About the Cm7 chord
The minor seventh adds a flattened seventh to a minor chord. It is mellower than a plain minor and is the workhorse of jazz, funk and neo-soul progressions. The symbol for it is Cm7.
How to play Cm7
- Lay your index finger flat across the top 4 strings at fret 1, pressing just behind the fret.
- Put your middle finger on the A string at fret 3.
- Put your ring finger on the G string at fret 3.
- Put your little finger on the high E string at fret 3.
- Strum and don't play the low E string.
1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring · 4 little
Chords in the key of C minor
These are the chords built on each note of the C minor scale, so they all sound good together with Cm7. The Roman numeral under each one is its position in the key.
Other C chords
Cm7 chord questions
What notes are in a Cm7 chord?
Cm7 is made of C, E♭, G and B♭. In intervals that is 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7 above the root, C.
What is the easiest way to play Cm7?
The first shape above is the most common one: x 3 1 3 1 3 from the low E string to the high E, where x means don't play that string and 0 means play it open. It uses a barre, so if that is hard at first, try one of the other shapes.
Is Cm7 a barre chord?
The main shape uses a barre, where one finger holds down several strings at once. Press just behind the fret and roll the finger slightly onto its side.