1234 4213 GCEA
Intermediate

Cdim Ukulele Chord

A tense, restless diminished triad made of C, D# and F#. Like every diminished chord it refuses to settle, so it works best as a passing chord that pushes the ear toward the next harmony, common in jazz, classical and dramatic pop.

Also known as

  • C °
  • C dim
  • Cdiminished
  • C diminished

How to Play This Chord

Position your fingers on the fretboard as shown in the diagram. The vertical lines represent the four strings, from the top G string (left) to the A string (right), and the horizontal lines are the frets. Numbers inside the dots indicate which finger to use: 1 (index), 2 (middle), 3 (ring), 4 (pinky). An X means don't play that string; an O means play it open. A bar spanning multiple strings means one finger presses across all of them at once — this is known as a barre chord.

Tips & Tricks

This is the movable diminished block sitting up around the second fret: pinky on the G string, middle on the C string, index on the E string and ring on the A string. The four fingers crowd together, so arch them on their tips to keep each string clear, and slide the whole shape up two frets for C# dim or three for D dim.

There are many ways to play this chord. Try these:

AECG 4 2 1 2 4 2 1 2
AECG 2 1 2 4 2 1 2 4
AECG 4 1 2 2 4 1 2 2
AECG 4 1 2 2 1 2 4 1

See how Cdim works with other chords — Progression Generator