The E flat diminished chord (Eb dim or Eb°) contains the notes Eb, Gb and Bbb. It is produced by taking the 1st, flat 3rd and flat 5th notes of the E flat Major scale.
A diminished often appears as Eb dim or Eb°.
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 E flat diminished chord contains a tritone between the notes Eb and Bbb.
Even though the E flat diminished chord sounds dissonant on its own, it can sound beautiful when played in the right context. Pairing the Eb diminished chord with the E Major chord, for example, creates a sense of tension and release, which works well. A good exercise is to switch between the E flat diminished chord and the Eb Major chord and hear for yourself how this sounds
10 Ways To Play The E Flat Diminished Chord
If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for Eb diminished, here they are.
Some Quick E Flat Diminished Chord Theory
- The E flat diminished chord contains the notes Eb, Gb and Bbb.
- The E flat diminished chord is produced by taking the 1 (root), b3 and b5 of the Eb Major scale.
- The Eb 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).
- Eb diminished resolves naturally to the E chord.
- Eb diminished can be written as Eb dim or Eb°.
- The Eb locrian scale can be used when soloing over the E flat diminished chord.
Further Reading
