Four Chords in One
If you look at the previous diagrams, you will notice that only one shape is required to play all twelve possible augmented chords. Like augmented chords, the diminished 7th is a symmetrical chord which means that any of the notes in the chord can be the root note.
Therefore, each diminished 7th chord has four possible names (or sometimes more counting enharmonic notes - e.g., Bb = A# ). There are really only three different diminished chords, each one having at least four names.
They can all be played by forming a diminished 7th chord and then moving the shape up the neck one fret at a time. After the third chord you get back to a repeat of the first one as demonstrated in the following diagrams.
D#º or Ebº Aº, Cº F#º or Gbº
Eº, A#º or Bbº C#º or Dbº Gº
Fº Bº,Dº G#º
or Abº
D#º or Ebº Aº, Cº F#º or Gbº
Here are several more shapes for diminished 7th chords, each shown with all their names. Each shape can be played anywhere on the fretboard.
D#º or Ebº Aº, Cº F#º or Gbº
Eº, A#º or Bbº C#º or Dbº Gº
Fº Bº,Dº G#º or Abº
D#º or Ebº Aº, Cº F#º or Gbº
Eº, A#º or Bbº C#º or Dbº Gº
Fº Bº, Dº G#º or Abº
D#º or Ebº Aº, Cº F#º or Gbº
Eº, A#º or Bbº C#º or Dbº Gº
Fº Bº, Dº G#º or Abº
D#º or Ebº Aº, Cº F#º or Gbº
Eº, A#º or Bbº C#º or Dbº Gº
Fº Bº, Dº G#º or Abº
D#º or Ebº Aº, Cº F#º or Gbº
Eº, A#º or Bbº C#º or Dbº Gº
Fº Bº, Dº G#º or Abº
Diminished 7ths are commonly used as chromatic passing chords between scale tone chords. For more on passing chords, see Complete Learn to Play Jazz Guitar Manual.
Seventh Suspended
A suspended 7th chord is created by adding a flattened 7th degree to any suspended triad. For example, a C7sus chord contains the notes C, F, G and Bb (1, 4, 5 and b7). The following diagrams show some common open 7th suspended chord shapes.
