C minor guitar chord (Cm)

How to play Cm

Finger numbers run 1 for the index to 4 for the little finger. String names are given as players say them — the low E is the thickest string (the 6th) and the high E is the thinnest (the 1st).

1. 1st finger (index) — lies flat across the 3rd fret, covering 5 strings, from the A string up to the high E string
2. 2nd finger (middle) — 4th fret, B string
3. 3rd finger (ring) — 5th fret, D string
4. 4th finger (little) — 5th fret, G string

• Leave out: low E (6th) — start the strum below it, or damp it with the side of the thumb.
• Barre: 3rd fret, strings 5 down to 1. Place the other fingers first and add the barre last.

Notes and intervals in Cm

Cm is built from 3 notes: C, E♭ and G.

• C — the root (R)
• E♭ — the minor 3rd (b3)
• G — the perfect 5th (5)

Across the six strings the shape sounds C · G · C · E♭ · G from low to high, so some notes are doubled in different octaves — that is what gives an open guitar chord its width compared with the same chord on a keyboard.

What Cm is used for

C minor is the ii in B♭ and the vi in E♭, so it appears whenever a song sits in a band key. It is the A-minor shape barred at the 3rd fret, with the root on the 5th string.

Common mistakes with Cm

• Strumming the low E string. The root sits on the 5th string; mute the 6th with the tip of the index finger.
• The middle finger flattening onto the high E. It frets the B string one fret behind the others — keep its first joint arched so the barre underneath can ring.
• Pressing the whole barre equally. Only the A, B and high E strings rely on the index finger here; the rest is covered by the other fingers.

Chords that go with Cm

Same-root variations first, then the chords of the same key — a fourth and a fifth away, and the relative major — the shapes Cm is most often played alongside.

• C major
• C dominant 7
• C add9
• F minor
• G major
• G minor