Fdim Piano Chord

F diminished is the Fdim piano chord. It has three notes: F, A flat and B. It is an F minor chord with the fifth lowered by one key.

1F3A♭5BC4C5

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

How to play Fdim 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): B
  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.

The top note is written B here rather than C flat, because that is the key you actually play and the name every chord chart uses.

Inversions of Fdim

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

First inversionA♭ B F
Fdim piano chord diagram, first inversion, A♭ B 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 inversionB F A♭
Fdim piano chord diagram, second inversion, B 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
That gives F minor. F diminished needs the key below it, which is B.
The middle finger keeps slipping
A flat is a black key between two white ones. Move the hand further into the keyboard so the finger reaches it cleanly.
The chord sounds unfinished
It is. F diminished leans upward to G flat, or resolves back into F minor.

What makes it an Fdim

F · A♭ · B 1 ♭3 ♭5

F diminished is F, A flat and B: the root, the flat third and the flat fifth. Written strictly the top note is C flat, which is the key called B, and that is how charts print it.

It works as the leading tone chord of G flat and as a passing chord in flat keys. Like every diminished triad it is two minor thirds stacked, so the hand shape is symmetrical.

Fdim vs Fm

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

Both keep the A flat in the middle, so only one finger moves between the two chords.

Questions about Fdim

Which notes are in a Fdim chord on piano?

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

What is the difference between Fdim and F minor?

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

How does a diminished chord resolve?

Usually up by one key. Fdim leans toward G flat 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 Fdim 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