Learn › A Flat Diminished Triad Inversions on Guitar: 12 Shapes
New Released in April 2026
A Flat Diminished Triad Inversions on Guitar: 12 Shapes
Learn the Abdim triad inversions on guitar and you can play A flat diminished in any area of the neck with three fingers: Ab, Cb and Ebb, rearranged.
No account, no download. The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
What an inversion changes
Root position puts Ab at the bottom, 1st inversion puts Cb at the bottom, 2nd inversion puts Ebb at the bottom. It is still Abdim; what changes is the lowest and the highest note you hear.
Tense and unstable: it wants to move to the next chord.
Where Abdim sits on the neck
Start with the top three strings: the shapes are small and the top note is clear. Then move the same idea to the lower sets.
G-B-e strings
1st inversion
2nd inversion
Root position
D-G-B strings
2nd inversion
Root position
1st inversion
A-D-G strings
1st inversion
2nd inversion
Root position
E-A-D strings
Root position
1st inversion
2nd inversion
Connecting the inversions
Walk up the G-B-e strings through 1st inversion (fret 4) → 2nd inversion (fret 9) → root position (fret 13), then back down. The top notes Ab, Cb, Ebb change while the chord stays Abdim.
One area of the neck, near fret 7, already holds four Abdim shapes: G-B-e strings 7-9-7; D-G-B strings 6-4-3; A-D-G strings 5-6-4; E-A-D strings 7-5-6.
Fret chart for Abdim triads
| String set | Root position | 1st inversion | 2nd inversion |
|---|---|---|---|
| G-B-e strings | x x x 13 12 10 | x x x 4 3 4 | x x x 7 9 7 |
| D-G-B strings | x x 6 4 3 x | x x 9 7 9 x | x x 0 1 0 x |
| A-D-G strings | x 11 9 7 x x | x 2 0 1 x x | x 5 6 4 x x |
| E-A-D strings | 4 2 0 x x x | 7 5 6 x x x | 10 11 9 x x x |
Frets from the low E string to the high E string; x = string not played.
Make Abdim triads automatic
- Start with the G-B-e strings only: three shapes, one minute each.
- Climb the neck through the three shapes and come back down without stopping.
- Stay near fret 7 and find Abdim on two different string sets.
- Last, switch between Abdim and another triad in the same area of the neck.
Learn one string set per week and in a month the whole neck is yours.
Play Abdim in a game
The game shows chord symbols, not diagrams, so you choose the shape: any inversion of Abdim counts, as long as the microphone hears the right notes.
Play the demoCommon questions
What are the inversions of Abdim on guitar?
Root position (Ab at the bottom), 1st inversion (Cb at the bottom) and 2nd inversion (Ebb at the bottom). On the top three strings: 1st inversion 4-3-4; 2nd inversion 7-9-7; Root position 13-12-10.
Why learn triad inversions on guitar?
They let you play Abdim in any area of the neck with three fingers, so chord changes stay close and the top note can follow a melody.
What does a Abdim triad sound like?
Tense and unstable: it wants to move to the next chord.
Can I practise Abdim with a game that listens to my guitar?
Yes. ChordRunner hears your guitar through the microphone and checks the chord in any shape or inversion. A USB MIDI keyboard works too.
Your instrument is the controller.
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
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