Cm7 C minor seventh chord
- Notes
- C Eb G Bb
- Formula
- 1 b3 5 b7
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 10 above the root
- Other symbols
- Cmin7, C−7
C to Eb is a minor third (3 semitones), Eb to G is a major third (4 semitones), G to Bb is a minor third (3 semitones). A minor triad plus a minor seventh (Bb). With Eb in the bass the same four notes are read as Eb6.
Cm7 on the piano
Root position from C4: C4, Eb4, G4, Bb4. Middle C is C4.
Cm7 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 3 4 3 (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 G3 Bb3 Eb4 G4
8 10 8 8 8 8 (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 G3 Bb3 Eb4 G4 C5
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 seventh chords on other roots.
Cm7 on the ukulele
Standard ukulele tuning is G C E A, drawn with the G string on the left and frets downwards, as ukulele chord charts show it. The G string is tuned higher than the C string (G4 above middle C, a fifth over C4), so the lowest note you hear is usually on the C or E string, not on the G string, and a shape can sound as an inversion even when its root is on the G string. All four strings are strummed, so every string plays a chord tone; the root is in blue-green.
3333 (G C E A)
Sounds Bb4 Eb4 G4 C5
Lowest note Eb4, so the chord finder reads it as Eb6.
0066 (G C E A)
Sounds G4 C4 Bb4 Eb5
Inversions of Cm7
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 Bb | Cm7 | |
| 1st inversion | Eb G Bb C | Eb6 (also read as Cm7/Eb) | |
| 2nd inversion | G Bb C Eb | Cm7/G | |
| 3rd inversion | Bb C Eb G | Cm7/Bb |
Where Cm7 fits
Cm7 is ii7 in Bb major, iii7 in Ab major, vi7 in Eb major. As ii7 it is the first chord of the ii–V–I that ends countless jazz and pop phrases: Cm7 → F7 → Bbmaj7.