C minor chord (Cm)

Cm is C, E♭ and G: 1–♭3–5 built on C. See and hear it on all three instruments below.

On guitar

x-3-1-0-1-3 · open · medium

root position · C–E♭–G · right hand 1-3-5

0-3-3-3 · open · easy

Here's what the hand does on the most common changes, on guitar and on piano.

Cm → F (V in B♭ major)
Guitar: Cm (x-3-1-0-1-3) to F (1-3-3-2-1-1): your ring finger stays put, the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 2nd fret, your pinky finger lands on the D string, 3rd fret. Listen for C, which stays put while the rest moves.
Piano: Cm to F: play F in 2nd inversion (C–F–A) and C stays under the same finger, while E♭ moves up to F and G up to A. F
Cm → E♭ (IV in B♭ major)
Guitar: Cm (x-3-1-0-1-3) to E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3): your index finger stays put, move the middle finger to the G string, 3rd fret, your ring finger lands on the high E string, 3rd fret, the pinky finger goes to the B string, 4th fret. Shared notes: E♭ and G.
Piano: Cm to E♭: play E♭ in 2nd inversion (B♭–E♭–G) and E♭ and G stay under the same fingers, while C moves down to B♭. E♭
Cm → B♭ (I in B♭ major)
Guitar: Cm (x-3-1-0-1-3) to B♭ (x-1-3-3-3-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the D string, 3rd fret, move the ring finger to the G string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit.
Piano: Cm to B♭: play B♭ in root position (B♭–D–F), while C moves down to B♭, E♭ down to D and G down to F. B♭

Guitar with a capo: capo 3, Am shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 1, Bm shape; capo 3, Am shape.

Cm has the gentle, slightly melancholy sound of a minor chord. It is home base in C minor and a common guest in major keys.

Count keys (black and white) from C: 3 half steps up to E♭ then 4 half steps up to G.

Note	Role	Half steps
C	root	0
E♭	minor third	3
G	perfect fifth	7

Cm belongs to 6 keys: ii in B♭ major, iii in A♭ major, vi in E♭ major, i in C minor, iv in G minor and v in F minor.

Play i–VI–III–VII in C minor and you get Cm – A♭ – E♭ – B♭. the minor anthem

Cm – Fm – G – Cm: that's i–iv–V in the key of C minor. the minor cadence

In C minor, i–VII–VI–V is Cm – B♭ – A♭ – G. the Andalusian cadence

i–VII–VI–VII in C minor runs Cm – B♭ – A♭ – B♭. the epic minor loop

Chords that share most of their notes with Cm: Cm7, Cm6, E♭6, A♭maj7, Am7♭5, F9.

What notes are in the C minor chord?

C, E♭ and G. Cm is built 1–♭3–5 from C: E♭ is the minor third and G is the perfect fifth.

How do you play Cm on guitar?

The usual shape is x-3-1-0-1-3 (open). All 4 guitar shapes.

How do you play Cm on piano?

Play C, E♭ and G with right-hand fingers 1-3-5. C sits just left of the pair of black keys. Inversions and left hand.

How do you play Cm on ukulele?

0-3-3-3 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.

What key is Cm in?

Cm belongs to 6 keys: ii in B♭ major, iii in A♭ major, vi in E♭ major, i in C minor, iv in G minor and v in F minor.

What's the difference between Cm and C?

Cm and C differ by one note: E♭ in Cm, E in C. They share C and G.

All three instruments are drawn and played from C, E♭ and G by the same engine. Updated September 2026.