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Guitar chords · Diminished 7th

A♯°7 chord on guitar (A#dim7)

A♯°7 (A♯ ) has four notes: A♯, C♯, E and G, the , ♭3, ♭5 and 𝄫7.

Shapes

How to play A♯°7

Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the ; the other numbers are the chord tones.

A♯°7 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 1 or the E shape at fret 6. A keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the , on the lowest played string, names the chord.

  • A shape · fret 1

    ××R♭5♭3A♯EGC♯
  • E shape · fret 6

    6frR♭5R♭3𝄫7RA♯EA♯C♯GA♯
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes A♯°7 diminished 7th

A chord stacks three minor 3rds, so every note is the same distance from the next. It is the vii°7 of the and pulls hard to the chord a above its .

  • 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
  • 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
  • 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.

The ♭3rd, the ♭5th and the 𝄫7th make A♯°7 a chord.

  1. A♯Rroot
  2. C♯♭3essential
  3. E♭5essential
  4. G𝄫7essential
EADGBE0135791215A♯A♯A♯A♯A♯A♯A♯A♯EGC♯EGC♯EGEGC♯EGC♯EGC♯EGC♯EGC♯EG
  • A♯, the root
  • Other chord tones

A♯°7 usually resolves up a to B or Bm, the chord it leads into. Its four notes are evenly spaced, so the same shape also works as C♯°7, E°7 and G°7, leading to D, F and A♭.

A♯°7 and B♭°7 are the same chord with two names: same , same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.

Keys

Keys with A♯°7

A♯°7 belongs to one key: B minor (vii°7, ).

Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work

Slash chords

A♯°7 over another bass note

A keeps A♯°7 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.

  • A♯°7/C♯

    A♯°7 with its ♭3rd, C♯, in the bass: the first inversion.

  • A♯°7/E

    A♯°7 with its ♭5th, E, in the bass: the second inversion.

  • A♯°7/G

    A♯°7 with its 𝄫7th, G, in the bass: the third inversion.

Questions

A♯°7, in short

What notes are in the A♯°7 chord?
A♯°7 (A♯ ) has four notes: A♯, C♯, E and G, the , ♭3, ♭5 and 𝄫7.
How do you play A♯°7 on guitar?
A♯°7 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 1 or the E shape at fret 6.
What key is A♯°7 in?
A♯°7 belongs to one key: B minor (vii°7, ).
Is A♯°7 the same as B♭°7?
Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. A♯°7 is the spelling in B minor. No key on the circle spells it B♭°7, so you will rarely see that name.
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