Cdim arpeggio
C Diminished — the notes C, Eb, Gb played one at a time, bottom-up and back.
Musical context
How the arpeggio relates to the chord, scale, mode and key.
How to play the arpeggio
Theory
General info
- Full name
- C Diminished
- Root
- C
- Quality
- Diminished
- Type
- Diminished triad
- Note count
- 3
- Brief character
- Tense, unstable sound — demands resolution. The diminished fifth creates a tritone with the root, giving maximum tension within a triad.
Tense, unstable, anxious. Anxiety, tension, anticipation of resolution.
Defined by the dissonant tritone between root and b5.
Notes & degrees
Two consecutive minor thirds: 1-b3-b5.
On the piano
An arpeggio is a broken chord: the same notes played one after another rather than together, bottom-up and back. On the piano they are usually split between the two hands — in an accompaniment, for instance, the left hand carries the bass while the right fills in the figuration.
Any chord can be played arpeggiato or turned into figuration — a broken bass, Alberti figures, a waltz accompaniment. Unlike the guitar, where an arpeggio is tied to the order the strings are plucked, there is no fixed fingering “shape” here — evenness and legato between the notes matter most.
Chord basis
Differs from minor by the lowered fifth (b5 instead of 5).
Function and tensions
Leading-tone function (vii°), chromatic passing motion.
Unstable — serves as a transitional element.
Harmonic context
vii° of major, ii° of harmonic minor.
Harmonic minor, diminished (whole-half) scale.
Creates moments of dramatic tension before resolution.
Compatible scales & modes
All chord tones are contained in these scales — use them for improvisation.
This arpeggio on guitar 🎸
See how Cdim looks on guitar.
Circle of fifths
Keys where this chord functions as a scale degree, on the circle of fifths.
How to play on piano
Practice
Keyboard Trainer
Reinforce it in practice — play and name notes on the interactive keyboard.