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Harmonic field of C minor on guitar

C minor: C – D – Eb – F – G – Ab – Bb. In the shapes below, the tonic opens with the bass on C. On the guitar, six strings give the chord room to breathe — some positions use them all, others ask you to mute the lowest ones. Its hollow wooden body gives every chord a warm, natural ring that blooms and fades on its own.

Cm7, x 3 5 3 4 3Cm713121×CGBbEbG
i · tonic× 3 5 3 4 3
Dm7b5, x x 0 1 1 1Dm7b5111××DAbCF
ii° · subdominant× × 0 1 1 1
Ebmaj7, x 6 8 7 8 6Ebmaj7613241×EbBbDGBb
III · tonic× 6 8 7 8 6
Fm7, 1 3 1 1 1 1Fm7131111FCEbAbCF
iv · subdominant1 3 1 1 1 1
Gm7, 3 5 3 3 3 3Gm7131111GDFBbDG
v · dominant3 5 3 3 3 3
Abmaj7, 4 6 5 5 4 4Abmaj74142311AbEbGCEbAb
VI · tonic4 6 5 5 4 4
Bb7, x 1 3 1 3 1Bb712131×BbFAbDF
VII · dominant× 1 3 1 3 1

This is the natural-minor field. In practice the v often becomes V (major) or V7 — borrowed from the harmonic minor — to create the leading tone that pulls back to the tonic.

These are the first positions of every degree of C minor on guitar. In Chord & Fret, the Circle of Fifths opens the full field — every degree with all its positions, audio and the key's secondary dominants. Open in Chord & Fret →

See the full harmonic field of C minor →