Chords in the Key of C Minor — Guitar Chord Chart

The key of C minor has 3 flats, and its seven chords are Cm, Ddim, E♭, Fm, Gm, A♭, B♭. Start with Cm, Fm, Gm: they are the three a song in C minor cannot do without. Every diagram below plays when you press it.

The seven chords of C minor

One chord on each note of the scale, built from the scale’s own notes. Capital numerals are major chords, small ones minor, and ° is diminished.

iCmx35543the home chord
ii°Ddimxx0131rare — a passing chord
IIIE♭xx1343the relative major
ivFm133111the step away from home
vGm310033the natural, gentler dominant
VIA♭466544bright against the minor home
VIIB♭x13331a whole step under home

The three to learn first

Cm is home — the chord the song starts from and ends on. Fm is the step away, and Gm is the one that pulls back home. On guitar they are x35543, 133111 and 310033: Cm with a barre at the 3rd fret and three more fingers, Fm with a barre at the 1st fret and two more fingers and Gm with four fingers.

The easy way: a capo at the 3rd fret

C minor is not a friendly key on guitar — Cm, E♭, Fm, Gm and A♭ need a barre or a fourth finger. Clamp a capo at the 3rd fret and play the chords of A minor instead: every shape sounds 3 semitones higher, so the Am shape sounds Cm, the Dm shape sounds Fm and the Em shape sounds Gm.

Progressions in C minor

The orders these chords are most often played in. Press play to hear each one strummed, a bar to a chord.

i – iv – V7Cm – Fm – G7

The minor three-chord song, with the major dominant.

i – VI – III – VIICm – A♭ – E♭ – B♭

The four-chord pop progression, started from its minor chord.

i – VII – VI – V7Cm – B♭ – A♭ – G7

The descending “Andalusian” line.

The sevenths

Four-note versions of the same chords. G7 is the one worth learning first: it is Gm with one note added, and it pulls toward Cm harder than the plain chord does.

V7G7320001the major dominant, borrowed from the harmonic minor
i7Cm7x35343home, softened
iv7Fm7131111the step away, softened

The scale behind the chords

C minor is the notes C – D – E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B♭. Every chord above uses only those seven notes (except G7, which raises the seventh), which is why they sound as if they belong together — and why a melody in C minor fits over any of them. Its relative major is E♭ major, which has the same notes and the same chords with a different home.

The nearest keys are a fifth either side: G minor and F minor. Each shares six of this key’s seven notes, which is why songs change key to them so often.

Frequently asked questions

What chords are in the key of C minor?

Cm (i), Ddim (ii°), E♭ (III), Fm (iv), Gm (v), A♭ (VI), B♭ (VII). They are the seven chords you get by stacking thirds on each note of the C minor scale — C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, B♭ — using only notes of that scale. Songs in C minor also use G7, the major dominant, which borrows one note from outside it.

What are the three main chords in C minor?

Cm, Fm and Gm — the chords on the first, fourth and fifth notes of the scale. Cm is home, Fm moves away from it and Gm pulls back. A great many songs use only these three.

What is the relative major of C minor?

E♭ major. The two keys share all seven notes and all seven chords, in a different order: what is III in C minor is the home chord of E♭ major. A song can move between them without any chord sounding out of place.

Is C minor an easy key on guitar?

5 of its six everyday chords — Cm, E♭, Fm, Gm and A♭ — need a barre or four fingers on guitar. The usual way round that is a capo at the 3rd fret, playing the chord shapes of A minor.

Guitar Chords in the Key of C Minor