Cdim piano chord — the keys, the inversions, the theory

Cdim is a diminished chord built from C, Eb, Gb. Below: the keys to press, every inversion with its own diagram, the intervals it is made of, the keys whose scale contains it, and a progression that actually uses it. Press any diagram to hear it.

Cdim

C · Eb · Gb

Piano keyboardC4C5

Semitones above the root: 0 – 3 – 6

Two minor thirds stacked. Nothing sits still here; it is a chord that leads somewhere.

Inversions of Cdim

  • Root position

    C · Eb · Gb · bass C

  • Inversion 1

    Eb · Gb · C · bass Eb

  • Inversion 2

    Gb · C · Eb · bass Gb

Same chord, different note at the bottom. Press a diagram to hear it — inversions are how you move between chords without jumping your hand across the keyboard.

Keys that contain Cdim

  • Dbvii°

In Db it does this job: IV – vii° – I

  1. Gb
  2. Cdim
  3. Db

Questions