C Minor guitar chord

The shape

Tap the diagram to hear C Minor strummed. C Minor is played as a barre chord around fret 3: lay a finger across the strings at that fret and build the shape on top. Movable, so the same grip works up and down the neck.

The notes in C Minor

A minor chord is spelled from its root up: C (R), E♭ (♭3), G (5). Those are the only notes in C Minor — play them in any order, in any octave, and it's still C Minor.

What a minor chord is

In plain terms, a minor chord lowers the third of a major chord by one fret (a half step), giving root, flat third and fifth — one small change, a completely different mood.

How it's used: It's the home (i) of a minor key and the ii, iii and vi of a major key. That vi is the 'sad turn' in countless pop songs.

The sound: Darker, wistful, serious — the default 'sad' chord. Where you'll hear it: Minor-key songs, the emotional dip in major-key pop, film scores, metal.

Hear C Minor in a progression

As the i chord of a minor key, in a i–iv–V–i (with the V played major for a stronger pull home). Press play, and drag the Key control to move it anywhere.

Keys that use C Minor

C Minor appears naturally in these keys — click any to see all seven of its chords and how C Minor fits in:

Other C chords

minor chords on other roots

Chords and their spellings are shared facts of music theory. Every diagram and sound here is generated by ThunderFret's own engine — no tabs, lyrics or recordings are reproduced.