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C minor 7th chord on guitar (Cm7)
Also called or written Cm7 or Cmin7
C minor 7th contains C, E♭, G, and B♭. The 1st fret voicing is a barre chord that demands a strong index finger.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7
- Root positionC–E♭–G–B♭Cm7×-3-1-3-1-3
- First inversionE♭–G–B♭–CCm7/E♭×-×-1-3-1-3
- Second inversionG–B♭–C–E♭Cm7/G3-1-1-0-1-×
- Third inversionB♭–C–E♭–GCm7/B♭×-1-1-0-1-3
How do you play a C minor 7th chord on guitar?
C minor 7th is played at the 1st fret as × 3 1 3 1 3: barre your index finger across fret 1, middle finger on the A string at fret 3, ring finger on the G string at fret 3 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 3. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 2 | C (1) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (♭3) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 3 | B♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 1 (barre) | C (1) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 4 | G (5) |
AdvancedThe index finger must barre the D and B strings at the 1st fret while the pinky stretches to the 3rd fret on the high E string.
3rd fret
C minor 7th is played at the 3rd fret as × 3 5 3 4 3: barre your index finger across fret 3, pinky finger on the D string at fret 5 and ring finger on the B string at fret 4. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 1 (barre) | C (1) |
| 4 (D) | 5 | 4 | G (5) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 3 | E♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 1 (barre) | G (5) |
8th fret
C minor 7th is played at the 8th fret as 8 10 8 8 8 8: barre your index finger across fret 8 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 10.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8 | 1 (barre) | C (1) |
| 5 (A) | 10 | 4 | G (5) |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 8 | 1 (barre) | G (5) |
| 1 (e) | 8 | 1 (barre) | C (1) |
10th fret
C minor 7th is played at the 10th fret as × × 10 12 11 11: index finger on the D string at fret 10, pinky finger on the G string at fret 12, middle finger on the B string at fret 11 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 11. The low E and A strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 10 | 1 | C (1) |
| 3 (G) | 12 | 4 | G (5) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 2 | B♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 3 | E♭ (♭3) |
Cm7/E♭ inversion
C minor 7th is played at the 1st fret as × × 1 3 1 3: index finger on the D string at fret 1, ring finger on the G string at fret 3, middle finger on the B string at fret 1 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 3. The low E and A strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 | E♭ (♭3) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 3 | B♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 2 | C (1) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 4 | G (5) |
Why it sounds like that
C minor 7th is built from 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7. The ♭7 adds a mellow edge to the minor triad. Compare it with C minor, which has no seventh.
What goes wrong with C minor 7th?
- The barre fails to press the B string, causing a dead note.
- The pinky touches the G string, muting it.
- The low E string rings out because the index finger doesn't mute it.
When to use it
C minor 7th works in the I–V–vi–IV progression in E♭ major: E♭ major–B♭ major–C minor–A♭ major. It suits jazz, R&B, and neo-soul.
Changing to and from C minor 7th
- Slide the shape up one fret to the 2nd fret to get <a href="/guitar/c-sharp-minor-7-chord">C♯ minor 7th</a>.
Which voicing to use
The 1st fret barre is the standard voicing. The 3rd fret barre is easier to play because the frets are closer together. The Cm7/E♭ inversion puts the third in the bass for a darker sound.
Other C chords
Common questions
How is C minor 7th written?
C minor 7th is written as Cmin7 or Cm7.
What is the difference between C minor 7th and C minor?
C minor 7th adds the note B♭ to the C minor triad. That B♭ is a minor 7th above C, giving the chord a softer, more colorful sound.
Why is the low E string muted in the 1st fret voicing?
The open E string is not a chord tone, so it would clash with the chord. Muting it keeps the voicing clean.