The E diminished chord (E dim or E°) contains the notes E, G and Bb. It is produced by taking the 1st, flat 3rd and flat 5th notes of the E Major scale.
A diminished often appears as E dim or E°.
The diminished chord played by itself has a dissonant sound. This is largely due to the existence of the tritone interval, which is otherwise known as the devil’s interval. The E diminished chord contains a tritone between the notes E and Bb.
Even though the E diminished chord sounds dissonant on its own, it can sound beautiful when played in the right context. Pairing the E diminished chord with the F Major chord, for example, creates a sense of tension and release, which works well. A good exercise is to switch between the E diminished chord and the F Major chord and hear for yourself how this sounds
10 Ways To Play The E Diminished Chord
If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for E diminished, here they are.
Some Quick E Diminished Chord Theory
- The E diminished chord contains the notes E, G and Bb.
- The E diminished chord is produced by taking the 1 (root), b3 and b5 of the E Major scale.
- The E diminished chord (just like all diminished chords) contains the following intervals (starting from the root note): minor 3rd, minor 3rd, tritone (which leads back to the root note).
- E diminished resolves naturally to the F chord.
- E diminished can be written as E dim or E°.
- The E locrian scale can be used when soloing over the E diminished chord.