The A diminished chord (A dim or A°) contains the notes A, C and Eb. It is produced by taking the 1st, flat 3rd and flat 5th notes of the A Major scale.
A diminished often appears as A dim or A°.
The diminished chord played by itself has a dissonant sound. This is largely due to the existence of the tritone interval, which is otherwise known as the devil’s interval. The A diminished chord contains a tritone between the notes A and Eb.
Even though the A diminished chord sounds dissonant on its own, it can sound beautiful when played in the right context. Pairing the A diminished chord with the B flat Major chord, for example, creates a sense of tension and release, which works well. A good exercise is to switch between the A diminished chord and the Bb Major chord and hear for yourself how this sounds
10 Ways To Play The A Diminished Chord
If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for A diminished, here they are.
Some Quick A Diminished Chord Theory
- The A diminished chord contains the notes A, C and Eb.
- The A diminished chord is produced by taking the 1 (root), b3 and b5 of the A Major scale.
- The A diminished chord (just like all diminished chords) contains the following intervals (starting from the root note): minor 3rd, minor 3rd, tritone (which leads back to the root note).
- A diminished resolves naturally to the Bb chord.
- A diminished can be written as A dim or A°.
- The A locrian scale can be used when soloing over the A diminished chord.
Further Reading
