C Diminished Chord on Piano
The C Diminished chord contains C, E♭ and F# — 3 notes. Every one is marked across three octaves of the keyboard below, labelled with note names and with interval numbers.
- Root
- Minor 3rd
- Augmented 4th
| Degree | 1 | ♭3 | ♯4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Note | C | E♭ | F# |
| Interval | Root | Minor 3rd | Augmented 4th |
Note names
Interval numbers
Scales containing C Diminished
| Major (Ionian) | D♭ |
| Natural Minor (Aeolian) | B♭ |
| Dorian | E♭ |
| Phrygian | F |
| Lydian | F# |
| Mixolydian | A♭ |
| Locrian | C |
| Harmonic Lydian (Lydian ♭6) | E |
| Harmonic Minor | D♭ E G B♭ |
| Melodic Minor | D♭ E♭ |
| Melodic Minor ♯4 | C E♭ F# A |
| Gypsy Minor (Hungarian Minor) | C E |
| Dominant Pentatonic (Mixolydian Pentatonic) | A♭ |
| Minor Sixth Pentatonic | E♭ |
| Blues | C |
| Dominant Diminished (M2) | C D E♭ F F# A♭ A B |
| Tcherepnin (M3) | D F# B♭ |
Circle of fifths
Chords inside C Diminished
No chord in the list has fewer notes than this one.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in the C Diminished chord?
C, E♭ and F#. That is 3 notes.
How is the C Diminished chord built?
From a root of C: E♭ is the minor 3rd and F# is the augmented 4th.
Which scales contain the C Diminished chord?
D♭ Major (Ionian), B♭ Natural Minor (Aeolian), E♭ Dorian and F Phrygian, among others. Every note of the C Diminished chord is in those, so they can be played over it.
Practice this on your own piano
Pianolytics listens to your instrument and drills triads, scales and chords.