Cm chord: minor
Cm is the minor chord on C: C, Eb and G (1–b3–5). Cm stacks the root C, the minor third Eb and the perfect fifth G. The minor triad swaps the major third for a minor third.
Notes in Cm: C – Eb – GFormula: 1 – b3 – 5In the formula, the numbers count steps of the major scale starting from the note that names the chord; "b" lowers a half step, "#" raises one — and a slash names the bass note.
That single note changes everything: the chord sounds more introspective and melancholic, while keeping the same stability as the major triad.
The same chord on all four instruments
Where to use it
The home chord of sad songs, it is the minor tonic — in other words, the arrival point where the music comes to rest. Inside a major key it becomes the famous relative minor (Am within C major) or the step that prepares a chord of tension.
See Cm voicings on the fretboard →See Cm voicings on the fretboard →See Cm voicings on the fretboard →See Cm voicings on the fretboard →
Part of the Triads family.