C diminished
How to play Cdim — Diminished
Cdim (Diminished)C · E♭ · G♭
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
C diminished — notes and structure
The Cdim chord stacks minor thirds up to the flattened fifth — tense and unstable, wanting to resolve.
The Cdim diminished consists of the notes C, E♭, G♭. Its interval structure is R–3–5 — the root, then each chord tone stacked above it. This is the same chord you see in the interactive finder above, drawn on the guitar fretboard with the root circled and every chord tone labelled.
Cdim stacks a minor third (E♭) and a diminished fifth (G♭) above the root C.
The finder shows 2 ways to play Cdim — movable shapes higher up the neck reaching up to the 6th fret. 1 of them use a barre.
What key is Cdim in?
Every note of Cdim belongs to the scales below, so the chord sounds at home in each of these keys — the roman numeral is the degree it sits on.
- D♭ major — the vii° chord
- B♭ minor — the ii° chord
Chords that go with Cdim
In D♭ major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put Cdim next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the C diminished chord?
- The Cdim chord contains the notes C, E♭, G♭. It stacks minor thirds up to the flattened fifth — tense and unstable, wanting to resolve.
- How many ways can you play Cdim on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — movable shapes up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is Cdim a hard chord to play?
- It is a movable shape played higher up the neck rather than in open position, so it takes a little more hand strength.
- What key does Cdim belong to?
- Cdim fits D♭ major (where it is the vii° chord), B♭ minor (where it is the ii° chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.