Cm(maj7) C minor-major seventh chord
- Notes
- C Eb G B
- Formula
- 1 b3 5 7
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 11 above the root
- Other symbols
- CmM7, Cm(Δ7), Cmin(maj7)
C to Eb is a minor third (3 semitones), Eb to G is a major third (4 semitones), G to B is a major third (4 semitones). A minor triad with a major seventh, B, a half step below the root. The minor third Eb and the major seventh make an augmented triad (Eb G B) inside the chord, which gives it its tense, suspenseful sound.
Cm(maj7) on the piano
Root position from C4: C4, Eb4, G4, B4. Middle C is C4.
Cm(maj7) on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has C as its lowest note.
x 3 5 4 4 3 (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 G3 B3 Eb4 G4
8 x 9 8 8 x (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 B3 Eb4 G4
The E-shape and A-shape grips are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play minor-major seventh chords on other roots.
Inversions of Cm(maj7)
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | C Eb G B | Cm(maj7) | |
| 1st inversion | Eb G B C | Cm(maj7)/Eb | |
| 2nd inversion | G B C Eb | Cm(maj7)/G | |
| 3rd inversion | B C Eb G | Cm/B (also read as Cm(maj7)/B) |
Where Cm(maj7) fits
Cm(maj7) is i(maj7) in C minor. Most often it is a passing chord in the descending line Cm → Cm(maj7) → Cm7 → Cm6, where one voice falls a half step at a time from C. The first four bars of the jazz standard "My Funny Valentine" (Cm, Cm(maj7), Cm7, Cm6 in C minor) are exactly that line.