Piano chord
D Diminished 7th Chord
Ddim7 is a diminished 7th chord built on D. It contains the notes D – F – A♭ – C♭.
Ddim7
Also written: D°7
- D
- F
- A♭
- C♭
Notes in Ddim7
Count up from D using the intervals below. The formula shows each note relative to the D major scale.
| Notes | Intervals | Formula | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | Root | 1 | 0 |
| F | Minor 3rd | ♭3 | 3 |
| A♭ | Diminished 5th | ♭5 | 6 |
| C♭ | Diminished 7th | 𝄫7 | 9 |
How to play Ddim7 on piano
- Right hand: fingers 1–2–3–5 (thumb on D).
- Left hand: fingers 5–3–2–1, or play just the root in the left hand and the other notes in the right.
- Inversions keep your hand closer to the previous chord — see below.
Ddim7 inversions
An inversion puts a different note of Ddim7 at the bottom. The notes stay the same, the colour and voice leading change.
Root position
Ddim7D – F – A♭ – C♭
1st inversion
Ddim7/FF – A♭ – C♭ – D
2nd inversion
Ddim7/A♭A♭ – C♭ – D – F
3rd inversion
Ddim7/C♭C♭ – D – F – A♭
About diminished 7th chords
Four notes equally spaced — the most symmetrical chord in music. Its perfect symmetry creates an eerie, unresolved quality.
Sound: Eerie & dramatic
Songs that use it
- Paint It Black · The Rolling StonesRock
- Bohemian Rhapsody · QueenRock
- Eleanor Rigby · The BeatlesRock
Keys that contain Ddim7
Ddim7 is built only from notes of these keys. The Roman numeral shows its role in each key.
Hear Ddim7 with different sounds and compare it with other chords in the interactive builder.
Open in the chord builderPractising on an acoustic piano that sounds off?
If chords sound sour even when you play the right notes, the piano is probably out of tune. Our technicians tune pianos across Israel.