Skip to content
Back

The Cm7 chord (C minor seventh) on guitar

Cm7 is a C minor chord with a Bb added on top. It is softer than plain C minor and much less dramatic: the sound of soul, funk and jazz, and the chord that opens the most common progression in the key of B flat. On guitar it has no open version, but it does have a light four string shape you can play before the barre is ready.

Cm7 chord: notes and shapes at a glance

  • Name: C minor seventh
  • Symbol: Cm7
  • Notes: C, Eb, G, Bb
  • Where it belongs: vi7 in Eb major, iii7 in Ab major, ii7 in Bb major, im7 in C minor, ivm7 in G minor

Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.

Shape Frets, low E to high E Notes, low to high What it is for
Cm7, four strings xx1313 Eb Bb C G All four notes on the top strings, no stretch. Eb is the lowest note, so it sounds light: fine with a bass player.
Cm7, compact x3131x C Eb Bb C without G Root on the fifth string. It leaves out G, the fifth, and still sounds clearly like Cm7: Eb and Bb carry the color.
Cm7, barre at the third fret x35343 C G Bb Eb G The complete chord on five strings. The Bm7 shape moved up one fret, and movable to any minor seventh.
Cm7, jazz grip 8x888x C Bb Eb G Root on the low E at fret 8, fifth string muted, ring finger flat across D, G and B. Tight and clean for soul and funk.
Cm7, full barre 8 10 8 8 8 8 C G Bb Eb G C The E minor seventh shape at fret 8: first finger across all six strings, third finger on the A string at fret 10.
Cm7, four strings x x 1 3 1 3 · · 1 3 1 4 fingers
Cm7, compact x 3 1 3 1 x · 3 1 4 1 · fingers
Cm7, barre at the third fret x 3 5 3 4 3 · 1 3 1 2 1 fingers
Cm7, jazz grip 8 x 8 8 8 x 2 · 3 3 3 · fingers
Cm7, full barre 8 10 8 8 8 8

Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.

Cm7 on the neck: every C, Eb, G, Bb

Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of Cm7: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still Cm7.

Fretboard notes
Swipe the fretboard sideways to see every fret.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1 - E
E
F
Gb
G
Ab
A
Bb
B
C
Db
D
Eb
E
2 - B
B
C
Db
D
Eb
E
F
Gb
G
Ab
A
Bb
B
3 - G
G
Ab
A
Bb
B
C
Db
D
Eb
E
F
Gb
G
4 - D
D
Eb
E
F
Gb
G
Ab
A
Bb
B
C
Db
D
5 - A
A
Bb
B
C
Db
D
Eb
E
F
Gb
G
Ab
A
6 - E
E
F
Gb
G
Ab
A
Bb
B
C
Db
D
Eb
E

How to play Cm7, from light to full

1. Four strings: xx1313

First finger flat across the D, G and B strings at fret 1, third finger on the G string at fret 3, fourth finger on the high E at fret 3. Strum only the top four strings. You hear Eb, Bb, C and G: every note of Cm7.

2. Add the root: x3131x

Keep the first finger at fret 1 on the D and B strings, put the third finger on the fifth string (A) at fret 3 for the C, and the fourth finger on the G string at fret 3. The high E and low E are not played. This voicing has no G, and that is fine: Eb and Bb make the chord.

3. The barre: x35343

First finger across the fifth string to the first at fret 3. Third finger on the D string at fret 5, second finger on the B string at fret 4. The barre only needs to sound three notes clearly: C on the fifth string, Bb on the third, G on the first.

x35343 is Bm7 (x24232) moved up one fret. Slide it two more frets and you get Dm7 (x57565), two more and you get Em7 (x79787). One shape, every minor seventh with its root on the fifth string. The idea is explained on the barre chords page.

Cm7, C7, Cm6: one note apart

The chords around Cm7 differ by a single note, and that note is exactly what you hear.

Chord Notes Sound
Cm C, Eb, G Minor, serious
Cm7 C, Eb, G, Bb Minor, relaxed, soulful
C7 C, E, G, Bb Dominant, tense, pulls to F
Cm6 C, Eb, G, A Minor, elegant, jazz
Cm7b5 C, Eb, Gb, Bb Dark, unstable

To hear the step from Cm to Cm7, play x35543 and then x35343. Only the G string moves, from C at fret 5 down to Bb at fret 3.

Cm7 in progressions

Cm7 is above all the ii chord of B flat major, and the progression ii V I is where you will meet it most.

Progression Shapes What to watch
Cm7, F7, Bbmaj7 x35343, 1x121x, x13231 The ii V I of B flat. Cm7 with its root on the fifth string, F7 with its root on the sixth: the hand stays in the first frets.
Cm to Cm7 x35543 to x35343 One finger lifts: the C on the G string drops to Bb.
Cm7 to Cm6 x3131x to x31213 Bb becomes A on the G string. Two minor colors, side by side.

To try it in a song you may know: Radiohead's Creep moves from C to C minor. Play that C minor as Cm7 (x35343) and listen to how the change softens. It is not how the song is written, but it is the quickest way to hear what the seventh adds. More loops are on the chord progressions page.

Common mistakes with Cm7

  • Thinking x3131x is wrong because it has no G. It is a real Cm7. Dropping the fifth is standard practice.
  • Mixing up Cm7 and C7. Eb against E. If the chord sounds bright and pushy, check the D string.
  • Letting the low E ring in x35343. E clashes with Eb: start the strum on the fifth string.
  • Squeezing the barre. In x35343 the first finger only has to sound three strings. Let the other fingers do the rest and relax the thumb.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Cm7 on guitar?
The standard shape is x35343: first finger barred across the top five strings at fret 3, third finger on the D string at fret 5, second finger on the B string at fret 4. Leave the low E out. For a lighter version with no big barre, play x3131x or xx1313.
What notes are in a C minor 7 chord?
Four: C, Eb, G and Bb. That is a C minor triad (C, Eb, G) plus the minor seventh, Bb. The formula is 1, b3, 5, b7.
Is x3131x really a Cm7 if it has no G?
Yes. It plays C, Eb, Bb and C. The fifth, G, adds little color to a minor seventh chord; the minor third (Eb) and the minor seventh (Bb) are what define it. Guitarists drop the fifth all the time to keep a shape compact.
What is the difference between Cm7 and C7?
The third. Cm7 has Eb, a minor third; C7 has E, a major third. Both have Bb. Cm7 sounds soft and relaxed, C7 sounds tense and wants to move to F.
Why does my Cm7 barre buzz?
In x35343 the first finger has to sound three strings: C on the fifth, Bb on the third and G on the first. If one of them buzzes, the finger is usually too far from the fret wire or a crease of the finger lands on that string. Move the barre right up behind the fret, roll it slightly onto its bony edge, and keep the thumb low behind the neck. Press less, not more, once the placement is right.
Yohann Abbou, guitar teacher and founder of Guitar Social Club

Who made this

Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris who teaches adults. Every shape on this page is written string by string and checked against standard tuning, and the diagrams are drawn from those same fret numbers. The rest of our free guitar tools, including the chord finder, work the same way.

More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.