C diminished seventh
How to play Cdim7 — Diminished seventh
Cdim7 (Diminished seventh)C · E♭ · G♭ · B♭♭
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
C diminished seventh — notes and structure
The Cdim7 chord is a symmetrical stack of minor thirds — maximally tense, it can resolve in four directions and is a favourite passing chord.
The Cdim7 diminished seventh consists of the notes C, E♭, G♭, B♭♭. Its interval structure is R–3–5–7 — 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.
Cdim7 stacks a minor third (E♭), a diminished fifth (G♭) and a diminished seventh (B♭♭) above the root C.
The finder shows 2 ways to play Cdim7 — an open-position shape reaching up to the 4th fret. 1 of them use a barre.
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the C diminished seventh chord?
- The Cdim7 chord contains the notes C, E♭, G♭, B♭♭. It is a symmetrical stack of minor thirds — maximally tense, it can resolve in four directions and is a favourite passing chord.
- How many ways can you play Cdim7 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is Cdim7 a hard chord to play?
- Some voicings use a barre, which takes practice, but the chord is very playable once that shape is comfortable.