As the ii in a ii-V-IB♭ major
- ii7Cm7
- V7F7
- Imaj7B♭maj7
The standard cadence: Cm7 carries the subdominant function before the dominant arrives.
Cm7 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The Cm7 chord is a minor seventh chord built on the root note C. Its notes are C, E♭, G and B♭.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Minor seventh chords are smooth and neutral, softer than a plain minor triad. They're a staple of jazz, funk and neo-soul, where they add motion without heavy tension.
- Notes
- C · E♭ · G · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 7 · 10
- Note
- C
- Quality
- Minor 7
- Symbol
- Cm7
Cm7 on piano
4 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play Cm7 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on C, index finger on E♭, middle finger on G and little finger on B♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard E♭ and B♭ are black keys and C and G are white. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- C1
- E♭♭3
- G5
- B♭♭7
Cm7 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, Cm7 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 8: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
C · E♭ · G · B♭
Play Cm7 on the online piano
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Cm7 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | C | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | E♭(Eb) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | G | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | B♭(Bb) |
How to use the Cm7 chord
The Cm7 chord is built from a root, a minor third, a perfect fifth and a minor seventh. Start at the root C and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: C, E♭, G and B♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Minor seventh chords are foundational in jazz, funk, neo-soul and R&B. They're typically the iim7, iiim7 or vim7 chord of a major key and the i7 of a minor key.
In major keys Cm7 is the ii7 in B♭ major, the vi7 in E♭ major and the iii7 in A♭ major; in minor keys it's the iv7 in G minor, the i7 in C minor and the v7 in F minor.
How Cm7 differs from similar chords
Cm7 puts a minor seventh on a minor triad, which separates it from Cm(maj7), whose seventh is a half step higher and much sharper. Compared with Cm7♭5, it keeps a perfect fifth, so it sounds relaxed rather than tense. Its upper three notes form the major triad a minor third above the root, which is why it blends so easily with major chords.
Where Cm7 is used
A minor chord works as the tonic of its own key, and as the vi or the ii of a major one. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.
As the vi in a major keyE♭ major
- Imaj7E♭maj7
- vi7Cm7
- ii7Fm7
- V7B♭7
A turnaround. Cm7 is the relative minor of E♭, which softens the way back to the tonic.
As a modal tonicC minor
A modal vamp - Cm7 is home, and the loop never resolves away from it.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the Cm7 chord?
- The Cm7 chord contains C, E♭, G and B♭ (C, Eb, G and Bb in plain text).
- Is the Cm7 chord major or minor?
- Cm7 is a minor seventh chord. Minor seventh chords are smooth and neutral, softer than a plain minor triad. They're a staple of jazz, funk and neo-soul, where they add motion without heavy tension.
- What key is the Cm7 chord in?
- In major keys Cm7 is the ii7 in B♭ major, the vi7 in E♭ major and the iii7 in A♭ major; in minor keys it's the iv7 in G minor, the i7 in C minor and the v7 in F minor.
- How do you play Cm7 on piano?
- Place your fingers on C, E♭, G and B♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard E♭ and B♭ are black keys and C and G are white.
- How do you play Cm7 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 8: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
- What chords work well with Cm7?
- Cm7 pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.