Explore chords · Guitar
C minor chord on guitar (Cm)
Also called or written Cm or Cmin
C minor contains C, E♭, and G, built from 1, ♭3, 5. The 3rd fret barre shape is a workhorse for minor-key progressions.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5
- Root positionC–E♭–GCm×-3-5-5-4-3
- First inversionE♭–G–CCm/E♭×-×-1-0-1-3
- Second inversionG–C–E♭Cm/G3-3-1-0-1-×
How do you play a C minor chord on guitar?
C minor is played at the 3rd fret as × 3 5 5 4 3: barre your index finger across fret 3, ring finger on the D string at fret 5, pinky finger on the G string at fret 5 and middle 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 | 3 | G (5) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 4 | C (1) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 2 | E♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 1 (barre) | G (5) |
IntermediateThe hardest part is holding the index barre across the A and high E strings while the middle, ring, and pinky fingers fret three separate notes.
8th fret
C minor is played at the 8th fret as 8 10 10 8 8 8: barre your index finger across fret 8, ring finger on the A string at fret 10 and pinky finger on the D string at fret 10.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8 | 1 (barre) | C (1) |
| 5 (A) | 10 | 3 | G (5) |
| 4 (D) | 10 | 4 | C (1) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 8 | 1 (barre) | G (5) |
| 1 (e) | 8 | 1 (barre) | C (1) |
Cmin/E♭ inversion · open position — the easy shape, no barre
C minor is played in open position as × × 1 0 1 3: index finger on the D string at fret 1, middle finger on the B string at fret 1 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 3. The G string rings open. 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) | open | — | G (5) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 2 | C (1) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 3 | G (5) |
Cmin/E♭ inversion · fret 4
C minor is played at the 4th fret as × 6 5 5 4 ×: pinky finger on the A string at fret 6, middle finger on the D string at fret 5, ring finger on the G string at fret 5 and index finger on the B string at fret 4. The low E and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 4 | E♭ (♭3) |
| 4 (D) | 5 | 2 | G (5) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 3 | C (1) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 1 | E♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
Cmin/E♭ inversion · fret 10
C minor is played at the 10th fret as 11 10 10 12 × ×: ring finger on the low E string at fret 11, index finger on the A string at fret 10, middle finger on the D string at fret 10 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 12. The B and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11 | 3 | E♭ (♭3) |
| 5 (A) | 10 | 1 | G (5) |
| 4 (D) | 10 | 2 | C (1) |
| 3 (G) | 12 | 4 | G (5) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
Why it sounds like that
C minor is built from the root C, a minor third E♭, and a perfect fifth G. The ♭3 interval is what separates it from C major, which raises that note to E. This single semitone change turns the chord from bright to dark.
What goes wrong with C minor?
- Letting the index barre lift off the high E string, which mutes the top note.
- Strumming the low E string, which is not a chord tone and sounds dissonant.
- Allowing the ring and pinky fingers to collapse and mute the adjacent strings.
When to use it
C minor is the vi chord in E♭ major, so it appears in progressions like E♭–B♭–Cm–A♭ (I–V–vi–IV). It suits jazz, blues, and any progression that needs a dark, brooding color. Pair it with E♭ major and A♭ major for the I–vi–IV–V loop.
Changing to and from C minor
- Slide the shape up one fret to the 4th fret to play C♯ minor.
- Move to F minor by shifting the barre to the 1st fret and changing the fretted notes to 3-3-1-1-1.
Which voicing to use
The 3rd fret barre shape gives the root C in the bass and is the standard voicing. The 8th fret barre repeats the same shape an octave higher, while the Cmin/E♭ inversion puts E♭ in the bass for a less stable sound.
Other C chords
Common questions
How is C minor written?
C minor is written Cm, Cmin, C−, or Cmi. The root is C, and no enharmonic spelling is used.
What is the difference between C minor and C major?
C minor lowers the third from E to E♭. That single note changes the chord from major to minor and gives it a sadder quality.
Why is the low E string muted in the C minor shape?
The low E is not a chord tone, so muting it prevents a dissonant note from ringing. It also keeps the bass note as C.
Can C minor be played without a barre?
Yes, the Cmin/E♭ inversion at the 1st fret uses no barre. But it puts E♭ in the bass and is less common as a root-position chord.