C minor seventh chord (Cm7)

C minor seventh is a 4-note minor seventh chord: C – E♭ – G – B♭. It sounds relaxed, warm and a little melancholic. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele, with fingering and audio.

NotesC – E♭ – G – B♭
Formula1 – ♭3 – 5 – ♭7
SymbolCm7 · Cmin7 · C-7
TypeMinor seventh chord

C minor seventh on guitar

Barre at fret 3 (A shape)
Barre at fret 8 (E shape)

How to place your fingers (barre at fret 3)

Barre fret 3 with your index finger, from the 5th to the 1st string.
Finger 3 (ring) on fret 5 of the 4th string (D).
Place finger 2 (middle) at fret 4 on the 2nd string (B).
Do not play the 6th string: strum from the 5th.

The numbers inside the dots are the fingers of your left hand: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring and 4 pinky. The colored dots mark the root (C). The other positions let you change chords without jumping along the neck, or give you a higher-pitched sound.

C minor seventh on piano

In root position, play C – E♭ – G – B♭ from bottom to top with fingers 1, 2, 3 and 5 of your right hand. With your left hand you usually play just the root (C) or the root and the fifth.

Inversions

First inversion: E♭ – G – B♭ – C
Second inversion: G – B♭ – C – E♭
Third inversion: B♭ – C – E♭ – G

C minor seventh on ukulele

From fret 3
From fret 3

Standard tuning G – C – E – A (the G string is the high one). Is your ukulele in tune? Use the ukulele tuner.

Notes and intervals of C minor seventh

C1 · root
E♭♭3 · minor third
G5 · perfect fifth
B♭♭7 · minor seventh

It's the second degree of the jazz ii–V–I progression and shows up in salsa, funk, neo soul and pop.

Progressions with Cm7

The ii–V–I: ii7 – V7 – Imaj7

Cm7 is the second degree of B♭ major.

Two-chord vamp: i7 – IV7

A typical funk, soul and salsa groove.

Which keys contain C minor seventh?

Cm7 belongs to 6 keys: in each one it plays a different role depending on the degree (the Roman numeral).

Key	Degree
E♭ major	vi7
A♭ major	iii7
B♭ major	ii7
C natural minor	i7
F natural minor	v7
G natural minor	iv7

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the C minor seventh chord?

C minor seventh (Cm7) has 4 notes: C (root), E♭ (minor third), G (perfect fifth), B♭ (minor seventh).

How do you play C minor seventh on guitar?

The most common shape uses a barre at fret 3: x 3 5 3 4 3 (from the 6th to the 1st string). Barre fret 3 with your index finger, from the 5th to the 1st string. Finger 3 (ring) on fret 5 of the 4th string (D). Finger 2 (middle) on fret 4 of the 2nd string (B). Do not play the 6th string: strum from the 5th.

How do you write C minor seventh in chord notation?

It is written Cm7; you may also see Cmin7 or C-7. Letter notation uses C, D, E, F, G, A and B for the notes.

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