. Only the root is a black key.

1F♯3A5CC4C5

F♯ at the bottom, then A and C. Right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-3-1. The black key is F♯.

How to play F#dim on piano, step by step

  1. Start on the F♯ above middle C. That is the lowest note of the chord.
  2. Thumb (1): F♯
  3. Middle finger (3): A
  4. Little finger (5): C
  5. Press them together with the right hand. The left hand plays the same notes with fingers 5, 3, 1 an octave lower, or just F♯ on its own as a bass note.

This is the leading tone chord of G, so it climbs one key into a G chord. In the key of G it is the chord that appears just before home.

Inversions of F#dim

The same 3 notes with a different one at the bottom. All of them are F#dim; which you play depends on what the hand is coming from. Tap any card to hear it.

First inversionA C F♯
F#dim piano chord diagram, first inversion, A C F♯
Lighter than root position and less final. A flat third in the bass tips the chord forward, which is why it usually sits between two other chords rather than at the end of a line.
Second inversionC F♯ A
F#dim piano chord diagram, second inversion, C F♯ A
Open and slightly unresolved. A fifth in the bass makes the chord sound like a step on the way somewhere, which is mostly how it is used.

If it sounds wrong

The top note is C sharp
That gives F sharp minor. F sharp diminished needs C natural, one key lower.
The thumb keeps sliding
F sharp is black and the other two notes are white, so the hand sits at a middle depth. Keep the wrist relaxed.
The chord sounds tense
It is supposed to. Play G major after it and the tension resolves upward.

What makes it an F#dim

F♯ · A · C 1 ♭3 ♭5

F sharp diminished is F sharp, A and C: the root, the flat third and the flat fifth.

It is the vii chord of G major, built on the leading note. Every note in it sits a step away from a note in a G chord, which is why it pulls upward so strongly.

F#dim vs F#m

The top note. F sharp minor has C sharp; F sharp diminished lowers it to C.

F sharp minor is a black, white, black shape. Lowering the fifth moves the little finger onto a white key, which flattens the hand out.

Questions about F#dim

Which notes are in a F#dim chord on piano?

F sharp, A and C. It is a minor chord with the fifth lowered by one key.

What is the difference between F#dim and F sharp minor?

The top note. F sharp minor has a normal fifth; F#dim lowers it by one key to C. That single change turns a sad chord into a tense one.

How does a diminished chord resolve?

Usually up by one key. F#dim leans toward G major, and playing the two in a row is the quickest way to hear why: every note of the diminished chord is a half step or a whole step from where it wants to go.

Is F#dim hard to play?

No. It is three notes with an even shape, since a diminished triad is two minor thirds stacked. The intervals are the same size, which makes the hand position symmetrical and easy to remember.

Chords to learn next

Other F# chords