Cm7 Ukulele Chord

Cm7 is the C minor seventh chord. It has four notes: C, E flat, G and B flat. The standard shape presses every string at the 3rd fret, a straight line played with four fingers or one flat index.

1234B♭E♭GC

Every string at the 3rd fret: the open tuning moved up three. Four fingers as charted, or one index laid flat.

How to play Cm7 on ukulele, step by step

  1. Index finger: 3rd fret, G string
  2. Middle finger: 3rd fret, C string
  3. Ring finger: 3rd fret, E string
  4. Pinky finger: 3rd fret, A string
  5. Strum all four strings.

The line is the open Am7 tuning moved up three frets: on a ukulele the same straight line at any fret is always a minor seventh chord. One fret down it is Bm7, two up it is Dm7.

More ways to play Cm7

There are 3 common Cm7 shapes: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these further up the neck. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.

Frets 3 to 6
Cm7 ukulele chord diagram, frets 3 to 6, played 0363

Spread and modern sounding: the open fifth rings underneath while the seventh sits tucked up high.

Frets 6 to 6
Cm7 ukulele chord diagram, frets 6 to 6, played 0066

Half open, half up the neck: a drone-like Cm7 that suits slow strums and fingerpicking.

If the shape is not clean

Four fingers do not fit side by side
Lay the index flat across all four strings at the 3rd fret instead. Same notes, one finger, and by fret 3 the strings give in easily.
The inner strings buzz
The C and E strings sit under the softest part of a flattened finger. Roll the index slightly onto its bony edge and check each string on its own.
It sounds like plain Cm
Listen for the B flat on the G string. Play Cm, then Cm7, and the G string is the only thing that changes; if you cannot hear it, pick that string alone.

What makes it a Cm7

C · E♭ · G · B♭ 1 ♭3 5 ♭7

Cm7 is a minor seventh chord: a C minor triad (C, E flat, G) plus a minor seventh (B flat). The seventh takes the edge off the minor, trading darkness for warmth.

Cm7 is the ii chord of B flat and the vi chord of E flat, both horn and piano keys, and it anchors the key of C minor. On the ukulele it earns its keep in soul and jazz songs played in their original flat keys.

Cm7 vs Cm

One string separates them. Cm leaves the G string open, sounding G, the fifth; Cm7 presses it at the 3rd fret, where it sounds B flat, the seventh. The other three notes do not move.

The open string makes Cm ring a little brighter; the fretted line makes Cm7 darker and more even. Swap between them and the character of the change is easy to hear.

Cm7 chord questions

Why is Cm7 a straight line across the 3rd fret?

Because the ukulele's open strings already spell a minor seventh chord. Moving that line up three frets moves the chord up three half steps, from Am7 to Cm7.

Can I play Cm7 with one finger?

Yes. Lay the index flat across all four strings at the 3rd fret. The chart prints one finger per string, but the flat index plays the same four notes.

What is the difference between Cm and Cm7?

Cm7 frets the G string at the 3rd fret instead of leaving it open, adding B flat, the minor seventh. It sounds softer and jazzier than the plain minor.

What keys use Cm7?

B flat major, where it is the ii chord, E flat major, where it is the vi, and C minor itself.

Chords to learn next

Other C chords