Do you know which notes are in the C minor chord? In this article, you will learn three different ways to play this chord.
What is the C minor Chord on the Piano?
The symbol for the C minor chord is Cm and the notes of the Cm chord are C – Eb – G.
The Cm chord is a triad because it has three notes: root (C), minor third (Eb), and perfect fifth (G).
How Do You Play the C minor Chord on the Piano?
The picture below shows how to play the notes of the C minor chord on the piano in root position:
You can see that the first note is C (the root), the second note is Eb (the minor third), and the third note is G (the perfect fifth).
What is the Root Note of the C minor Chord?
Making the assumption that you are playing the Cm chord in root position the lowest note is C that is the note that gives the name to the chord.
How Do You Memorize the Cm Chord?
Here is how to memorize the C minor chord:
- Start from the first note of the chord (the root) that for the C minor chord is C.
- To find the second note calculate a minor third from the root (Eb).
- Then to find the third note of the chord calculate the perfect fifth from the root (G).
This applies if you are playing the C minor chord in root position.
What Are the Inversions of the C minor Chord?
The 1st inversion of the Cm chord starts with the note Eb.
The picture below shows how to play the notes of the C minor chord on the piano in the first inversion:
In the 1st inversion, you shift the root of the Cm chord (C) up one octave compared to the root position.
The notes of the Cm chord in the 1st inversion are Eb – G – C.
The 2nd inversion of the Cm chord starts with the note G.
Below you can see how to play the notes of the second inversion of the C minor chord on the piano:
In the 2nd inversion, you also shift the third of the Cm chord (Eb) up one octave.
The notes of the 2nd inversion of the Cm chord are G – C – Eb.
The Cm chord is a triad (a chord with three notes) and it doesn’t have a 3rd inversion because it would be the same as the root position.
What is the Difference Between C minor and C major Chords?
The C minor chord consists of C (root), Eb (minor third), and G (perfect fifth). The difference between the C minor and C major chords is that the C major chord has a major third (the note E) instead of the minor third.
Notes of the C minor chord: C – Eb – G
Notes of the C major chord: C – E – G
What Are Other C Chords?
The following articles show you how to play other C chords: