Map it slowly
Find G on string 6 at fret 3. Play string 6, fret 3; string 6, fret 6; string 5, fret 4; string 5, fret 7; string 4, fret 5. Use a relaxed position and release pressure between repetitions. String 1 is high E.
Arpeggio · G°7 · Guitar
G°7 arpeggio on guitar
The G°7 arpeggio is G – B♭ – D♭ – F♭ — chord tones 1 ♭3 ♭5 𝄫7. G°7 is passing chords between diatonic chords, and as a 7♭9 without its root; its sound is symmetrical, restless. Below, every G, B♭, D♭, F♭ on the fretboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
G°7 on the fretboard.
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
RootChord toneBeing played
Tempo100 bpm
Show
Sound
Play loops the arpeggio up and down one octave (switch Loop off for a single pass) in the position starting at fret 3. Tap any marked note to hear it. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Your next 10 minutes
Make G Diminished 7th part of your playing
Make a short phrase
Play G – B♭ – D♭ – F♭ in quarter notes at 60 bpm. Repeat starting from B♭, wrapping back to G. Do not speed up until every attack is even.
Hear it in context
Alternate B♭ and F♭ above a sustained G. These are degree ♭3 and 𝄫7. End a four-bar phrase on either one instead of always returning to the root.
Listen for this: G°7 has the colour “symmetrical, restless”. Name the degrees as you play, so you can recognize the sound in another key rather than remembering only a shape.
Understand the sound
G°7: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives G°7 its identity?
Successive chord tones are separated by minor thirds. The seventh is a diminished seventh, not a major sixth in the chord’s theoretical spelling, even when they share a piano key.
Here the third is B♭, and degree 𝄫7 is F♭. Play G in the bass and compare these voices individually before combining them.
Turn the arpeggio into a melody
Try B♭ – D♭ – F♭ – G as quarter notes, then repeat the first note and omit the last. The second phrase uses the same harmony with a different shape.
Sound the strings separately before playing them together. If a note is muted, adjust the finger angle instead of squeezing harder.
Your guitar checkpoint
Start with G on string 6, fret 3. The next note B♭ is on string 6, fret 6. Name both notes aloud before playing, then find the same two pitches in another octave.
Before moving on, close the diagram and name the notes: G · B♭ · D♭ · F♭. Then play a two-bar phrase from memory and leave two bars of silence.
On piano
G°7 on the keyboard.
Reference
G°7 — chord tones & intervals.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from G |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | G | unison (0 semitones) |
| ♭3 | B♭ | minor 3rd (3 semitones) |
| ♭5 | D♭ | diminished 5th (6 semitones) |
| 𝄫7 | F♭ | diminished 7th (9 semitones) |
Goes with: G Diminished (whole–half) (G A B♭ C D♭ E♭ E G♭). Voicings: G°7 voicings on guitar.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to play the G°7 arpeggio over through all twelve keys, with the chord and scale shown live — plus ear-training and call & response modes.
▶ Open Practice RadioCommon questions
G°7 arpeggio FAQ.
What notes are in a G°7 arpeggio?
G – B♭ – D♭ – F♭. As chord tones: 1 ♭3 ♭5 𝄫7. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
What is a G°7 chord used for?
G°7 is passing chords between diatonic chords, and as a 7♭9 without its root. Its character is symmetrical, restless.
Which scale goes with G°7?
G Dim. W–H (G A B♭ C D♭ E♭ E G♭) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
How do I practise the G°7 arpeggio on guitar?
Start on the root G on the low E string at fret 3 and play E-string fret 3, E-string fret 6, A-string fret 4, A-string fret 7, D-string fret 5. Then play it descending, then in eighth notes with a metronome, then use it in a short phrase over a suitable chord.
Keep going
Diminished 7th arpeggio in every other key.
Same arpeggio on piano · Diminished 7th hub · chord-scale theory.
Other arpeggios from G