What notes are in a Cm7 chord?

Cm7 contains four notes: C (root), E♭ (minor third), G (perfect fifth), and B♭ (minor seventh).

How is Cm7 different from Cm(maj7)?

Only the seventh changes. Cm7 has B♭ (minor 7th); Cm(maj7) has B natural (major 7th). Cm(maj7) is the famous "James Bond" chord — much more tense and unstable.

What jazz standards use Cm7?

"All The Things You Are" passes through Cm7 in its opening. Any tune in B♭ major or E♭ major cadences through Cm7 at some point. Modal tunes like "Maiden Voyage" use Cm7 voicings constantly.

How do you play Cm7 on guitar?

Most commonly a 3rd-fret A-shape barre: index across strings 5-1 on fret 3, ring finger on the 5th fret of the 4th string, middle finger on the 3rd fret of the 3rd string, pinky on the 4th fret of the 2nd string.

C minor 7 chord — notes, intervals, and practice

C minor 7 (Cm7) — C, E♭, G, B♭ — is C minor with a minor 7th on top. The chord is the iim7 of B♭ major (every B♭-major jazz tune cadences through Cm7 → F7 → B♭maj7) and the im7 of C minor in modal jazz. Miles Davis's "So What" is built on Dm7 with a Cm7-like modal feel; Cm7 itself appears in countless flat-key standards.

Intervals

The C minor 7 chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:

C→Ebminor 3rd3 semitones
Eb→Gmajor 3rd4 semitones
G→Bbminor 3rd3 semitones

On the keyboard

Each note of the C minor 7 chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.

On the guitar

One voicing of the C minor 7 chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.

1C
♭3Eb
5G
♭7Bb

Common mistakes

Cm7 has B♭ as its 7th — a minor 7th from C. Replacing B♭ with B natural produces Cm(maj7), a much rarer and tenser chord. The minor-7th distinction is what gives Cm7 its mellow, complete-sounding character. On guitar, Cm7 is most often a 3rd-fret A-shape barre with the 4th-string finger adjusted.

In context

Cm7 is the iim7 of B♭ major (Cm7 → F7 → B♭maj7) and the vim7 of E♭ major. As the im7 of C minor in modal jazz, the chord sits stably without needing to resolve — a different function from its tonal cadential role.

Drill it

The C minor 7 chord is one of 48 in the Chord Trainer. Open the full trainer to practice it alongside related chords with timing and best-time tracking.

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Frequently asked

What notes are in a Cm7 chord?: Cm7 contains four notes: C (root), E♭ (minor third), G (perfect fifth), and B♭ (minor seventh).
How is Cm7 different from Cm(maj7)?: Only the seventh changes. Cm7 has B♭ (minor 7th); Cm(maj7) has B natural (major 7th). Cm(maj7) is the famous "James Bond" chord — much more tense and unstable.
What jazz standards use Cm7?: "All The Things You Are" passes through Cm7 in its opening. Any tune in B♭ major or E♭ major cadences through Cm7 at some point. Modal tunes like "Maiden Voyage" use Cm7 voicings constantly.
How do you play Cm7 on guitar?: Most commonly a 3rd-fret A-shape barre: index across strings 5-1 on fret 3, ring finger on the 5th fret of the 4th string, middle finger on the 3rd fret of the 3rd string, pinky on the 4th fret of the 2nd string.