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. It's enharmonically the same chord as D♭ Diminished.
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 C♯ is a black key and E and G are white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- C♯1
- 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 9: 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
Try C♯ Diminished on the virtual piano
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C♯ Diminished chord notes
Also known as D♭ Diminished
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | C♯(C#) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | E | |
| ♭5 | Diminished fifth | 6 | G |
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 C♯m with the fifth lowered by a half step, and that flat fifth is the whole difference. Add a minor seventh and you get C♯m7♭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 Major
D · E · F♯ · G · A · B · C♯
D Harmonic Minor
D · E · F · G · A · B♭ · C♯
D Melodic Minor
D · E · F · G · A · B · C♯
D Harmonic Major
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 Lydian Augmented
F · G · A · B · C♯ · D · E
F♯ Phrygian
F♯ · G · A · B · C♯ · D · E
F♯ Phrygian Dominant
F♯ · G · A♯ · B · C♯ · D · E
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the C♯ Diminished chord?
- The C♯ Diminished chord contains C♯, E and G (C#, E and G 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 C♯ is a black key and E and G are white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play C♯ Diminished on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 9: 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 is another name for the C♯ Diminished chord?
- C♯ Diminished is enharmonically equivalent to D♭ Diminished. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.