Piano chord

C Minor Piano Chord (Cm)

The C Minor chord on piano is made of the notes C, E♭ and G. Sad, dark, and melancholic. The second most common chord type.

C Minor chord on a piano keyboard: C, E♭, G C4C5 C E♭ G

Cm C – E♭ – G

Tap any key to hear it.

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What notes are in C Minor?

3 notes, built 1 – ♭3 – 5 up from C.

Notes
C – E♭ – G
Formula
1 – ♭3 – 5
Semitones from the root
0 – 3 – 7
Symbol
Cm
Chord type
Minor, 3 notes

How to play C Minor on piano

  • Right hand: C (1), E♭ (3), G (5). Fingers 1 – 3 – 5, thumb on C.
  • Left hand: C (5), E♭ (3), G (1). Fingers 5 – 3 – 1, little finger on C.

Fingers are numbered 1 (thumb) to 5 (little finger) on both hands.

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C Minor inversions

Each inversion puts a different note of the chord in the bass. Written as a slash chord: Cm/E♭, Cm/G.

C Minor root position on piano: C, E♭, G C E♭ G
Root position Cm C – E♭ – G RH 1 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 1
C Minor 1st inversion on piano: E♭, G, C E♭ G C
1st inversion Cm/E♭ E♭ – G – C RH 1 – 2 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 1
C Minor 2nd inversion on piano: G, C, E♭ G C E♭
2nd inversion Cm/G G – C – E♭ RH 1 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 2 – 1

Progressions with C Minor

Press play: the chords move across the keyboard as they sound, voiced so your hand barely moves.

Sad pop progression

in E♭ major

  1. vi Cm
  2. IV A♭
  3. I E♭
  4. V B♭
Sad pop progression in E♭ major: Cm, A♭, E♭, B♭ C E♭ G

ii–V–I

in B♭ major

  1. ii Cm
  2. V7 F7
  3. Imaj7 B♭maj7
ii–V–I in B♭ major: Cm, F7, B♭maj7 C E♭ G

Can you find C Minor?

Tap the notes on the keyboard, then check. Six chords, starting with this one.

1 / 6 Tap the notes of C Minor (Cm)

Score 0

Any octave, any order. Each key you tap plays.

Practice keyboard: tap the notes of the chord

What key is C Minor in?

The keys whose scale contains every note of Cm, with the chord’s Roman numeral in each.

Major keys

  • B♭ majorii
  • A♭ majoriii
  • E♭ majorvi

Minor keys

  • C minori
  • G minoriv
  • F minorv

C Minor chord FAQ

What notes are in the C Minor chord?

C Minor (Cm) has 3 notes: C, E♭ and G. Its formula is 1 – ♭3 – 5, counted up from C.

How do you play C Minor on the piano?

Put your right thumb on C and play C, E♭ and G with fingers 1 – 3 – 5. With the left hand, use fingers 5 – 3 – 1, little finger on C.

What are the inversions of C Minor?

1st inversion: E♭, G, C (Cm/E♭). 2nd inversion: G, C, E♭ (Cm/G).

What key is C Minor in?

Cm belongs to B♭ major (ii), A♭ major (iii), E♭ major (vi), C minor (i), G minor (iv) and F minor (v).

Other C chords

Minor chords on every root

Piano chord chart: all 264 chords Open Cm in the chord finder Free PDF chord chart Play it on the virtual piano