# E Diminished piano chord (Edim) Edim contains E, G and B♭. Two stacked minor thirds. B♭ is a black key; E and G are white. - Canonical page: https://piano.org/chords/diminished/e/ - Entity: chord:diminished:e - Notes: E G B♭ - Formula: 1 ♭3 ♭5 - Intervals from root: P1, m3, TT - Interval stack (semitones): 3 3 - Also written: Edim, Edim, E diminished - Parameters: A440, 12-TET, 165 mm octave, spans centre to centre ## Construction | Degree | Note | Interval from root | Semitones | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | E | Perfect unison | 0 | | ♭3 | G | Minor third | 3 | | ♭5 | B♭ | Tritone | 6 | ## Fingering Rest your right hand over the notes with finger 1 on E, finger 3 on G, finger 5 on B♭. The left hand mirrors it. Right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-3-1. Source: piano.org fingering method v1. ## Inversions | Position | Bass | Notes in order | Figured bass | Span | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Root position | E | E3 G3 B♭3 | 5/3 | 6 st, 83 mm | | First inversion (Edim/G) | G | G3 B♭3 E4 | 6/3 | 9 st, 124 mm | | Second inversion (Edim/B♭) | B♭ | B♭3 E4 G4 | 6/4 | 9 st, 124 mm | ## Voicings (5) | Voicing | Notes | Span | Relation | Omits or adds | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Close, root position | E3 G3 B♭3 | 6 st, 83 mm | identical | none | | Close, first inversion | G3 B♭3 E4 | 9 st, 124 mm | identical | none | | Close, second inversion | B♭3 E4 G4 | 9 st, 124 mm | identical | none | | Open, fifth on top | E2 B♭2 G3 | 15 st, 206 mm | identical | none | | Root and third only | E3 G3 | 3 st, 41 mm | subset | omits B♭ | ## Diatonic function by key | Key | Roman numeral | Function | | --- | --- | --- | | D minor | ii° | Predominant | | F major | vii° | Dominant function | Classification system: common-practice functional harmony. ## Progressions (2) | Progression | Key | Role | Sequence | Voice leading | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | ii°, v, i | D minor | ii° | Edim to Am to Dm | Edim opens the phrase | | vii°, I | F major | vii° | Edim to F | Edim opens the phrase | ## One-edit neighbors | Becomes | Edit | Changes | Common tones | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Em7♭5 | 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7 | adds D | 3 | | Edim7 | 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭♭7 | adds D♭ | 3 | | Em | 1 ♭3 5 | B♭ becomes B | 2 | | Em7 | 1 ♭3 5 ♭7 | B♭ becomes B, D | 2 | | EmMaj7 | 1 ♭3 5 7 | B♭ becomes B, D♯ | 2 | | Em6 | 1 ♭3 5 6 | B♭ becomes B, C♯ | 2 | | E | 1 3 5 | G, B♭ becomes G♯, B | 1 | | Eaug | 1 3 ♯5 | G, B♭ becomes G♯, B♯ | 1 | | Esus2 | 1 2 5 | G, B♭ becomes F♯, B | 1 | | Esus4 | 1 4 5 | G, B♭ becomes A, B | 1 | ## Set theory - Absolute pitch classes: {4, 7, 10} - Relative pitch classes: [0, 3, 6] - Normal order: [4, 7, 10] - Prime form: (036) - Forte number: 3-10 - Interval vector: <002001> ## Frequencies (close root position) | Note | MIDI | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | E3 | 52 | 164.81 Hz | | G3 | 55 | 196.00 Hz | | B♭3 | 58 | 233.08 Hz | ## Questions and answers ### What notes are in Edim? Edim contains E, G and B♭. The formula is 1, ♭3, ♭5. ### How do you play Edim on piano? Play E, G and B♭ together. Right hand fingers 1, 3, 5; left hand 5, 3, 1. B♭ is a black key; E and G are white. ### What are the inversions of Edim? 3 positions: root position E G B♭, Edim/G, Edim/B♭. ### What keys contain Edim? 2: ii° in D minor, vii° in F major. ### What is the difference between Edim and Em7♭5? Adds D. 3 of the notes are shared. ### What is an easy Edim for small hands? The root and third only voicing, E3 G3, spans 3 semitones or about 41 mm. ### What are the frequencies of Edim? From E3 at A440 in 12-TET: 164.81, 196.00, 233.08 Hz. ### What is the set class of Edim? Prime form (036), Forte 3-10, interval vector <002001>. ### How do I transpose Edim to another key? Keep the 1, ♭3, ♭5 formula on the new root. Cdim is C, E♭, G♭; C♯dim is C♯, E, G. ## Provenance Every derived value above is computed by the piano.org theory kernel from the root, the quality and the stated parameters. Nothing is hand-entered per chord. Machine record: https://piano.org/api/knowledge/v1/entities/chord:diminished:e Last reviewed: 2026-08-12