Chord · C Minor (1st Inversion)
Cm/♭3 Chord
Cm/♭3 is Eb, G and C — minor triad with the third in the bass.
Cm/♭3 on every instrument
The same 3 notes, 1 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What Cm/♭3 is made of
C Minor (1st Inversion) (C minor (1st inversion)) is built from the notes Eb, G, C, with the interval pattern b3, 5, 1. A common minor (1st inversion) chord across many styles.
Stack b3, 5 and 1 on a root of C and you get Eb, G and C. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a minor first inversion chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why Dm/♭3 sounds like a transposed Cm/♭3.
Minor (1st Inversion): Minor triad with the third in the bass.
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/♭3
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 first inversion shape, moved
The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.
Questions people ask about Cm/b3
- What notes are in the Cm/b3 chord?
- Cm/b3 is made of Eb, G and C — the b3, 5 and 1 degrees of a minor first inversion chord built on C.
- What keys use the Cm/b3 chord?
- Every note of Cm/b3 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/b3 on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Cm/b3 on piano — 1 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/♭3 behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.