Cm C minor chord
- Notes
- C Eb G
- Formula
- 1 b3 5
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 above the root
- Other symbols
- Cmin, C−
C to Eb is a minor third (3 semitones), Eb to G is a major third (4 semitones). It differs from C major by one note: the third, Eb, is a half step lower than in C major.
Cm on the piano
Root position from C4: C4, Eb4, G4. Middle C is C4.
Cm 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 5 4 3 (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 G3 C4 Eb4 G4
8 10 10 8 8 8 (low E to high e)
Sounds C3 G3 C4 Eb4 G4 C5
The barre shapes 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 chords on other roots.
Inversions of Cm
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 | Cm | |
| 1st inversion | Eb G C | Cm/Eb | |
| 2nd inversion | G C Eb | Cm/G |
Where Cm fits
Cm is ii in Bb major, iii in Ab major, vi in Eb major, i in C minor, iv in G minor, v in F minor.