Chord · C Minor
Cm Chord
Cm is C, Eb and G — dark, melancholic.
Cm on every instrument
The same 3 notes, 6 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What Cm is made of
Cm (C minor) is built from the notes C, Eb, G, with the interval pattern 1, b3, 5.
Stack 1, b3 and 5 on a root of C and you get C, Eb and G. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a minor chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why Dm sounds like a transposed Cm.
Minor: Dark, melancholic.
Spelling: the notes above are written the way a score would write them, not simplified to the nearest piano key. That is why this chord is spelled with E♭ rather than its enharmonic equivalent.
Keys that contain Cm
All 3 notes sit inside the scale of 6 keys. The roman numeral marks the degree the chord is rooted on.
Other chords on C
Same root, different colour.
The same minor shape, moved
The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.
Questions people ask about Cm
- What notes are in the Cm chord?
- Cm is made of C, Eb and G — the 1, b3 and 5 degrees of a minor chord built on C.
- What keys use the Cm chord?
- Every note of Cm belongs to 6 keys: Bb Major (ii), Eb Major (vi), Ab Major (iii), G Minor (iv), C Minor (i), F Minor (v). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.
- How do you play Cm on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Cm on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin and banjo — 20 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
Learn the theory behind it
Why Cm behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.