Cm7 chord on piano
Cm7 is C, E♭, G and B♭. C is the white key just left of the pair of black keys. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.
root position · C–E♭–G–B♭ · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- C · E♭ · G · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7
How to play Cm7 on piano
From C, go 3 half steps up to E♭, 4 half steps up to G then 3 half steps up to B♭. That's the whole chord: 4 keys.
- Right hand: 1 on C, 2 on E♭, 3 on G and 5 on B♭.
- Left hand: 5 on C, 3 on E♭, 2 on G and 1 on B♭.
- On the keyboard it's white, black, white and black keys, the same pattern as Fm7, so your hand shape carries over.
Cm7 inversions
- root position: C–E♭–G–B♭. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: E♭–G–B♭–C (E♭ in the bass). Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: G–B♭–C–E♭ (G in the bass). RH 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: B♭–C–E♭–G, B♭ lowest. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
Nobody plays every chord in root position. The inversions let Cm7 sit wherever the previous chord left your hand.
Moving between Cm7 and its neighbours
The chords Cm7 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.
- F7 (V in B♭ major): Cm7 to F7: play F7 in 2nd inversion (C–E♭–F–A) and C and E♭ stay under the same fingers, while G moves down to F and B♭ down to A. F7 on piano
- E♭maj7 (IV in B♭ major): Cm7 to E♭maj7: play E♭maj7 in 3rd inversion (D–E♭–G–B♭) and E♭, G and B♭ stay under the same fingers, while C moves up to D. E♭maj7 on piano
- B♭maj7 (I in B♭ major): Cm7 to B♭maj7: play B♭maj7 in 1st inversion (D–F–A–B♭) and B♭ stays under the same finger, while C moves up to D, E♭ up to F and G up to A. B♭maj7 on piano
Cm7 is a minor seventh chord: a minor triad plus a minor seventh. Cm7 is the easy-going minor, common as the ii chord right before a dominant seventh. The one-by-one button above makes that quality easy to hear.
A short Cm7 drill
Play Cm7 broken, one key at a time: C, E♭, G, B♭, G, E♭, C. Then press the keys together and check that all 4 sound at the same volume. Then climb the inversions: C–E♭–G–B♭, then E♭–G–B♭–C, then G–B♭–C–E♭, then B♭–C–E♭–G.
The keys of Cm7
Cm7 is a minor seventh chord, 1–♭3–5–♭7 from C. Root position, from the bottom: how Cm7 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | white key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| E♭ | black key | RH 2 · LH 3 | minor third |
| G | white key | RH 3 · LH 2 | perfect fifth |
| B♭ | black key | RH 5 · LH 1 | minor seventh |
Keys and progressions with Cm7
In B♭ major, ii–V–I on piano is Cm7 (C–E♭–G–B♭), F7 (F–A–C–E♭) and B♭maj7 (B♭–D–F–A). About the jazz cadence.
Cm7 on guitar and ukulele
The same notes on another instrument: Cm7 on guitar and Cm7 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.
Next to try on piano
Other minor seventh chords
Cm7 on piano: questions
What notes are in Cm7 on piano?
C, E♭, G and B♭: C (white key), E♭ (black key), G (white key) and B♭ (black key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play Cm7 on piano?
Press C, E♭, G and B♭ together (2 black, 2 white). Right hand: 1 on C, 2 on E♭, 3 on G and 5 on B♭.
What are the inversions of Cm7?
1st inversion (E♭–G–B♭–C), 2nd inversion (G–B♭–C–E♭) and 3rd inversion (B♭–C–E♭–G), after root position (C–E♭–G–B♭). Same notes, a different one at the bottom.
What does Cm7 look like on the keyboard?
white, black, white and black keys, the same pattern as Fm7, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside Cm7. Updated September 2026.