Piano chord

C Diminished Piano Chord (Cdim)

The C Diminished chord on piano is made of the notes C, E♭ and G♭. Tense and unstable. Often used as a passing chord.

C Diminished chord on a piano keyboard: C, E♭, G♭ C4C5 C E♭ G♭

Cdim C – E♭ – G♭

Tap any key to hear it.

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What notes are in C Diminished?

3 notes, built 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 up from C.

Notes
C – E♭ – G♭
Formula
1 – ♭3 – ♭5
Semitones from the root
0 – 3 – 6
Symbol
Cdim
Chord type
Diminished, 3 notes

How to play C Diminished on piano

  • Right hand: C (1), E♭ (3), G♭ (5). Fingers 1 – 3 – 5, thumb on C.
  • Left hand: C (5), E♭ (3), G♭ (1). Fingers 5 – 3 – 1, little finger on C.

Fingers are numbered 1 (thumb) to 5 (little finger) on both hands.

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C Diminished inversions

Each inversion puts a different note of the chord in the bass. Written as a slash chord: Cdim/E♭, Cdim/G♭.

C Diminished root position on piano: C, E♭, G♭ C E♭ G♭
Root position Cdim C – E♭ – G♭ RH 1 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 1
C Diminished 1st inversion on piano: E♭, G♭, C E♭ G♭ C
1st inversion Cdim/E♭ E♭ – G♭ – C RH 1 – 2 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 1
C Diminished 2nd inversion on piano: G♭, C, E♭ G♭ C E♭
2nd inversion Cdim/G♭ G♭ – C – E♭ RH 1 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 2 – 1

Progressions with C Diminished

Press play: the chords move across the keyboard as they sound, voiced so your hand barely moves.

Leading-tone resolution

in D♭ major

  1. IV F♯
  2. vii° Cdim
  3. I D♭
Leading-tone resolution in D♭ major: F♯, Cdim, D♭ C♯ F♯ A♯

Minor ii°–V–i

in B♭ minor

  1. ii° Cdim
  2. V F
  3. i B♭m
Minor ii°–V–i in B♭ minor: Cdim, F, B♭m C E♭ G♭

Can you find C Diminished?

Tap the notes on the keyboard, then check. Six chords, starting with this one.

1 / 6 Tap the notes of C Diminished (Cdim)

Score 0

Any octave, any order. Each key you tap plays.

Practice keyboard: tap the notes of the chord

What key is C Diminished in?

The keys whose scale contains every note of Cdim, with the chord’s Roman numeral in each.

Major keys

  • D♭ majorvii°

Minor keys

  • B♭ minorii°

C Diminished chord FAQ

What notes are in the C Diminished chord?

C Diminished (Cdim) has 3 notes: C, E♭ and G♭. Its formula is 1 – ♭3 – ♭5, counted up from C.

How do you play C Diminished on the piano?

Put your right thumb on C and play C, E♭ and G♭ with fingers 1 – 3 – 5. With the left hand, use fingers 5 – 3 – 1, little finger on C.

What are the inversions of C Diminished?

1st inversion: E♭, G♭, C (Cdim/E♭). 2nd inversion: G♭, C, E♭ (Cdim/G♭).

What key is C Diminished in?

Cdim belongs to D♭ major (vii°) and B♭ minor (ii°).

Other C chords

Diminished chords on every root

Piano chord chart: all 264 chords Open Cdim in the chord finder Free PDF chord chart Play it on the virtual piano