This is an easy Cm7 chord guitar lesson.
The chord is also known as C minor 7. It’s a jazzy-sounding alternative to the C minor chord, and you’ll see it all the time in funk or fusion chord progressions.
Now let’s check out the theory behind it, and play some popular chord shapes!
Table of Contents
What is The Cm7 chord on guitar? (C Minor 7)
You can think of the Cm7 chord as a C minor triad with an added minor 7th interval (b7).
This gives you the root note “C“, the minor 3rd “Eb“, the perfect 5th “G“, and the minor 7th “Bb“.
So, if you already know the C minor chord, add the minor 7th (Bb) to turn it into Cm7.
- Notes in the Cm7 chord: C-Eb-G-Bb
- Minor 7th chord formula: 1-b3-5-b7
How to play the Cm7 chord on guitar (Easy Shapes)
Now, let’s look at some common and easy ways to play Cm7 on the guitar.
Shape 1: Cm7 Barre Shape
The first shape is the 3rd fret position Cm7 chord. It’s like your standard C minor barre chord, but you’ll play the 3rd fret of the G string to create the minor 7th.
Shape 2: Cm7 On the 8th Fret
The second shape is played at the 8th fret of the E, D, G, and B strings. This makes it easy to remember and easy to identify the location of its intervals.
Shapes 3-7: Cm7 Inversions
These four shapes show you all 4 inversions of the Cm7 chord on the top 4 strings (D-G-B-e). The C note is on a different string for each shape, giving you a complete map of Cm7 across the high strings.
Cm7 Chord Guitar Tab PDF
Audio
When To Use The Cm7 Guitar Chord
The Cm7 chord is in the minor chord family. This means you can use a Cm7 when you need:
- A substitute for Cmin9 or Cmin13.
- A useful chord to transition to other chords in the key of C minor or E flat major, like Gm7, Fm7, or Eb.
- The minor iv chord in the key of G minor, or the minor v chord in the key of F minor.
Long story short, try using Cm7 as a substitute for any minor chord with a C root note.
That’s It
Now you’ve learned what the Cm7 chord is, and looked at how to play some of its common shapes and inversions!
Here’s a complete 7th chords guitar lesson if you want to learn more about harmony.