As the leading-tone chordD♭ major
- vii°C°
- ID♭
Every note pulls inward into D♭ by a semitone or a tone. This is the chord's primary function.
C Diminished Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The C Diminished chord is built on the root note C. Its notes are C, E♭ and G♭.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Diminished chords sound unstable and suspenseful. Two stacked minor thirds create a tight, dissonant tension that composers use for passing chords, horror scores and dramatic turnarounds.
- Notes
- C · E♭ · G♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 6
- Note
- C
- Quality
- Diminished
- Symbol
- C°
C Diminished on piano
3 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play C Diminished on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on C, middle finger on E♭ and little finger on G♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard E♭ and G♭ are black keys and C is white. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- C1
- E♭♭3
- G♭♭5
C Diminished on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, C Diminished is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 8: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play strings 2 and 1.
C · E♭ · G♭
Play C Diminished on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
C Diminished chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | C | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | E♭(Eb) | |
| ♭5 | Diminished fifth | 6 | G♭(Gb) |
How to use the C Diminished chord
The C Diminished chord is built from a root, a minor third and a diminished fifth. Start at the root C and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: C, E♭ and G♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Diminished chords are passing tools in classical, jazz, bluegrass and film music. They're often used as vii° leading to the tonic or as chromatic passing chords between diatonic chords.
In major keys C° is the vii° in D♭ major; in minor keys it's the ii° in B♭ minor.
How C Diminished differs from similar chords
C° is Cm with the fifth lowered by a half step, and that flat fifth is the whole difference. Add a minor seventh and you get Cm7♭5, add a diminished seventh and you get the fully symmetrical C°7. On its own it is the leading-tone chord (vii°) of the major key a half step up.
Where C Diminished is used
A diminished chord is a tension chord. It works as the leading-tone chord of a key, and as a dominant seventh with its root left out.
Scales that contain C°
These scales include C° as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.
C Locrian
C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭
C Altered
C · D♭ · E♭ · F♭ · G♭ · A♭ · B♭
D Altered
D · E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C
E♭ Melodic Minor
E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C · D
E♭ Dorian
E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C · D♭
E♭ Neapolitan Major
E♭ · F♭ · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C · D
F Phrygian
F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C · D♭ · E♭
F Phrygian Dominant
F · G♭ · A · B♭ · C · D♭ · E♭
A♭ Mixolydian
A♭ · B♭ · C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G♭
A♭ Phrygian Dominant
A♭ · B𝄫 · C · D♭ · E♭ · F♭ · G♭
A♭ Lydian Dominant
A♭ · B♭ · C · D · E♭ · F · G♭
A♭ Hindu
A♭ · B♭ · C · D♭ · E♭ · F♭ · G♭
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the C Diminished chord?
- The C Diminished chord contains C, E♭ and G♭ (C, Eb and Gb in plain text).
- Is the C Diminished chord major or minor?
- C Diminished is a diminished chord. Diminished chords sound unstable and suspenseful. Two stacked minor thirds create a tight, dissonant tension that composers use for passing chords, horror scores and dramatic turnarounds.
- What key is the C Diminished chord in?
- In major keys C° is the vii° in D♭ major; in minor keys it's the ii° in B♭ minor.
- How do you play C Diminished on piano?
- Place your fingers on C, E♭ and G♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard E♭ and G♭ are black keys and C is white.
- How do you play C Diminished on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 8: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play strings 2 and 1.
- What chords work well with C Diminished?
- C Diminished pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.