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C♯ diminished chord

C♯ diminished Diminished & augmented family

Tense and uneasy, like a question.

Easiest shape1 of 3

Square: the root. In colour: the flat 5th, which gives the chord its sound.

Change a finger and see what it becomes

Built from

C♯root
Eminor 3rd
Gflat 5th

The flat 5th is the most unstable interval there is. It cannot stay put.

Tension: Restless

Hear it in a progression

Leading home
Tension that resolves up one fret. In D major.
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.
F♯m
iii. Settles onto iii.

Sounds close

Edim7
Shares 3 of its notes. Both have C♯, E and G.
A7
Shares 3 of its notes. Both have C♯, E and G.
C
Shares 2 of its notes. Both have E and G.
Em
Shares 2 of its notes. Both have E and G.

Keys it lives in