F Sharp Diminished Chord on the Guitar (F# dim) – Diagrams, Finger Positions, Theory

The F sharp diminished chord (F# dim or F#°) contains the notes F#, A and C. It is produced by taking the 1st, flat 3rd and flat 5th notes of the F sharp Major scale.

F sharp diminished often appears as F# dim or F#°.

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 F sharp diminished chord contains a tritone between the notes F# and C.

Even though the F# diminished chord sounds dissonant on its own, it can sound beautiful when played in the right context. Pairing the F# diminished chord with the G Major chord, for example, creates a sense of tension and release, which works well. A good exercise is to switch between the F# diminished chord and the G Major chord and hear for yourself how this sounds

10 Ways To Play The F Sharp Diminished Chord

If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for F sharp diminished, here they are.

F Sharp Diminished Chord 10 Shapes

Some Quick F# Diminished Chord Theory

  • The F# diminished chord contains the notes F#, A and C.
  • The F sharp diminished chord is produced by taking the 1 (root), b3 and b5 of the F sharp Major scale.
  • The F sharp 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).
  • F# diminished resolves naturally to the G chord.
  • F# diminished can be written as F# dim or F#°.
  • The F# locrian scale can be used when soloing over the F# diminished chord.

Further Reading

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