Piano chord · also written D♭dim7

C♯ Diminished 7th Piano Chord (C♯dim7)

The C♯ Diminished 7th chord on piano is made of the notes C♯, E, G and B♭. Highly tense and symmetrical. Every note is 3 semitones apart.

C♯ Diminished 7th chord on a piano keyboard: C♯, E, G, B♭ C4C5 C♯ E G B♭

C♯dim7 C♯ – E – G – B♭

Tap any key to hear it.

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What notes are in C♯ Diminished 7th?

4 notes, built 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭♭7 up from C♯.

Notes
C♯ – E – G – B♭
Formula
1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭♭7
Semitones from the root
0 – 3 – 6 – 9
Symbol
C♯dim7
Same keys as
D♭dim7 (D♭ – F♭ – G – B♭)
Chord type
Diminished 7th, 4 notes

How to play C♯ Diminished 7th on piano

  • Right hand: C♯ (1), E (2), G (3), B♭ (5). Fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5, thumb on C♯.
  • Left hand: C♯ (5), E (3), G (2), B♭ (1). Fingers 5 – 3 – 2 – 1, little finger on C♯.

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

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C♯ Diminished 7th inversions

Each inversion puts a different note of the chord in the bass. Written as a slash chord: C♯dim7/E, C♯dim7/G, C♯dim7/B♭.

C♯ Diminished 7th root position on piano: C♯, E, G, B♭ C♯ E G B♭
Root position C♯dim7 C♯ – E – G – B♭ RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
C♯ Diminished 7th 1st inversion on piano: E, G, B♭, C♯ E G B♭ C♯
1st inversion C♯dim7/E E – G – B♭ – C♯ RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
C♯ Diminished 7th 2nd inversion on piano: G, B♭, C♯, E G B♭ C♯ E
2nd inversion C♯dim7/G G – B♭ – C♯ – E RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
C♯ Diminished 7th 3rd inversion on piano: B♭, C♯, E, G B♭ C♯ E G
3rd inversion C♯dim7/B♭ B♭ – C♯ – E – G RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1

Progressions with C♯ Diminished 7th

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

Passing diminished

in C major

  1. I C
  2. ♯i°7 C♯dim7
  3. ii Dm
  4. V7 G7
Passing diminished in C major: C, C♯dim7, Dm, G7 C E G

Diminished resolution

in D minor

  1. iv Gm
  2. vii°7 C♯dim7
  3. i Dm
Diminished resolution in D minor: Gm, C♯dim7, Dm B♭ D G

Can you find C♯ Diminished 7th?

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

1 / 6 Tap the notes of C♯ Diminished 7th (C♯dim7)

Score 0

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

Practice keyboard: tap the notes of the chord

What key is C♯ Diminished 7th in?

The keys whose scale contains every note of C♯dim7, with the chord’s Roman numeral in each.

Minor keys

  • D minorvii°7 (harmonic minor)

C♯ Diminished 7th chord FAQ

What notes are in the C♯ Diminished 7th chord?

C♯ Diminished 7th (C♯dim7) has 4 notes: C♯, E, G and B♭. Its formula is 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭♭7, counted up from C♯.

How do you play C♯ Diminished 7th on the piano?

Put your right thumb on C♯ and play C♯, E, G and B♭ with fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5. With the left hand, use fingers 5 – 3 – 2 – 1, little finger on C♯.

Is C♯ Diminished 7th the same as D♭ Diminished 7th?

On the piano, yes: D♭dim7 (D♭, F♭, G, B♭) uses exactly the same keys as C♯dim7 (C♯, E, G, B♭). Which name is used depends on the key of the piece; C♯dim7 is the more common spelling.

What are the inversions of C♯ Diminished 7th?

1st inversion: E, G, B♭, C♯ (C♯dim7/E). 2nd inversion: G, B♭, C♯, E (C♯dim7/G). 3rd inversion: B♭, C♯, E, G (C♯dim7/B♭).

Other C♯ chords

Diminished 7th chords on every root

Piano chord chart: all 264 chords Open C♯dim7 in the chord finder Free PDF chord chart Play it on the virtual piano