C#dim7 Chord on Guitar: Shapes and How It Resolves

Q: How do you play C#dim7 on guitar?

The shape with C# in the bass is x4535x : second finger on the fifth string at fret 4, third finger on the fourth string at fret 5, first finger on the third string at fret 3, fourth finger on the second string at fret 5. Mute both E strings. For an easier version, play xx2323 on the top four strings.

Q: What notes are in a C#dim7 chord?

C#, E, G and Bb . Each note is a minor third above the one before, and Bb back up to C# is a minor third too, so the chord divides the octave into four equal parts.

Q: What chord comes after C#dim7?

Most often D or Dm . C# sits a half step below D and rises to it, and the other three notes are those of an A7 chord with a flat ninth. In the key of C, it also connects C to Dm as a passing chord.

C#dim7 is the most unstable sound you can make with four notes: C#, E, G and Bb, each a minor third above the last. It never sounds like an ending. It is a bridge, a chord you pass through for a beat on the way somewhere else, almost always toward D. On guitar it also has a trick built in: because its notes are evenly spaced, the same shape moved three frets up gives you the same chord again.

C#dim7 chord: notes and shapes at a glance

Name: C sharp diminished seventh
Symbol: C#dim7
Notes: C#, E, G, Bb

Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.

Shape	Frets, low E to high E	Notes, low to high	What it is for
C#dim7, top four strings	`xx2323`	E Bb C# G	The easiest dim7 shape: four strings, four notes, close to the nut. E is the lowest note.
C#dim7, root on the fifth string	`x4535x`	C# G Bb E	C# in the bass, the most common movable dim7 shape. Mute the two E strings.
C#dim7, three frets higher	`x7868x`	E Bb C# G	The same shape moved up three frets: the same four notes, with E in the bass.

C#dim7, top four strings x x 2 3 2 3 · · 1 3 2 4 fingers

C#dim7, root on the fifth string x 4 5 3 5 x · 2 3 1 4 · fingers

C#dim7, three frets higher x 7 8 6 8 x · 2 3 1 4 · fingers

Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.

C#dim7 on the neck: every Db, E, G, Bb

Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of C#dim7: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still C#dim7.

Fretboard notes

Swipe the fretboard sideways to see every fret.

1 - E

2 - B

3 - G

4 - D

5 - A

6 - E

Spelled by the rules of harmony, C#dim7 contains C#. On the fretboard it appears as Db: the same pitch, under the name a guitarist uses day to day.

How to play C#dim7

1. The easy shape: xx2323

First finger on the fourth string at fret 2 (E), second finger on the second string at fret 2 (C#), third finger on the third string at fret 3 (Bb), fourth finger on the high E at fret 3 (G). Strum the top four strings only. All four notes are there; the lowest is E rather than C#, which on a dim7 chord changes the color very little.

2. With C# in the bass: x4535x

First finger on the third string at fret 3 (Bb). Second finger on the fifth string at fret 4 (C#). Third finger on the fourth string at fret 5 (G), fourth finger on the second string at fret 5 (E). The low E string is muted by the tip of the second finger, the high E by the underside of the fourth finger. Pick it string by string before you strum: the third string, under the others, is the one that tends to disappear.

3. Move it up three frets: x7868x

Keep the exact same fingers and slide the shape up three frets. The notes are now E, Bb, C# and G: the same four, in a different order. Slide up three more (x 10 11 9 11 x) and you get them again, with G in the bass.

One fret lower, x3423x, is not C#dim7 any more: it is Cdim7 (C, Eb, Gb, A). Diminished seventh chords come in only three groups, and each fret takes you to the next group.

One shape, four names

Because the four notes divide the octave into equal minor thirds, any of them can be the root. C#dim7, Edim7, Gdim7 and Bbdim7 (also written A#dim7) are the same sound. The name the chart uses tells you which note the song wants in the bass.

Shape	Lowest note	Usual name
`x4535x`	C#	C#dim7
`x7868x`	E	Edim7
`x 10 11 9 11 x`	G	Gdim7
`xx2323`	E	C#dim7 or Edim7, depending on the key

To see why the pattern repeats every three frets, find C#, E, G and Bb on the fretboard notes chart: they are three frets apart on every string.

Where C#dim7 goes

C# sits a half step below D and wants to rise to it. The other three notes, E, G and Bb, belong to A7 with a flat ninth: C#dim7 is that dominant chord without its root. That is why it lands so naturally on D or D minor.

Progression	Shapes	What it does
C, C#dim7, Dm	`x32010`, `x4535x`, `xx0231`	The bass climbs C, C#, D. The classic passing chord between I and ii in the key of C.
C#dim7, D	`xx2323` to `xx0232`	Tension, then release, on the same four strings.
A7, C#dim7, Dm	`x02020`, `x4535x`, `xx0231`	The dim7 sharpens the pull of the A7 just before it resolves.

Hold it for a beat or two, no more. A dim7 chord left ringing for whole bars stops sounding like tension and starts sounding like a wrong note.

Common C#dim7 mistakes

Mistake	Why it matters	The fix
Strumming all six strings	E is in the chord, but an open low E puts a booming bass under the C# and an open high E thickens the top: the chord turns muddy.	Mute the sixth and first strings with the fingers already down.
Losing the third string	Bb is the note that makes it a dim7, not a plain diminished chord.	Arch the second and third fingers so they clear the third string.
Confusing it with C#m	Same root name, opposite job: C#m is stable, C#dim7 is not.	Compare on the C# minor page: C#m has G#, C#dim7 has G.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play C#dim7 on guitar?

The shape with C# in the bass is x4535x: second finger on the fifth string at fret 4, third finger on the fourth string at fret 5, first finger on the third string at fret 3, fourth finger on the second string at fret 5. Mute both E strings. For an easier version, play xx2323 on the top four strings.

What notes are in a C#dim7 chord?

C#, E, G and Bb. Each note is a minor third above the one before, and Bb back up to C# is a minor third too, so the chord divides the octave into four equal parts.

Are C#dim7, Edim7, Gdim7 and Bbdim7 the same chord?

They contain the same four notes, so on guitar the same shapes play all four. The name depends on which note the music treats as the root, usually the one in the bass. Bbdim7 is also written A#dim7.

What chord comes after C#dim7?

Most often D or Dm. C# sits a half step below D and rises to it, and the other three notes are those of an A7 chord with a flat ninth. In the key of C, it also connects C to Dm as a passing chord.

What is the difference between C#dim and C#dim7?

C#dim has three notes: C#, E and G. C#dim7 adds Bb. A common C#dim shape is x4565x, which plays C# on the third string where the dim7 plays Bb. In a song, both often do the same passing job; the dim7 is the richer, more tense one.

Yohann Abbou, guitar teacher and founder of Guitar Social Club

Who made this

Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris who teaches adults. Every shape on this page is written string by string and checked against standard tuning, and the diagrams are drawn from those same fret numbers. The rest of our free guitar tools, including the chord finder, work the same way.

More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.

The C#dim7 chord (C sharp diminished seventh) on guitar