C♯ Diminished Chord on Guitar
C♯dim C♯ E G 2 shapes Barre chord
Also written D♭dim: the same frets under another name.
Chord diagrams
How to play C♯ Diminished on guitar
The C♯ Diminished chord (C♯dim) 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 4 (x4565x). 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 9 9(10)(11)9xx
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 C♯dim on guitar?
The A-shape shape x4565x: A string fret 4 (finger 1), D string fret 5 (finger 2), G string fret 6 (finger 4), B string fret 5 (finger 3); do not play low E and high E.
What notes are in the C♯ Diminished chord?
The C♯ Diminished chord (C♯dim) 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 C♯dim without a barre?
There is no common open shape for C♯dim in standard tuning, so it is played as a movable shape: a-shape, fret 4 (x4565x) 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.
Is C♯ Diminished the same as D♭dim?
On the guitar, yes: the same frets. The name changes with the key - sharps in sharp keys, flats in flat keys.
Keep playing
Strum C♯dim, then build a song around it
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