Find out the notes that are in the F diminished chord and how to play it on the piano in root position, 1st inversion, and 2nd inversion.
What Does the F diminished Chord Look Like on the Piano?
The symbol for the F diminished chord is Fdim.
The notes of the Fdim chord are F – Ab – B.
The Fdim chord is a triad because it has three notes: root (F), minor third (Ab), and diminished fifth (B).
How to Play the F diminished Chord on the Piano?
The picture below shows how to play the notes of the F diminished chord on the piano in root position:
You can see that the first note from the left is F (the root), the second note is Ab (the minor third), and the third note is B (the diminished fifth).
What is the Lowest Note in the F diminished Chord?
Making the assumption that you are playing the Fdim chord in root position the lowest note is F.
How Can You Remember the Fdim Chord?
Here is how to remember the notes of the F diminished chord:
- Start from the first note of the chord (the root) that for the F diminished chord is F.
- To find the second note of the chord calculate a minor third from the root (Ab).
- Then to find the third note of the chord calculate the diminished fifth from the root (B).
This applies if you are playing the F diminished chord in root position.
What is the 1st Inversion of the F diminished Chord?
The 1st inversion of the Fdim chord starts with the note Ab.
The picture below shows how to play the notes of the F diminished chord on the piano in the first inversion:
In the 1st inversion, you shift the root of the Fdim chord (F) up one octave compared to the root position.
The notes of the Fdim chord in the 1st inversion are Ab – B – F.
How Do You Play the 2nd Inversion of the Fdim Chord?
The 2nd inversion of the Fdim chord starts with the note B.
Below you can see how to play the notes of the second inversion of the F diminished chord on the piano:
In the 2nd inversion, you also shift the third of the Fdim chord (Ab) up one octave.
The notes of the 2nd inversion of the Fdim chord are B – F – Ab.
Given that the Fdim chord is a triad (it consists of three notes) there is no 3rd inversion because it would be the same as the root position.
What Are Other F Chords?
The following articles show you how to play other F chords: