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G♯ Diminished 7th

Notes: G♯ - B - D - F | Degrees: 1 - ♭3 - ♭5 - ♭♭7 | Written: G♯dim7, G♯°7

Construction: Root, Minor 3rd, Diminished 5th, Diminished 7th

It is built by stacking three minor thirds, creating a fully symmetrical 4-note chord, giving it a extremely tense and dramatic character, fully symmetrical and harmonically versatile

Fingering: RH 2-3-4-5, LH 5-4-3-2

Inversions: Root G♯dim7 - 1st G♯dim7/B - 2nd G♯dim7/D - 3rd G♯dim7/F

A♭ Diminished 7th
This is the same chord as A♭ Diminished 7th: the same keys on the keyboard, spelled with flats.
Related boards
G♯dim79 st, 124.0 mmRoot position, figured bass 7

G♯3, B3, D4, F4

Fingerings

Root position: either hand, fingers low note to high
HandNotesFingers
RightG♯, B, D, F2-3-4-5
LeftG♯, B, D, F5-4-3-2

Close-position standard fingering: either hand takes the whole shape. Thumb is 1, little finger is 5.

G♯ Diminished 7th: notes and degrees

G♯dim7 contains G♯, B, D and F. Three stacked minor thirds.

Scale degree, note, and interval measured from the root.
DegreeNoteInterval from rootSemitones
1G♯Perfect unison0
♭3BMinor third3
♭5DTritone6
♭♭7FMajor sixth9

G♯ is a black key; B, D and F are white.

Construction

G♯ Diminished 7th = Root + Minor 3rd + Diminished 5th + Major 6th = G♯, B, D, F
NoteIntervalDegree
G♯Root1
BMinor 3rd♭3
DDiminished 5th♭5
FMajor 6th6

Fingering

NoteKey colorRight handLeft hand
G♯blackindex finger (2)little finger (5)
Bwhitemiddle finger (3)ring finger (4)
Dwhitering finger (4)middle finger (3)
Fwhitelittle finger (5)index finger (2)

Right hand: index finger (2) on G♯, middle finger (3) on B, ring finger (4) on D, little finger (5) on F.

Left hand: little finger (5) on G♯, ring finger (4) on B, middle finger (3) on D, index finger (2) on F.

G♯ Diminished 7th Inversions

  • Root position
    G♯ – B – D – F
  • 1st inversion (G♯dim7/B)
    B – D – F – G♯
  • 2nd inversion (G♯dim7/D)
    D – F – G♯ – B
  • 3rd inversion (G♯dim7/F)
    F – G♯ – B – D

Key Signature

A Diminished 7th chord is built from symmetrical or ambiguous intervals, so it doesn't belong to a single key and has no key signature of its own.

Chords in the Key of G♯ Major

These are the triads built on each degree of G♯ Major:

C1C2C3C4B♯C6C7C8G♯D♯
I — G♯ Major (major)
DegreeNumeralChordQuality
1IG♯ MajorMajor
2iiA♯ MinorMinor
3iiiB♯ MinorMinor
4IVC♯ MajorMajor
5VD♯ MajorMajor
6viE♯ MinorMinor
7vii°F♯♯ DiminishedDiminished

Same Notes, Other Names

The notes G♯ – B – D – F aren’t exclusive to this chord. Depending on which note is the bass and how the chord functions, the same pitches also spell the following:

G♯ Diminished 7th : Frequently Asked Questions

What is the G♯ Diminished 7th chord on piano?
The G♯ Diminished 7th chord contains the notes G♯ – B – D – F. On piano, play these notes together to sound the chord.
What is the G# piano chord?
The G# piano chord (written G♯ Diminished 7th) uses the same keys: G♯ – B – D – F. The # and ♯ symbols name the same black key.
What notes are in the G# Diminished 7th chord?
G# Diminished 7th is built from the G# root. Check the interactive keyboard above for exact notes and fingering.
How is the G# Diminished 7th chord used in music?
G# Diminished 7th appears in jazz, pop, and classical contexts. Its sound depends on the chord quality (Diminished 7th).
What is the fingering for G# Diminished 7th?
See the fingering chart above. Right hand typically uses thumb on root. Left hand uses pinky on root.
What are the inversions of G# Diminished 7th?
Use the inversion buttons above to see each inversion with notes, fingering, and staff notation.

G♯ Diminished 7th in detail

Exact

Every pitch class is present and nothing outside the chord is added.

TypeNotesSemitonesSpanOmissions and additionsSet relationFit
Close, root positionG♯3 B3 D4 F49124 mmnoneidentical
Close, first inversionB3 D4 F4 G♯49124 mmnoneidentical
Close, second inversionD4 F4 G♯4 B49124 mmnoneidentical
Close, third inversionF4 G♯4 B4 D59124 mmnoneidentical
Drop 2D3 G♯3 B3 F415206 mmnoneidentical
Drop 3B2 G♯3 D4 F418248 mmnoneidentical
Drop 2 and 4G♯2 D3 B3 F421289 mmnoneidentical

Reduced

A subset of the pitch classes: the identity is incomplete rather than altered.

TypeNotesSemitonesSpanOmissions and additionsSet relationFit
Shell, root ♭♭7 ♭3G♯2 F3 B315206 mmomits Dsubset
Guide tones, ♭3 and ♭♭7B3 F4683 mmomits G♯ and Dsubset
Rootless closeB3 D4 F4683 mmomits G♯subset

Spans are measured centre to centre at a 165 mm octave (standard keyboard geometry).

Change one note

Chords a single note away, and what moving that note does.

ChordChangeFormulaCommon tones
G♯dimdrops F1 ♭3 ♭53
G♯m7♭5F becomes F♯1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭73
G♯m6D becomes D♯1 ♭3 5 63
G♯mD, F becomes D♯1 ♭3 52
G♯m7D, F becomes D♯, F♯1 ♭3 5 ♭72
G♯mMaj7D, F becomes D♯, F×1 ♭3 5 72
G♯6B, D becomes B♯, D♯1 3 5 62

Frequencies

NoteMIDIFrequency
G♯356207.65 Hz
B359246.94 Hz
D462293.66 Hz
F465349.23 Hz

Reference pitch A440, 12-TET, close root position.

Set theory: prime form, Forte number, interval vector
Absolute pitch class set
{8, 11, 2, 5}
Normal order
[2, 5, 8, 11]
Prime form
(0369)
Forte number
4-28
Interval vector
<004002>
PairIntervalSemitonesInterval class
G♯ to BMinor third33
G♯ to DTritone66
G♯ to FMajor sixth93
B to DMinor third33
B to FTritone66
D to FMinor third33

Where these facts come from

Every value on this page is derived from the note formula for a diminished 7th applied to the root G♯, using standard music theory. Nothing here is hand-entered per chord, so the notes, intervals, inversions and frequencies cannot drift out of agreement with each other. Pitches assume 12-TET at A440.