Cm Guitar Chord

Cm is the C minor chord. It has three notes: C, E♭ and G. Unlike C major, it has no open shape: the standard Cm is a barre at the 3rd fret. If barres are still new to you, the four string version below plays the same three notes without one.

The Am shape barred at fret 3. It is the same grip as Bm one fret higher, where most hands find the barre a touch easier.

How to play Cm, step by step

Index finger: press flat across the A to high E strings at fret 3
Middle finger: 4th fret, B string
Ring finger: 5th fret, D string
Pinky finger: 5th fret, G string
Strum from the A string down, skipping the low E.

This grip is fully movable. Slide it two frets down for Bm, two up for Dm; learning it once buys you every minor chord along the A string.

Easy Cm for beginners (no barre)

You can play a real C minor without any barre: xx5543, which is the standard shape's top four strings with each note given its own finger.

No apology needed for the smaller shape. What makes a minor chord itself is the root, the third and the fifth, and xx5543 carries all three: G, C, E♭ and G again on top. Only the low C is absent, and in a band the bass player covers it anyway.

When you want the full version, remember that fret 3 is a forgiving place to learn a barre, softer than frets 1 and 2. Cm is actually a better first barre project than the more famous F.

More ways to play Cm

There are 4 common Cm shapes in total: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these, easiest first. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.

Cm guitar chord diagram, easier, no barre, played xx5543 — Easier, no barre

Cm guitar chord diagram, barre at fret 8, played 8 10 10 8 8 8 — Barre at fret 8

Cm guitar chord diagram, compact, frets 8 to 10, played x x 10 8 8 8 — Compact, frets 8 to 10

If notes crackle or vanish

The high E buzzes at the barre: The barre only truly sounds two strings in this shape, the A and the high E. Tip the index onto its edge and make sure its outer end lands hard on the high E.
The B string note chokes: The middle finger holds the 4th fret alone while its neighbors sit at the 5th. If they pull it flat, it mutes the high E; keep the middle finger curled on its tip.
Low E rumbles underneath: The open low E is not in Cm. Start each strum from the A string, and let the barre's fingertip lean against the low E as insurance.

What makes it a Cm

C · E♭ · G 1 ♭3 5

Cm is a minor triad: C, a minor third E♭, and a fifth G. It is the relative minor of E♭ major, and it works as the ii chord in B♭ and the vi chord in E♭, keys beloved by horns and piano. On guitar you often meet Cm as a borrowed color inside a major key: Creep uses the C to Cm drop inside G major, and Bohemian Rhapsody leans on Cm in its B♭ sections.

Cm vs C

Only one note changes: C major's E becomes E♭. On guitar the gap feels wider than that, because C major has a friendly open shape and Cm does not; you jump from open strings to a 3rd fret barre. The pair is worth practicing together anyway: major to minor on the same root is a classic songwriting move, and Creep does exactly that.

Cm chord questions

Why is there no open Cm chord?

Its notes do not line up with the open strings the way C major's do. E♭ has no open string at all, so every practical Cm voicing needs fretted notes across the shape.

How do I play Cm without a barre?

Use xx5543: four fingers on the top four strings. It contains the complete triad and works in any song that asks for Cm.

What songs use Cm?

Creep uses it for its famous major to minor drop, and Bohemian Rhapsody passes through it repeatedly.

What is the difference between Cm and C?

One note: E♭ in Cm against E in C major. That single half step is the whole major versus minor divide.

What key is Cm in?

Cm is the ii chord of B♭ major, the vi chord of E♭ major, and the home chord of C minor, which shares its three flats with E♭ major.