Piano chord
C diminished 7 chord
Cdim7 is a diminished seventh chord: the root C, a minor 3rd up to E♭, a diminished 5th up to G♭ and a diminished 7th up to B𝄫.
- Symbol
- Cdim7
- Notes
- C – E♭ – G♭ – B𝄫
Play it yourself
Tap C, E♭, G♭ and B𝄫 on the keys below, in any order.
- C
- E♭
- G♭
- B𝄫
Diminished seventh chords stack three minor thirds. Every note is the same distance apart, which makes them very tense and a favourite for dramatic moments.
Inversions of Cdim7
An inversion keeps the same notes but puts a different one at the bottom. Pianists use them to move between chords with less jumping.
- Root position
C – E♭ – G♭ – B𝄫
- 1st inversion · Cdim7/E♭
E♭ – G♭ – B𝄫 – C
- 2nd inversion · Cdim7/G♭
G♭ – B𝄫 – C – E♭
- 3rd inversion · Cdim7/B𝄫
B𝄫 – C – E♭ – G♭
Keys with Cdim7
Cdim7 doesn't occur naturally in a major or natural minor key. It's used as a colour chord, borrowed or altered.