Skip to main content

Tense

E Diminished

E · G · Bb

Edimoo41

Shape 1 · difficulty 4/10

learn more

About the Edim chord

Edim is a E diminished chord built from E, G, Bb. Tense and unstable: a passing chord that pulls strongly toward resolution.

Root

E

Quality

Diminished

Chord tones

E G Bb

Shapes

1 · intermediate

Notes & intervals

Every diminished chord stacks the same intervals on its root. In Edim, that gives you:

E

root1

Home base. The root names the chord, and every other note is measured from it.

G

minor third♭3

The minor third is where the melancholy lives: it turns the chord dark and tender.

Bb

diminished fifth♭5

A restless, shadowy interval: it makes the chord tense and unstable.

Edim sits in the key of F 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.

Find another chord

Popular chords

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Edim on ukulele?

Edim is a solid intermediate shape once open chords feel steady. The first shape is the easiest voicing: 2 fretted strings and 2 open strings. Put your pinky finger on the 4th fret of the C string. Put your index finger on the 1st fret of the A string. Leave the G and E strings open. Strum all four strings and check each one rings cleanly.

What notes are in a Edim chord?

Edim is E, G, Bb. That is a diminished triad (root, minor third, diminished fifth). Play them in any order and you still get Edim. Edim sits in the key of F major.

What makes Edim a diminished chord?

Tense and unstable: a passing chord that pulls strongly toward resolution. Chord quality is the interval pattern above the root. That pattern is what you hear as diminished.

Get the Ukulalala app

Keep strumming

Get occasional tips, new tools, and progression inspiration.