Guitar Chords Chart #9: Dim7 Chords, Drop 2 Voicing
(The diminished 7th chord)

This basic guitar chords chart shows you how to play dim7 chords. They are one of the 2 symmetrical chord types, it's sister chord being the Augmented Triad. This means that the diminished chord does not occur naturally on any diatonic scale. We need chromatic alterations in order to achieve a full 4-voiced diminished chord.

Chord Symbol Examples:

They are composed of: Root (1), Minor Third (m3), Diminished Fifth (5-), and Diminished Seventh (7-).

As these half-diminished chords are shown in drop 2 voicing, there are no unfingered strings between notes. Unfortunately, most 7th -or four part chords- are very uncomfortable to play in closed position on the guitar fretboard. This means that the closest thing to closed position is as follows: The second note of the 7th chord, from the bottom up, is shifted to the highest voice.

The numbers to the left of the first column tell you the order the notes of each b5m7 chord inversion appear in. You will notice that the first (lowermost) number of the rows are the following:

This means that each chord inversion uses the exact same notes, except that in it, they are arranged in a different order. Chord inversions are used for variety and character, as well as to achieve smooth voice leading.

The strings are shown in this order (headstock to the left):

Each column shows you how to play each or chord inversion (also called chord position) in a specific group of 4 adjacent strings.

In each row you will find one same chord position (Drop 2 Voicing) of the Diminished 7th chord as it is fingered on each set of 4 contiguous strings.

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