Which notes are in the Cm chord?

Cm contains the notes C, D# and G. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – ♭3 – 5.

How many ways can you play Cm?

Minory lists 2 guitar fingerings for Cm, 2 of which are barre shapes. They all produce the same chord — what changes is the voicing and where it sits on the neck.

Is the Cm chord hard to play?

Cm requires a barre, so it can feel demanding at first. Keeping the index finger straight and pressing from the wrist rather than the thumb makes it noticeably easier.

C minor · Guitar

Cm Chord on Guitar

The Cm chord (C minor) is built from the notes C, D# and G. 2 different guitar fingerings for it are shown below.

Chord diagrams

Position 1barre shape · starts at fret 3

Fingering

string 6 (E): muted
string 5 (A): fret 3 — index finger
string 4 (D): fret 5 — ring finger
string 3 (G): fret 5 — little finger
string 2 (B): fret 4 — middle finger
string 1 (E): fret 3 — index finger

Position 2barre shape · starts at fret 8

Fingering

string 6 (E): fret 8 — index finger
string 5 (A): fret 10 — ring finger
string 4 (D): fret 10 — little finger
string 3 (G): fret 8 — index finger
string 2 (B): fret 8 — index finger
string 1 (E): fret 8 — index finger

Notes in this chord

C
D♯
G

Degrees: 1 – ♭3 – 5

How to play

Every guitar shape for Cm needs a barre, and the lowest one starts at fret 3. Keep the index finger straight and as close to the fret wire as possible, and let the wrist rather than the thumb supply the pressure.

Theory behind the chord

Minor chords sound darker than major ones because the third is lowered by a semitone. They carry the melancholic colour in most songs and pair naturally with their relative major. On Cm this structure sits on the root C, so the degrees 1 – ♭3 – 5 map onto C, D# and G. Cm is the vi chord in the key of D# major, the ii chord in A# major and the iii chord in G# major. Its relative major is D#. It is often heard in the Cm – G# – D# – A# progression.

Frequently asked questions

Which notes are in the Cm chord?: Cm contains the notes C, D# and G. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – ♭3 – 5.
How many ways can you play Cm?: Minory lists 2 guitar fingerings for Cm, 2 of which are barre shapes. They all produce the same chord — what changes is the voicing and where it sits on the neck.
Is the Cm chord hard to play?: Cm requires a barre, so it can feel demanding at first. Keeping the index finger straight and pressing from the wrist rather than the thumb makes it noticeably easier.

Practise Cm on your phone

Minory bundles the full chord library with a tuner, metronome and repertoire notebook — and it all works offline.