What notes are in an E diminished chord?

E diminished contains three notes: E (the root), G (the minor third), and B♭ (the diminished fifth).

What key signature uses E diminished?

F major (one flat: B♭) — E° is built on the 7th degree and resolves to F. D minor uses the same signature; E° is the ii° there.

How is E° different from E minor?

Only the fifth changes. E minor is E–G–B; E° lowers the B to B♭. That single half-step transforms a stable minor chord into an unstable diminished one.

Where does E diminished appear in famous music?

Constantly in Bach's D minor works (the Toccata and Fugue, the Chaconne), in Mozart's F major piano sonatas, and in folk music throughout the F-major / D-minor zone.

E diminished chord — notes, intervals, and practice

E diminished — E, G, B♭ — is the vii° of F major and the ii° of D minor. It's one of the more common diminished triads in standard repertoire because both of its parent keys (F major / D minor) appear constantly in classical and folk literature. The single flat (B♭) marks the chord visually in score.

Intervals

The E diminished chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:

E→Gminor 3rd3 semitones
G→Bbminor 3rd3 semitones
E→Bbdiminished 5th6 semitones

On the keyboard

Each note of the E diminished chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.

On the guitar

One voicing of the E diminished chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.

Common mistakes

E° contains E, G, B♭. The most common error is reading B♭ as B natural — which produces an E minor chord (E–G–B). The flat lives implicitly in the F-major key signature; without that signature on lead sheets, E° has to be marked with an explicit flat or the chord-symbol "°" warns the reader.

In context

E° → F major (vii° → I) is a textbook cadence. E° → A7 → D minor (ii° → V → i) is the standard minor-key cadence — and one Bach uses constantly in his D-minor literature, including the famous Toccata and Fugue. In jazz, E°7 (the seventh extension) substitutes for A7♭9 in D-minor cadences.

Drill it

The E diminished chord is one of 48 in the Chord Trainer. Open the full trainer to practice it alongside related chords with timing and best-time tracking.

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Frequently asked

What notes are in an E diminished chord?: E diminished contains three notes: E (the root), G (the minor third), and B♭ (the diminished fifth).
What key signature uses E diminished?: F major (one flat: B♭) — E° is built on the 7th degree and resolves to F. D minor uses the same signature; E° is the ii° there.
How is E° different from E minor?: Only the fifth changes. E minor is E–G–B; E° lowers the B to B♭. That single half-step transforms a stable minor chord into an unstable diminished one.
Where does E diminished appear in famous music?: Constantly in Bach's D minor works (the Toccata and Fugue, the Chaconne), in Mozart's F major piano sonatas, and in folk music throughout the F-major / D-minor zone.