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C diminished 7 chord

C diminished 7 Diminished & augmented family

Dramatic, suspenseful, silent-film villain.

Easiest shape1 of 4

Square: the root. In colour: the diminished 7th, which gives the chord its sound.

Change a finger and see what it becomes

Built from

Croot
E♭minor 3rd
G♭flat 5th
Adiminished 7th

Every note is three frets from the next, so the chord has no centre and can slide anywhere.

Tension: Can't stay

Hear it in a progression

Passing chord
Slides between two chords, old-time and jazzy. In B major.
Capo and transpose
Leading home
Maximum suspense, then release. In C♯ minor.
Capo and transpose

Where it goes next

Thinking in D♭ major, where it is the vii° chord.

D♭
I. Its top note leads up one fret, straight home.
Fm
iii. Settles onto iii.

Sounds close

E♭dim7
The same four notes, named from another root. Both have C, E♭, G♭ and A.
D7
Shares 3 of its notes. Both have C, G♭ and A.
F7
Shares 3 of its notes. Both have C, E♭ and A.
A♭7
Shares 3 of its notes. Both have C, E♭ and G♭.

Keys it lives in