Root position
D# – F# – AThe root D# is the lowest note. This is the shape most people learn first.
3 notes · 1 · ♭3 · ♭5
D# Diminished Piano Chord (D#dim)
D#dim is built from D#, F# and A — the formula 1 · ♭3 · ♭5, or 3 and 6 semitones above D#. The shape uses 1 white and 2 black keys, and you can hear it, invert it and compare it below.
Chord
D# Diminished
Notes
D# · F# · AFormula
1 · ♭3 · ♭5Right hand
1 · 3 · 5C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
C#
D#
F#
G#
A#
Choose a chord, then play it. Finger numbers run from thumb (1) to little finger (5).
The finder above already holds D#dim. Press P or the Play chord button to hear D#, F#, A sounded together, then change the root or the chord type to compare it with something else.
Chord tones
The notes in D#dim
A diminished triad is two minor thirds stacked on top of each other, which squeezes the fifth a semitone flat. The result is tense and unresolved. It appears on the seventh degree of a major scale and on the second degree of a minor key, and it usually leads straight back to a more stable chord.
| Note | Interval | Degree | Semitones | Right hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D#black key | Root | 1 | 0 | 1 · thumb |
| F#black key | Minor third | ♭3 | 3 | 3 · middle finger |
| Awhite key | Diminished fifth | ♭5 | 6 | 5 · little finger |
Step by step
How to play D#dim on piano
- Find D#: it is the second black key in a group of two.
- Build upwards from D# using 3 and 6 semitones to reach F# and A.
- With the right hand, place finger 1 on D#, finger 3 on F# and finger 5 on A. Keep the wrist level and the knuckles rounded.
- Move your hand a little further in towards the fallboard so the black keys sit comfortably under your fingers.
- Play the notes together, then one at a time from the bottom up, and listen to how D#dim settles.
- Try first inversion as well: F# – A – D#. Inversions let you change chords without jumping around the keyboard.
Inversions
D#dim in 3 positions
An inversion keeps the same 3 notes and simply moves the lowest one up an octave. Learning them means you can change chords with small hand movements instead of jumping to a new part of the keyboard.
First inversion
F# – A – D#F# is the lowest note, so the minor third sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.
Second inversion
A – D# – F#A is the lowest note, so the diminished fifth sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.
In context
Which keys contain D#dim
In E major the chord functions as vii°. Altogether it is produced by the scales of 3 keys, so learning it once pays off in several places.
- E majorvii°
- C♯ minorii°
- E harmonic minorvii°
Chord tones are spelled by the degree they occupy, so the third of a minor chord is written as a flat rather than a sharp even though it is the same key on the piano. A double sharp such as F## means the key one whole tone above F.
Compare
D#dim against D# minor
D#dim and D# minor share D# and F#. Moving the perfect fifth A# down 1 semitone to the diminished fifth A turns D# minor into D#dim.
Practise the pair together: hold the shared notes D#, F# still and move only the one finger. Hearing that single change is the quickest way to recognise the two chords by ear.
Open D# minor →Good questions
D#dim questions
What notes are in the D#dim chord?
D#dim contains D#, F# and A. Counted from the root, that is the formula 1 · ♭3 · ♭5, or 3 and 6 semitones above D#.
What is the right-hand fingering for D#dim?
A comfortable beginner fingering is 1 (thumb) on D#, 3 (middle finger) on F# and 5 (little finger) on A. Finger numbers run from the thumb (1) to the little finger (5), and they change once you start using inversions.
How is D#dim different from D# minor?
D#dim and D# minor share D# and F#. Moving the perfect fifth A# down 1 semitone to the diminished fifth A turns D# minor into D#dim.
Which keys use the D#dim chord?
It occurs naturally in E major (vii°), C♯ minor (ii°) and E harmonic minor (vii°). The roman numeral shows which degree of the key the chord is built on.
What are the inversions of D#dim?
root position is D# – F# – A, first inversion is F# – A – D# and second inversion is A – D# – F#. Every inversion holds the same notes; only the lowest one changes.
Is D#dim the same as the E♭ chord?
On an equal-tempered piano D# and E♭ are the same key, so the chords sound identical. Written music chooses between them according to the key signature: pages here are named after the sharp spelling of the root, and the chord tones are then spelled by the degree each one occupies, which is why a double sharp occasionally appears.