4 x 0 4 0 x
Ab diminished
Notes: Ab · Cb · Ebb
More common: G# diminished
Triads
Suspended
Sevenths
Extensions
Other shapes (36)
Showing 12 of 36
4 5 0 4 0 x
4 2 0 4 0 x
4 2 0 1 0 x
4 x 0 4 0 4
4 5 0 4 0 4
4 2 0 4 0 4
4 2 0 1 0 4
x x 6 7 0 7
4 2 0 4 3 x
4 5 0 7 0 x
4 5 0 4 3 x
About Ab diminished
The notes of Ab diminished are Ab (root), Cb (minor third) and Ebb (diminished fifth). In scale degrees above the root, the formula is 1 – b3 – b5. Its diminished fifth adds a marked tension; it works as a passing chord, very common in jazz and classical music.
Ab diminished has no standard open shape in the CAGED system, so its 36 voicings are sorted only by difficulty and position on the neck. Ab diminished is also written as G# diminished: the same chord with the root spelled differently, and it sounds identical. The more common spelling is G# diminished.