Awesome Chord: Gdim [3 4 5 6 X X]

Today's awesome chord is G Diminished (also known as Gdim). Diminished chords are not used that often in popular music, but I feel that this is an awesome chord because it's part of the wonderful Nashville Number System!

In the future, I plan to have post more information about the Nashville Number System, but it was developed in the 1950's by Neal Matthews Jr. It's an efficient way to quickly transcribe and learn songs using the numbers 1 through 7.

The numbers 1, 4 and 5 are major chords. Numbers 2, 3 and 6 are minor chords. And 7 is a diminished chord. Of course, there are more nuances to the Nashville Number System, but it is such a powerful tool to quickly learn how to play and create songs!



How to Play G Diminished on the Guitar:

• Place Your Left Index Finger on the 6th String, 3rd Fret
• Place Your Left Middle Finger on the 5th String, 4th Fret
• Place Your Left Ring Finger on the 4th String, 5th Fret
• Place Your Left Pinky on the 3rd String, 6th Fret
• Strings 1 and 2 are not used in this Gdim chord

Again, you probably won't use this chord by itself that often. However, diminished chords will help with understanding guitar music theory, which can be immensely helpful if you take the time to study and apply it to your own playing.

Do you use diminished chords when playing guitar? When do you typically use them?  Please share your feedback with us below!