The Fretboard: The Diminished 5th Shape on the E-A-D-G String Set

The Diminished 5th shape is just the Power Chord (Perfect 5th) shape with the top note pulled back one fret. A Perfect 5th reaches 7 half steps across the strings. The Diminished 5th is one fret shorter, at 6.

For bass: Use the same B on the A string at fret 2 and F on the D string at fret 3. The fret pattern is identical; on bass it sounds one octave lower.

Remember from the last chapter that there are only 6 Power Chords in the key of C, not 7. B is the one note you can’t build a Power Chord on, and this shape is what you get when you try. Put your root on B (the 2nd fret of the A string) and the upper note on F (the 3rd fret of the D string). A real Power Chord would need that upper note one fret higher, so coming up a fret short is exactly what makes B–F a Diminished 5th.

Like the Power Chord shapes, this one is movable. Slide it anywhere along the E-A-D-G strings and the lowest note is still the root. Try fingers 1 and 2.

Unlike a Perfect 5th (Power Chord), the Diminished 5th doesn’t have a “powerful” sound. It’s quite dissonant. Try it out!