The C sharp diminished chord (C# dim or C#°) contains the notes C#, E and G. It is produced by taking the 1st, flat 3rd and flat 5th notes of the C sharp Major scale.
C sharp diminished often appears as C# dim or C#°.
The diminished chord played by itself has a dissonant sound. This is largely due to the existence of the tritone interval, which is otherwise known as the devil’s interval. The C sharp diminished chord contains a tritone between the notes C# and G.
Even though the C# diminished chord sounds dissonant on its own, it can sound beautiful when played in the right context. Pairing the C# diminished chord with the D Major chord, for example, creates a sense of tension and release, which works well. A good exercise is to switch between the C# diminished chord and the D Major chord and hear for yourself how this sounds
10 Ways To Play The C Sharp Diminished Chord
If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for C sharp diminished, here they are.
Some Quick C# Diminished Chord Theory
- The C# diminished chord contains the notes C#, E and G.
- The C sharp diminished chord is produced by taking the 1 (root), b3 and b5 of the C sharp Major scale.
- The C sharp diminished chord (just like all diminished chords) contains the following intervals (starting from the root note): minor 3rd, minor 3rd, tritone (which leads back to the root note).
- C# diminished resolves naturally to the D chord.
- C# diminished can be written as C# dim or C#°.
- The C# locrian scale can be used when soloing over the C# diminished chord.
Further Reading
