Bbdim7

Bbdim7 is Bb, Db, Fb and G, a diminished seventh. The shape this page opens on is written x12020, lowest string first.

Also written Bb°7, Bbo7 or Bb diminished 7. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for Bbdim7 on the guitar, and 36 derived voicings in 4 families.

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x12020, xx2323, 6x5656, 678686, xx8989, x-x-11-12-11-12, x-13-14-12-14-12, x-x-14-15-14-15.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Bbdim7 has x1x020, 6x565x, x-13-x-12-14-12, x1565x, 6459xx, 6-10-11-9-x-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Bbdim7 has x1202x, xx2323, 3423xx, x4535x, xx5656, 6756xx, x7868x, xx8989.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Bbdim7 has x1x020, 3x232x, x4x353, 6x565x, x7x686, 9x898x, x-10-x-9-11-9, 12-x-11-12-11-x.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. Bbdim7 has 002323, 00402x, 0056xx, 0440xx, 0x4020, xx2020.

Tensions. A shell of Bbdim7, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 9 (C), the 11 (Eb), the b13 (Gb) and the maj7 (A).

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.