Ukulele · diminished

C♯dim Chord on Ukulele

C# Diminished is C#, E, G — the 1-b3-b5 pattern of a diminished chord. Here is the shape, the audio, and what usually goes wrong.

There is no open C#dim on ukulele. The one shape below sits up the neck and is rated intermediate.

Start here — Movable Diminished Shape (3rd fret)

Fingered low on the neck with no barre — a useful middle step between the open shape and the movable ones.

Movable Diminished Shape (3rd fret)

Press play to hear C#dim the way this shape actually sounds.

What beginners get wrong

Moving in and out of it

The shape above: Movable Diminished Shape (3rd fret).

Where you will meet it: B Minor (ii°), D Major (vii°).

Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.

C#dim on other instruments

Same notes, different hands. Every link below is a real page with diagrams and audio.

Guitar

C♯dim on guitar

2 voicings · easiest is intermediate

Piano

C♯dim on piano

3 voicings · easiest is intermediate

Bass

C♯dim on bass

1 voicing · easiest is advanced

Mandolin

C♯dim on mandolin

1 voicing · easiest is intermediate

Banjo

C♯dim on banjo

1 voicing · easiest is intermediate

Or see C# Diminished on every instrument at once.

Chords next door

Same root, different colour — and all of them playable on ukulele.

C♯m

C# Minor

C♯m6

C# Minor 6th

C♯m7

C# Minor 7th

C♯m(maj7)

C# Minor-Major 7th

C♯dim7

C# Diminished 7th

C♯m7♭5

C# Half-Diminished 7th (m7♭5)

C#dim on Ukulele — questions people ask

What is the easiest way to play C#dim on ukulele?

“Movable Diminished Shape (3rd fret)” — which we rate intermediate — is the easiest C#dim shape on ukulele. Fingered low on the neck with no barre — a useful middle step between the open shape and the movable ones. There is no open C#dim on ukulele, so a barre is unavoidable; this is the least demanding one.

What notes are in the C# Diminished chord?

C# Diminished is C#, E, G — the 1-b3-b5 interval pattern of a diminished chord. Every voicing on this page uses those notes and nothing else; they just appear in a different order and octave.

What can I play instead of C#dim?

The nearest stand-ins on ukulele that keep the same root are C#m, C#m7, C#m6. They keep the root and the fifth and only change what sits in the middle, so most songs still work — but check the swap against the melody, because the note you removed may be the one the tune is singing.

Can I play C#dim on other instruments?

Yes. C#dim is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on guitar, piano, bass, mandolin, banjo.

Learn the theory behind C#dim

The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.

Functional Harmony: Three Roles, One Engine

Diminished chords are almost always doing a job. This explains which one.

6 min read

Cadences — The Four Ways a Phrase Ends

Where all that tension goes — how the chord resolves into the next one.

4 min read

Voice Leading — Hold What You Can, Move Only What You Must

Half-steps do the work here. Voice leading is how you find them.

6 min read