C Diminished Chord on Guitar
Cdim C E♭ G♭ 2 shapes Barre chord
Chord diagrams
How to play C Diminished on guitar
The C Diminished chord (Cdim) is made of C, E♭, G♭ - 1 b3 b5. On a guitar in standard tuning the easiest way to play it is the A-shape shape at fret 3 (x3454x). Below are 2 shapes in all, from the lowest on the neck to the highest; the same chord sounds brighter the higher you play it.
E-shape barre, fret 8 89(10)8xx
Strings from the low E (left) to the high E (right). Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little. x = do not play the string, o = open string, a bar = one finger across several strings.
Notes
What notes are in C Diminished?
The C Diminished chord has 3 different notes: C, E♭, G♭. Two minor thirds stacked; the diminished fifth (6 half steps above C) gives it its tension. A guitar chord rarely has as many strings as notes, so shapes double some of them: every shape here leaves at least one string unplayed - watch the x marks. Mute the strings marked x with the side of a fretting finger, so that only the chord rings.
| Note | Interval from the root | Half steps |
|---|---|---|
| C | Root | 0 |
| E♭ | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| G♭ | Diminished 5th | 6 |
Questions
Frequently asked
How do you play Cdim on guitar?
The A-shape shape x3454x: A string fret 3 (finger 1), D string fret 4 (finger 2), G string fret 5 (finger 4), B string fret 4 (finger 3); do not play low E and high E.
What notes are in the C Diminished chord?
The C Diminished chord (Cdim) is made of C, E♭, G♭. Its formula is 1 b3 b5. On the guitar, some of those notes are played twice on different strings.
Can I play Cdim without a barre?
There is no common open shape for Cdim in standard tuning, so it is played as a movable shape: a-shape, fret 3 (x3454x) is the lowest on the neck. If a full barre is hard at first, play only the four highest strings of that shape - the root and the third are still there.
Keep playing
Strum Cdim, then build a song around it
The guitar on this page is free, with no account. GOONS Studio adds the rest of the band in the browser - a sampled piano with chord pads, drum machines, a bass synth and a sequencer - with a 7-day free trial, no card required.