Tools / Chords / C minor

C minor chord on guitar (Cm)

Also 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.

3rd fret×-3-5-5-4-3

Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it’s built

C1Root

E♭♭3Minor 3rd

G5Perfect 5th

Formula 1, ♭3, 5

Positions on the neck1 of 5

Inversions

The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.

Root positionC–E♭–GCmBass C

First inversionE♭–G–CCm/E♭Bass E♭

Second inversionG–C–E♭Cm/GBass G

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.

How do you play a C minor chord on guitar?

3rd fret

Barre● On the diagram

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.

Tip — The 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.

String-by-string 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)

8th fret

Barre

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.

String-by-string 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

Beginner

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.

String-by-string 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

Intermediate

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.

String-by-string 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

Intermediate

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.

String-by-string 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	—	—

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.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

muted

—

5 (A)

1 (barre)

C (1)

4 (D)

G (5)

3 (G)

C (1)

2 (B)

E♭ (♭3)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

G (5)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

C (1)

5 (A)

G (5)

4 (D)

C (1)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

E♭ (♭3)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

G (5)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

C (1)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

muted

—

5 (A)

muted

—

4 (D)

E♭ (♭3)

3 (G)

open

—

G (5)

2 (B)

C (1)

1 (e)

G (5)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

muted

—

5 (A)

E♭ (♭3)

4 (D)

G (5)

3 (G)

C (1)

2 (B)

E♭ (♭3)

1 (e)

muted

—

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

E♭ (♭3)

5 (A)

G (5)

4 (D)

C (1)

3 (G)

G (5)

2 (B)

muted

—

1 (e)

muted

—