The Key of C Minor for Guitar
The key of C minor has the notes C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭, 3 flats (B♭ E♭ A♭), and its relative major is E♭ major.
- Chords
- Cm Ddim E♭ Fm Gm A♭ B♭
- Main three
- Cm Fm Gm
- Key signature of C minor
- 3 flats (B♭ E♭ A♭)
Chords in the key
Chords in C minor · moved from C minor · · tap to hear1 home chord of the key
35 on the 3rd and 5th
2 other degrees
Now sounding
Key · Capo
Showing: C minor (page key)No capo: you play C minor shapes as written.
Fretboard · C minor scale
Tap a dot to hear it; it lights amber while it sounds. Brightest dot = 1, the root (C). Lighter grey = 3 and 5. High e on top, frets 0 to 12, no capo. Swipe the board sideways for frets 7 to 12.
Progression · i–VI–III–VII
Stopped. Four beats per chord, strum D D U D.
Chords in C minor, with notes
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i | Cm | C E♭ G |
| ii° | Ddim | D F A♭ |
| III | E♭ | E♭ G B♭ |
| iv | Fm | F A♭ C |
| v | Gm | G B♭ D |
| VI | A♭ | A♭ C E♭ |
| VII | B♭ | B♭ D F |
Seventh chords in C minor
Add the next scale note a third above each triad and you get the four-note seventh chords of the key.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i7 | Cm7 | C E♭ G B♭ |
| iiø7 | Dm7♭5 | D F A♭ C |
| IIImaj7 | E♭maj7 | E♭ G B♭ D |
| iv7 | Fm7 | F A♭ C E♭ |
| v7 | Gm7 | G B♭ D F |
| VImaj7 | A♭maj7 | A♭ C E♭ G |
| VII7 | B♭7 | B♭ D F A♭ |
Shapes and voicings for every chord: chord directory.
Why C minor has 3 flats (B♭ E♭ A♭)
Every minor scale uses the same step pattern: whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole. Start that pattern on C and the notes land on C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭, so the key needs B♭, E♭ and A♭. On one string a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret, up to the octave at fret 12.
C minor scale in first position
Every note of C minor in frets 0 to 4. Play one finger per fret: fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3, fret 4 = finger 4, open strings need no finger. Start on the lowest root, C on the 5th string, fret 3, and play up string by string.
Tap a dot to hear it. High e on top; the brightest dot is the root.
Past fret 4: C minor scale in every position up the neck, with play-along and a root drone. Pentatonic, blues and the modes work over these chords too: see all guitar scales.
Playing in C minor on guitar
The signature of C minor is three flats (B♭, E♭, A♭), the same as E♭ major. Two of the six open strings are in the scale, D and G. The open E strings clash with E♭, A clashes with A♭, and B clashes with B♭, so most chords here are fretted all the way.
Cm is the A-shape minor barre at fret 3 (x 3 5 5 4 3). Fm and Gm are E-shape barres at frets 1 and 3; E♭, A♭ and B♭ are major barres; Ddim is rare in songs. The four-string E♭ (x x 1 3 4 3) is a handy grip for the III chord near the nut.
The open G chord is the surprise: it is not in the natural minor row, but songs in C minor often use G or G7 as the V, because its B natural (from the harmonic minor scale) leads up to C. So a full open G can sit between two barred Cm chords.
The falling line Cm B♭ A♭ G (i, VII, VI, V) is a classic minor-key descent, and with capo 3 it is Am G F E. Without a capo, B♭ and A♭ are A-shape and E-shape barres at frets 1 and 4, then the open G gives the hand a rest before Cm comes round again.
Common progressions in C minor
| Degrees | Chords | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| i–VI–III–VII | Cm A♭ E♭ B♭ | Cm A♭ E♭ B♭: four barres; capo 3 turns them into Am F C G. |
| i–iv–v–i | Cm Fm Gm Cm | Cm Fm Gm Cm: swap Gm for an open G or G7 and the cadence resolves with a half-step pull from B to C. |
| i–VII–VI–VII | Cm B♭ A♭ B♭ | Cm B♭ A♭ B♭: the bass falls C, B♭, A♭ on the A and low E strings. |
| i–iv–VII–III | Cm Fm B♭ E♭ | Cm Fm B♭ E♭: the fifths chain lands on E♭, the relative major. |
Pick one in the player above and press Play to strum along, four beats per chord.
Capo and C minor
Capo 3 with Am shapes sounds in C minor: Am, Dm, Em, F, C and G become Cm, Fm, Gm, A♭, E♭ and B♭. Capo 8 with Em shapes also works for a high, bright second part.
| Capo | Cm shapes sound in |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | C♯ minor |
| Fret 2 | D minor |
| Fret 3 | E♭ minor |
| Fret 4 | E minor |
| Fret 5 | F minor |
| Fret 6 | F♯ minor |
| Fret 7 | G minor |
Song in another key? Capo for C minor songs: the capo fret and easier shapes, or any other key.
New to the capo? How to use a capo: where to clamp it and why the same shapes sound in a new key.
Relative major: E♭ major
E♭ major uses the same seven notes, starting on E♭, the 3rd note of the scale. Its chord is the III in the row above. Songs often move between the two keys without changing a single chord shape.
Have a recording and no idea what key it is in? Find the key of a song from the audio file or by letting it listen; it also gives the chords to play and the easiest capo.
Related keys
- The key of E♭ majorrelative
- The key of C majorparallel
- The key of F minorcircle, one step left
- The key of G minorcircle, one step right
See how every key connects: interactive circle of fifths.
FAQ about C minor
What chords are in the key of C minor?
Cm, Ddim, E♭, Fm, Gm, A♭ and B♭. Many songs also use G or G7 as the V chord.
How do I play in C minor without barres?
Capo 3 and play A minor shapes. The Am you fret now sounds as Cm, and E or E7 under the capo sounds as G or G7.
How many flats are in C minor?
Three: B♭, E♭ and A♭. The scale is C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭.
What is the relative major of C minor?
E♭ major, with the same three flats. E♭ is the III chord of C minor.
Next steps in C minor
- Progressions in C minorgenerate, hear and loop chord progressions in this key
- C minor pentatonicthe five-note soloing scale
- Drop C (CGCFAD)low C root on string 6
- C harmonic minorraised 7th: where the major V chord comes from
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along