Guitar chord · Triads
C diminished chord on guitar
x3454x · 3rd fret
All 6 shapes, tab & fingering ↓
6 ways to play Cdim on guitar, with finger positions, tabs and step-by-step instructions.
Tense and unstable — it usually wants to resolve up by a half step.
Cdim is the vii° chord in D♭ major. In minor keys: ii° in B♭ minor.
- Notes
- CE♭G♭
- Formula
- 1♭3♭5
- Built from
- root · minor 3rd · diminished 5th
Guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E) · 6 voicings · E string on the left · Other tunings →
How to play it · 3rd fret
- 6th string (low E): don’t play — mute it
- 5th string (A): 3rd fret, index finger (1) C
- 4th string (D): 4th fret, middle finger (2) G♭
- 3rd string (G): 5th fret, pinky finger (4) C
- 2nd string (B): 4th fret, ring finger (3) E♭
- 1st string (high E): don’t play — mute it
Tablature
e|--x---| B|--4---| G|--5---| D|--4---| A|--3---| E|--x---|
Top line is the high E string. x = don’t play, 0 = open string.
Every Cdim note on the guitar neck
Bright dots are the selected voicing — the rest are other places you can find the same chord tones.
Tips for playing Cdim on guitar
On guitar, the usual Cdim shape is x3454x at the 3rd fret. It has no open strings, so it’s a movable shape — slide it along the neck for other diminished chords. Don’t strum the low E and high E strings.
