C#dim or D♭dim Chord
4th Fret · A-String RootThe main C#dim or D♭dim shape, rooted on C# at fret 4 of the A string. Index on the root, middle on the D string at fret 5 (G, the ♭5), pinky on the G string at fret 6 (C# an octave up), and ring on the B string beside the middle finger (E, the ♭3). Mute the low E and the high e.
C#dim or D♭dim Chord
3rd Fret · Top Three StringsThe top-three-string triad — the shape to reach for when a diminished chord has to sit above a bass note or move through a solo. Root on C# at fret 6 of the G string, E on the B string at fret 5, and G on the high e at fret 3.
C#dim or D♭dim Chord
8th Fret · Three-String TriadA compact three-note triad on the D, G and B strings — root, ♭3 and ♭5 with nothing doubled. Root on C# at fret 11 of the D string, E on the G string at fret 9, and G on the B string at fret 8.
Two stacked minor 3rds
C# to E is three semitones, and E to G is three more. That perfect symmetry is why the chord sounds like it is leaning somewhere rather than sitting still.
Flatten the 5th, not the 3rd
Start from C#m (C#, E, G#) and lower the G# by one fret to G. Nothing else changes — that one note is the whole difference.
Mute the outer strings
Every shape here leaves the low E out. Let the tip of your fretting index rest against it, and keep the strum tight to the strings you actually want.
It wants to resolve
A diminished chord is a passing chord far more often than a destination. Play C#dim, then move to a chord a semitone above or below it and listen to the tension release.
One shape, twelve roots
The A-string shape has no open strings, so sliding it up one fret gives you the next diminished chord and sliding it down gives the previous one. Learn it once and you have all 12.
About the C#dim or D♭dim Chord on Guitar
The C#dim or D♭dim chord is built from three notes: C# (the root), E (the minor 3rd) and G (the diminished 5th) — formula 1 – ♭3 – ♭5. It is a minor triad with the 5th flattened by a semitone, which stacks two minor 3rds on top of each other and leaves the chord with no stable interval to rest on. That is why a diminished chord sounds tense and unfinished, and why it is used as a passing chord between two stable ones rather than as a place to stop. In a major key it appears naturally on the 7th degree, and guitarists most often meet it walking chromatically between two chords a whole step apart. This page covers three voicings: the A-string root form at fret 4, a top-three-string triad at fret 3, and a three-string D-G-B triad at fret 8. Every diagram is interactive and playable with acoustic guitar sound.
- 013 C#dim or D♭dim chord shapes from beginner to intermediate
- 02Interactive diagrams — click Play to hear each chord
- 03Acoustic guitar sound via audio engine
- 04A-string root, top-string triad, and D-G-B triad voicings
- 05The A-string shape is fully moveable to all 12 roots
- 06Free — no sign-up or download needed
ANATOMY
Chord Tones
The 3 notes that form the C# or D♭ Diminished chord and their role in the major scale.
Every diminished chord follows this same formula — root, minor third, diminished fifth. Two minor 3rds stacked, with a tritone between the outer notes, which is what makes it sound unresolved.