Fdim piano chord — the keys, the inversions, the theory

Fdim is a diminished chord built from F, Ab, Cb. Below: the keys to press, every inversion with its own diagram, the intervals it is made of, the keys whose scale contains it, and a progression that actually uses it. Press any diagram to hear it.

Fdim

F · Ab · Cb

Piano keyboardC4C5

Semitones above the root: 0 – 3 – 6

Two minor thirds stacked. Nothing sits still here; it is a chord that leads somewhere.

Inversions of Fdim

  • Root position

    F · Ab · Cb · bass F

  • Inversion 1

    Ab · Cb · F · bass Ab

  • Inversion 2

    Cb · F · Ab · bass Cb

Same chord, different note at the bottom. Press a diagram to hear it — inversions are how you move between chords without jumping your hand across the keyboard.

Keys that contain Fdim

  • F#vii°

In F# it does this job: IV – vii° – I

  1. B
  2. Fdim
  3. F#

Questions