About the Adim chord
Adim is a A diminished chord built from A, C, Eb. Tense and unstable: a passing chord that pulls strongly toward resolution.
Root
A
Quality
Diminished
Chord tones
A C Eb
Shapes
1 · intermediate
Notes & intervals
Every diminished chord stacks the same intervals on its root. In Adim, that gives you:
A
root1
Home base. The root names the chord, and every other note is measured from it.
C
minor third♭3
The minor third is where the melancholy lives: it turns the chord dark and tender.
Eb
diminished fifth♭5
A restless, shadowy interval: it makes the chord tense and unstable.
Adim appears naturally in the key of Bb major.
Used in genres
Diminished chords show up all over the progression catalog, most of all in these styles:
Character & mood
TenseTense and unstable: a passing chord that pulls strongly toward resolution.