Which notes are in the Cdim7 chord?

Cdim7 contains the notes C, D#, F# and A. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭♭7.

How many ways can you play Cdim7?

Minory lists a single guitar fingering for Cdim7.

Is the Cdim7 chord hard to play?

Cdim7 requires a barre, so it can feel demanding at first. Keeping the index finger straight and pressing from the wrist rather than the thumb makes it noticeably easier.

C diminished 7th · Guitar

Cdim7 Chord on Guitar

The Cdim7 chord (C diminished 7th) is built from the notes C, D#, F# and A. The guitar fingering for it is shown below.

Chord diagrams

Cdim7starts at fret 1

Fingering

string 6 (E): muted
string 5 (A): muted
string 4 (D): fret 1 — index finger
string 3 (G): fret 2 — ring finger
string 2 (B): fret 1 — middle finger
string 1 (E): fret 2 — little finger

Notes in this chord

C
D♯
F♯
A

Degrees: 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭♭7

How to play

Cdim7 can be played with open strings on guitar, which makes it an accessible shape for beginners. Strings marked ○ ring open, while strings marked ✕ are muted.

Theory behind the chord

Diminished seventh chords divide the octave into four equal minor thirds. Every inversion sounds the same, so a single shape can be slid up the neck to lead into several different keys. On Cdim7 this structure sits on the root C, so the degrees 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭♭7 map onto C, D#, F# and A.

Frequently asked questions

Which notes are in the Cdim7 chord?: Cdim7 contains the notes C, D#, F# and A. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭♭7.
How many ways can you play Cdim7?: Minory lists a single guitar fingering for Cdim7.
Is the Cdim7 chord hard to play?: Cdim7 requires a barre, so it can feel demanding at first. Keeping the index finger straight and pressing from the wrist rather than the thumb makes it noticeably easier.

Practise Cdim7 on your phone

Minory bundles the full chord library with a tuner, metronome and repertoire notebook — and it all works offline.