Map it slowly
Find C on string 6 at fret 8. Play string 6, fret 8; string 6, fret 11; string 5, fret 9; string 5, fret 12; string 4, fret 10. Use a relaxed position and release pressure between repetitions. String 1 is high E.
Arpeggio · C°7 · Guitar
C°7 arpeggio on guitar
The C°7 arpeggio is C – E♭ – G♭ – B𝄫 — chord tones 1 ♭3 ♭5 𝄫7. C°7 is passing chords between diatonic chords, and as a 7♭9 without its root; its sound is symmetrical, restless. Below, every C, E♭, G♭, B𝄫 on the fretboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
C°7 on the fretboard.
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
RootChord toneBeing played
Tempo100 bpm
Show
Sound
Play loops the arpeggio up and down one octave (switch Loop off for a single pass) in the position starting at fret 8. Tap any marked note to hear it. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Your next 10 minutes
Make C Diminished 7th part of your playing
Make a short phrase
Play C – E♭ – G♭ – B𝄫 in quarter notes at 60 bpm. Repeat starting from E♭, wrapping back to C. Do not speed up until every attack is even.
Hear it in context
Alternate E♭ and B𝄫 above a sustained C. These are degree ♭3 and 𝄫7. End a four-bar phrase on either one instead of always returning to the root.
Listen for this: C°7 has the colour “symmetrical, restless”. Name the degrees as you play, so you can recognize the sound in another key rather than remembering only a shape.
Understand the sound
C°7: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives C°7 its identity?
Successive chord tones are separated by minor thirds. The seventh is a diminished seventh, not a major sixth in the chord’s theoretical spelling, even when they share a piano key.
Here the third is E♭, and degree 𝄫7 is B𝄫. Play C in the bass and compare these voices individually before combining them.
Turn the arpeggio into a melody
Try E♭ – G♭ – B𝄫 – C as quarter notes, then repeat the first note and omit the last. The second phrase uses the same harmony with a different shape.
Sound the strings separately before playing them together. If a note is muted, adjust the finger angle instead of squeezing harder.
Your guitar checkpoint
Start with C on string 6, fret 8. The next note E♭ is on string 6, fret 11. Name both notes aloud before playing, then find the same two pitches in another octave.
Before moving on, close the diagram and name the notes: C · E♭ · G♭ · B𝄫. Then play a two-bar phrase from memory and leave two bars of silence.
On piano
C°7 on the keyboard.
Reference
C°7 — chord tones & intervals.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from C |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | unison (0 semitones) |
| ♭3 | E♭ | minor 3rd (3 semitones) |
| ♭5 | G♭ | diminished 5th (6 semitones) |
| 𝄫7 | B𝄫 | diminished 7th (9 semitones) |
Goes with: C Diminished (whole–half) (C D E♭ F G♭ A♭ A B). Voicings: C°7 voicings on guitar.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to play the C°7 arpeggio over through all twelve keys, with the chord and scale shown live — plus ear-training and call & response modes.
▶ Open Practice RadioCommon questions
C°7 arpeggio FAQ.
What notes are in a C°7 arpeggio?
C – E♭ – G♭ – B𝄫. As chord tones: 1 ♭3 ♭5 𝄫7. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
What is a C°7 chord used for?
C°7 is passing chords between diatonic chords, and as a 7♭9 without its root. Its character is symmetrical, restless.
Which scale goes with C°7?
C Dim. W–H (C D E♭ F G♭ A♭ A B) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
How do I practise the C°7 arpeggio on guitar?
Start on the root C on the low E string at fret 8 and play E-string fret 8, E-string fret 11, A-string fret 9, A-string fret 12, D-string fret 10. Then play it descending, then in eighth notes with a metronome, then use it in a short phrase over a suitable chord.
Keep going
Diminished 7th arpeggio in every other key.
Same arpeggio on piano · Diminished 7th hub · chord-scale theory.
Other arpeggios from C