What notes are in an E diminished 7 chord?

E°7 contains four notes: E (root), G (minor third), B♭ (diminished fifth), and D♭ (diminished seventh).

How does E°7 resolve?

In F minor: E rises to F, G holds or rises to A♭, B♭ holds or falls to A♭, and D♭ falls to C. Every voice moves by step to a chord tone of F minor.

Is E°7 the same as G°7?

Enharmonically yes — same four pitches in different inversions. E°7, G°7, B♭°7, and D♭°7 all share E, G, B♭, and D♭.

When does E°7 appear in music?

In F-minor cadences (where it's the proper local spelling), in chromatically-modulating music as a pivot, and in jazz as a substitute for C7♭9.

E diminished 7 chord — notes, intervals, and practice

E°7 — E, G, B♭, D♭ — is the vii°7 of F minor and a chromatic dim7 in flat-side keys. The chord is enharmonically the same pitch set as G°7, B♭°7, and D♭°7 — all share the same four pitches in different inversions.

Intervals

The E diminished 7 chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:

E→Gminor 3rd3 semitones
G→Bbminor 3rd3 semitones
Bb→Dbdiminished 7th9 semitones

On the keyboard

Each note of the E diminished 7 chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.

On the guitar

One voicing of the E diminished 7 chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.

Common mistakes

E°7 spells the chord with E as the root, G as the minor third, B♭ as the diminished fifth, and D♭ as the diminished 7th. Replacing D♭ with D natural makes Em7♭5 (a half-diminished chord) — different harmony entirely. The mix of E (natural) plus B♭ and D♭ (flats) places this chord firmly in F-minor territory.

In context

E°7 → F minor is the strongest cadence in F minor. The chord also appears as a chromatic passing harmony between Em and Fm in modulating music. In jazz, E°7 functions as C7♭9 with the C omitted — a tritone-substitute relationship.

Drill it

The E diminished 7 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 7 chord?: E°7 contains four notes: E (root), G (minor third), B♭ (diminished fifth), and D♭ (diminished seventh).
How does E°7 resolve?: In F minor: E rises to F, G holds or rises to A♭, B♭ holds or falls to A♭, and D♭ falls to C. Every voice moves by step to a chord tone of F minor.
Is E°7 the same as G°7?: Enharmonically yes — same four pitches in different inversions. E°7, G°7, B♭°7, and D♭°7 all share E, G, B♭, and D♭.
When does E°7 appear in music?: In F-minor cadences (where it's the proper local spelling), in chromatically-modulating music as a pivot, and in jazz as a substitute for C7♭9.