Train Your Cdim7 Chord for Instant Mastery

In Cdim7, also called C diminished seventh, the notes are C, Eb, Gb and Bbb: the root, minor third, flat five and diminished seventh. A scale that covers every chord tone is the C whole-half scale, which is where to start when you improvise.

Every interval in the stack is a minor third, so no single note stands out as the obvious root. All 16 voicings are fretted without a barre, and none uses an open string. The pitches of Cdim7 form the vii chord of C# harmonic minor, where the same chord carries another spelling.

Press play in the chord player at the top of the page to hear Cdim7 strummed, then picked as an arpeggio.

C diminished 7th guitar chord is also written as Cdim7, C°7 or Co7. It is also known as the C fully diminished seventh chord.

Notes of the C dim7 chord:

C Eb Gb Bbb

Tones of the Diminished Seventh chord:

Formula: 1 b3 b5 bb7

C Dim7 Chord Interactive Fretboard

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C Dim7 Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the B string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the low E string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 2 of the G string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 3 of the A string

Position 2 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 5 of the G string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 6 of the A string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 7 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 7 of the B string

Position 3 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 10 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 10 of the B string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 11 of the G string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 11 of the high E string

Position 4 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the G string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 3 of the A string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 4 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 4 of the B string

Position 5 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 1 of the B string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 2 of the G string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 2 of the high E string

Position 6 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Mute the D string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 10 of the B string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 11 of the G string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 11 of the high E string

Position 7 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the A string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 1 of the B string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 2 of the low E string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 2 of the G string

Position 8 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the A string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 4 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 4 of the B string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the low E string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the G string

Position 9 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the A string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 7 of the B string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 8 of the low E string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 8 of the G string

Position 10 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 4 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 4 of the B string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the G string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the high E string

Position 11 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 7 of the B string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 8 of the G string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 8 of the high E string

Position 12 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 8 of the G string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 9 of the A string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 10 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 10 of the B string

Position 13 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 11 of the G string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 12 of the A string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 13 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 13 of the B string

Position 14 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the A string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 10 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 10 of the B string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 11 of the low E string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 11 of the G string

Position 15 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the B string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the G string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 3 of the A string

Position 16 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the A string
Mute the B string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the low E string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 8 of the G string

Find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you prefer a printable pdf, download the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf

Play This Chord With Other Roots

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Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

What notes are in the Cdim7 chord?

Cdim7 contains C, Eb, Gb and Bbb. These are the root, minor third, flat fifth and diminished seventh. Bbb is the same pitch as A, so the chord is four notes in a row of minor thirds.

Why is the seventh of C diminished seventh written Bbb?

The seventh of C falls on the letter B. A minor seventh would be Bb, and a diminished seventh is one semitone lower, Bbb. It sounds like A, the same pitch as a major sixth from C.

How is Cdim7 different from a plain C diminished triad?

The triad has only C, Eb and Gb. Cdim7 adds a fourth note, Bbb, nine semitones from the root. With that note, every interval between neighbouring notes is a minor third.

Which chords share the same pitches as Cdim7?

Because the chord is built from equal minor thirds, Cdim7 has the same pitches as Ebdim7, Gbdim7 and Adim7. Any of its four notes can be treated as the root.

Where does the C diminished seventh chord work as a vii chord?

Cdim7 has the same pitches as the vii chord of C# harmonic minor, built on the raised seventh degree, though that key writes it with different letters. It leads naturally toward C# minor.

How many Cdim7 voicings are there on guitar?

There are 16 voicings, none of them using an open string or a barre. The lowest sits at fret 1 and the highest reaches fret 13.