C♯ diminished 7 chord on piano

The C sharp diminished 7 chord (C♯dim7) is C♯, E, G and B♭. Here it is on the keyboard, with the fingers to use, every inversion and how it fits into keys.

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C♯dim7, diminished seventh chord

C♯, E, G and B♭

C♯ diminished 7 chord on a piano keyboard: C♯, E, G and B♭, starting from middle C upwardC4EGC5C♯B♭
Root
C♯
Minor third
E
Diminished fifth
G
Diminished seventh
B♭

Formula

1 ♭3 ♭5 𝄫7 (3, 6, 9 half steps above C♯)

Fingering in root position

C♯dim7 root position: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesC♯EGB♭
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

C♯ diminished 7 inversions

C♯ diminished 7 has 3 inversions. Each one keeps the same notes and puts a different one at the bottom, so your hand can stay close to the chord before or after it.

C♯dim7

Root position

C♯ diminished 7, root position, on the piano: C♯, E, G and B♭ from the bottom upC4EGC5C♯B♭
C♯dim7 root position: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesC♯EGB♭
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

C♯dim7/E

First inversion

C♯ diminished 7, first inversion, on the piano: E, G, B♭ and C♯ from the bottom upC4EGC5B♭C♯
C♯dim7/E first inversion: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesEGB♭C♯
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

C♯dim7/G

Second inversion

C♯ diminished 7, second inversion, on the piano: G, B♭, C♯ and E from the bottom upC4GC5EB♭C♯
C♯dim7/G second inversion: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesGB♭C♯E
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

C♯dim7/B♭

Third inversion

C♯ diminished 7, third inversion, on the piano: B♭, C♯, E and G from the bottom upC4C5EGB♭C♯
C♯dim7/B♭ third inversion: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesB♭C♯EG
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

Keys with C♯ diminished 7

Roman numerals give a chord's place in a key: capitals for major chords, small letters for minor, ° for diminished. C♯ diminished 7 appears as:

  • vii°7 in D minor

How C♯ diminished 7 is built

C♯ is the root, E the minor third, G the diminished fifth and B♭ the diminished seventh.

A diminished seventh chord stacks three minor thirds, so every note is 3 half steps from the next. That symmetry means C♯ diminished 7 uses the same four keys as E diminished 7, G diminished 7 and A♯ diminished 7.

Every chord takes every other letter of the alphabet, so the letters of C♯ diminished 7 are C, E, G, B. That is why it is spelled C♯, E, G and B♭.

Find C♯ diminished 7 yourself

Without looking at the diagrams, find the chord on the keyboard, then each inversion. Saying the notes out loud as you tap them helps them stick.

Step 1 of 4

Tap the notes of C♯ diminished 7, in any octave and any order.

CDEFGABCDEFGAB

Practice C♯ diminished 7 in real music

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Questions

What notes are in the C♯ diminished 7 chord?

C♯ diminished 7 (C♯dim7) has four notes: C♯, E, G and B♭. C♯ is the root, E the minor third, G the diminished fifth and B♭ the diminished seventh.

What fingers do you use for C♯ diminished 7 on piano?

In root position, play C♯, E, G and B♭ with right hand fingers 1, 2, 3 and 5 (thumb, index finger, middle finger and little finger) and left hand fingers 5, 3, 2 and 1. The fingers change a little in each inversion; every inversion on this page shows its own.

What are the inversions of C♯ diminished 7?

C♯ diminished 7 has 3 inversions, one for each note other than the root at the bottom. First inversion (C♯dim7/E): E, G, B♭ and C♯. Second inversion (C♯dim7/G): G, B♭, C♯ and E. Third inversion (C♯dim7/B♭): B♭, C♯, E and G.

What key is C♯ diminished 7 in?

C♯ diminished 7 appears as vii°7 in D minor.

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