Chord · 1 ♭3 ♭5
Diminished chord
A diminished chord stacks two minor thirds. In C it is C, E♭ and G♭. Written Cdim or C°.
- Formula
- 1 ♭3 ♭5
- Half steps from root
- 0 · 3 · 6
- Notes
- 3
How it sounds
Tight and tense. The ♭5 is a tritone above the root, so the chord never sounds finished. In a major key the chord built on the seventh note is diminished, and it is often used as a passing chord.
What’s inside
- ♭3: minor third above the root
- ♭5: tritone above the root
On the guitar
Bdim · x2343x
Low E string to high E. An × means don’t play that string, an o means play it open.
Diminished chords in every key
| Chord | Notes | Hear it |
|---|---|---|
| Cdim | C · E♭ · G♭ | |
| C♯dim | C♯ · E · G | |
| Ddim | D · F · A♭ | |
| D♯dim | D♯ · F♯ · A | |
| Edim | E · G · B♭ | |
| Fdim | F · A♭ · C♭ | |
| F♯dim | F♯ · A · C | |
| Gdim | G · B♭ · D♭ | |
| G♯dim | G♯ · B · D | |
| Adim | A · C · E♭ | |
| A♯dim | A♯ · C♯ · E | |
| Bdim | B · D · F |
This chord is one of the answers in the game’s “What chord?” round.