Cdim
Diminished · C – E♭ – G♭
- CR
- E♭m3
- G♭♭5
hear it, browse voicings, or tap notes to name any chord
Guitar voicings
Piano
- Root
- Third / sus
- Fifth
- Sixth / seventh
- Extension
About the Cdim chord
The Cdim chord (diminished) is made up of 3 notes — C is the root, E♭ the minor third and G♭ the diminished fifth. Both the third and the fifth are lowered, stacking two minor thirds for an unstable, edgy sound.
On guitar, Cdim chords sit higher up the neck: x34542, around the 2nd fret. Leave the low E string out and strum the rest. The diagrams above show 4 playable voicings in all.
Diminished triads are tense and unstable, often used as passing chords between stronger harmonies.
Common questions
- What notes are in the Cdim chord?
- The Cdim chord contains the notes C, E♭ and G♭.
- How do you play Cdim on guitar?
- A common shape is x34542. The diagrams above show 4 playable voicings you can strum or hear.
- What intervals make up the Cdim chord?
- The Cdim chord is built from the root (C), a minor third (E♭) and a diminished fifth (G♭).
More than a chord chart
The chart above is just the start. Open Cdim in the finder to hear it on guitar and piano and browse every playable voicing side by side. Or switch to Name my chord — tap frets or keys and MobileChords identifies the chord you're playing, inversions and slash chords included.
Found in keys: vii° in D♭ majorii° in B♭ minor