How to Play A#dim on Piano

The A# Diminished chord sounds tense and unsettled. It stacks 3 notes: A# – C# – E.

Two stacked minor thirds. Its fifth is squeezed a semitone flat, so the chord has no stable footing and wants to move.

Notes in A#dim

NoteIntervalFinger
A#A#4Root1
C#C#5Minor 3rd3
EE5Diminished 5th5

How to Play

Right Hand

Place your thumb (finger 1) on A#. Use finger 3 on C# and finger 5 on E.

Where it sits

2 notes of this chord (A#, C#) are on black keys, so play it a little further back on the keys than an all-white shape.

Press all 3 keys at the same time. Keep your wrist relaxed and your fingers curved. The blue dots on the piano below show exactly which keys to press — they turn green when you play the right note.

Other Diminished Chords

Other A# Chords