Adim7 chord on piano
Adim7 is A, C, E♭ and G♭. You'll find A between the last two black keys of the three (a white key). Tap Play, then slow it down.
root position · A–C–E♭–G♭ · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- A · C · E♭ · G♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭♭7
How to play Adim7 on piano
From A, go 3 half steps up to C, 3 half steps up to E♭ then 3 half steps up to G♭. That's the whole chord: 4 keys.
- Right hand: 1 on A, 2 on C, 3 on E♭ and 5 on G♭.
- Left hand: 5 on A, 3 on C, 2 on E♭ and 1 on G♭.
- On the keyboard it's white, white, black and black keys, the same pattern as Edim7, so your hand shape carries over.
Adim7 inversions
- root position: A–C–E♭–G♭. RH 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: C–E♭–G♭–A, C lowest. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: E♭–G♭–A–C, E♭ lowest. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: G♭–A–C–E♭ (G♭ in the bass). RH 1-2-3-5.
Use the inversions to stay put: the next chord is often one inversion away from where your hand already is, as the changes below show.
Adim7 chord changes
Songs rarely hold Adim7 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.
- B♭ (leads up a half step): Adim7 to B♭: play B♭ in root position (B♭–D–F), while A moves up to B♭, E♭ down to D and G♭ down to F. B♭ on piano
- B♭m (leads up a half step): Adim7 to B♭m: play B♭m in root position (B♭–D♭–F), while A moves up to B♭, C up to D♭ and G♭ down to F. B♭m on piano
- D (a fifth down): Adim7 to D: play D in 2nd inversion (A–D–F♯) and A and F♯ stay under the same fingers, while E♭ moves down to D. D on piano
Adim7 is a diminished seventh: three minor thirds stacked, so the chord divides the octave into four equal parts. Adim7 can stand in for a dominant seventh a half step below, which is why it links chords so smoothly. Play it solid and then broken to hear the difference.
Practice Adim7 in two minutes
Play Adim7 broken, one key at a time: A, C, E♭, G♭, E♭, C, A. Then press the keys together and check that all 4 sound at the same volume. Next, walk up through A–C–E♭–G♭ → C–E♭–G♭–A → E♭–G♭–A–C → G♭–A–C–E♭ without lifting your eyes to your hand.
The keys of Adim7
Adim7 is a diminished seventh chord, 1–♭3–♭5–♭♭7 from A. Root position, from the bottom: how Adim7 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | white key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| C | white key | RH 2 · LH 3 | minor third |
| E♭ | black key | RH 3 · LH 2 | diminished fifth |
| G♭ | black key | RH 5 · LH 1 | diminished seventh |
Adim7 in context
Adim7 on guitar and ukulele
Switching instruments? Try Adim7 on ukulele or Adim7 on guitar, or compare them on the Adim7 chord page.
Close to Adim7
Other diminished seventh chords
Adim7 on piano: questions
What notes are in Adim7 on piano?
A, C, E♭ and G♭: A (white key), C (white key), E♭ (black key) and G♭ (black key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play Adim7 on piano?
Press A, C, E♭ and G♭ together (2 black, 2 white). Right hand: 1 on A, 2 on C, 3 on E♭ and 5 on G♭.
What are the inversions of Adim7?
1st inversion (C–E♭–G♭–A), 2nd inversion (E♭–G♭–A–C) and 3rd inversion (G♭–A–C–E♭), after root position (A–C–E♭–G♭). Each keeps all the notes of the chord.
What does Adim7 look like on the keyboard?
white, white, black and black keys, the same pattern as Edim7, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside Adim7. Updated September 2026.