Ebdim: guitar chord voicings, inversions, scales and arpeggios

Ebdim (Diminished) is an interactive GuitarArcanum page with chord formula, intervals, voicings, inversions, triads, pentatonic patterns, scales and arpeggios on the fretboard.

Chord formula

Interval formula: 1 b3 b5. A diminished triad — root, minor 3rd and flat 5th. A tense, unstable chord that wants to resolve.

Chord tones

The minor 3rd and flat 5th give two stacked half-step tendencies. The tritone between the root and b5 is the source of the tension.

Sound character

Tense, unstable and anxious — never a point of rest.

Harmonic function

Most often a passing or leading-tone chord (the vii) that pulls to the tonic.

Typical progressions

  • Ddim → C
  • Eb – Edim – Fm
  • vii° → I

Guitar voicing advice

Compact shapes from the 5th and 4th strings. Often used as a passing chord a half-step between two others.

Fretboard voicings for Ebdim

A few curated Ebdim shapes with fret numbers, intervals and root markers.

XXb3b5b3112345
Ebdim — D shape, frets 1–5
XXb5b3111234567
Ebdim — C shape, frets 1–7
XX1b5b3156789
Ebdim — A shape, frets 5–9
XXb51b3b567891011
Ebdim — G shape, frets 6–11
XXb5b3b5191011121314
Ebdim — E shape, frets 9–14

Compatible scales for Ebdim

Open interactive scale pages that naturally pair with this chord.

Other chord qualities on the Eb root

Compare this chord with other qualities sharing the same root.