Understand and Play the C# dim7 Guitar Chord Interactively

Spelled C#, E, G and Bb, C#dim7 is the C# diminished seventh chord, with the root, minor third, flat five and diminished seventh above its root. It contains two tritones: one between the root and the flat five, and one between the minor third and the diminished seventh.

The listed voicings run from fret 2 up to fret 12. C#dim7 sits on the seventh degree of D harmonic minor as its vii chord. A scale that covers every chord tone is the C# whole-half scale, which is where to start when you improvise. The wider family is covered in our guide to diminished chords.

Switch on the microphone in the interactive fretboard at the top, play the chord and see which strings ring.

C# diminished 7th guitar chord is also written as C#dim7, C#°7 or C#o7. It is also known as the C# fully diminished seventh chord.

Notes of the C# dim7 chord:

C# E G Bb

Chord structure 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 2 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 3 of the low E string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 3 of the G string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 4 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 6 of the G string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 7 of the A string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 8 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 8 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 11 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 11 of the B string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 12 of the G string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 12 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 3 of the G string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 4 of the A string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 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 5 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 5 of the B string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 6 of the G string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 6 of the high E string

Position 6 Movable

Finger Positions

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

Position 7 Movable

Finger Positions

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

Position 8 Movable

Finger Positions

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

Position 9 Movable

Finger Positions

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

Position 10 Movable

C# dim7 position 10 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

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

Position 11 Barre Movable

C# dim7 position 11 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 3 of the G and high E strings at the same time
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 4 of the A string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the B 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 does C#dim7 contain?

C#dim7 has C#, E, G and Bb. These are the root, minor third, flat fifth and diminished seventh. Every step in the stack is three semitones.

How does C#dim7 differ from C# diminished?

The C# diminished triad has C#, E and G. C#dim7 adds Bb on top, which is a diminished seventh and sounds like a major sixth over C#.

Which other chords have the same notes as C#dim7?

C#dim7 has the same pitches as Edim7, Gdim7 and Bbdim7. Equal minor thirds make the chord symmetrical, so each note can serve as the root.

Which scale can I use over C# diminished seventh?

The C# whole-half scale: C#, D#, E, F#, G, A, A#, B#. It contains every note of the chord, and its alternating steps mirror the chord's symmetry.

What role does C#dim7 play in D harmonic minor?

C#dim7 is the vii chord of D harmonic minor, built on the raised seventh degree. It has a strong pull toward D minor.

How many ways are there to play C#dim7?

There are 11 voicings, and 1 of them uses a barre. None uses an open string. The lowest is at fret 2 and the highest at fret 12.