The Cm7 Chord

Whenever I pick up my guitar, the Cm7 or the Bm7 chords are where my fingers naturally gravitate. They both have such a somber, mysterious mood to them.

While the Cm7 is not quite as easy to play as the Em7, it is a pretty easy chord to learn and will prove to be invaluable once it is part of your guitarist toolbelt.

Today we will go over a few different variations of the chord, some theory on how the chord is built, as well as a chord progression you can use to get started playing.

Let's dive right in, shall we?

How To Play The Cm7 Chord

This is the version of the chord that I almost always position my hand to play. It's not too difficult and uses an Am shape on the 3rd fret. To play it you simply put your:

• index finger (1) across the bottom 5 strings in a barre shape on the 3rd fret
• middle finger (2) on the D# note of the B string on the 4th fret
• ring finger (3) on the G note on the D string at the 5th fret
• mute the low E string

Variations Of The Chord

There are other ways of playing Cm7. Let's go over a few of these alternate versions.

Another variation is on the 1st fret:

• index finger (1) on the D# note of the D string at the 1st fret
• middle finger (2) on the C note of the A string at the 3rd fret
• ring finger (3) on the A# note on the G string at the 3rd fret
• pinky finger (4) on the D# note on the B string at the 4th fret

In this diagram, you play the Cm7 chord while barring on the 6th fret. The way you play this version is with your:

• index finger (1) fretting the A# note on the high e string at the 6th fret
• middle finger (2) fretting the C note on the low E string at the 8th fret
• ring finger (3) fretting the D# note on the G string at the 8th fret
• pinky finger (4) fretting the G note on the B string at the 8th fret

You can also play Cm7 at various points using barre chords along the fretboard. Here is an example:

This version uses the Em7 shape with a barre on the 8th fret. You just place your:

• index finger (1) barred across the six strings on the 8th fret
• ring finger (3) on the G note on the A string at the 3rd fret

The Theory Behind It

As you may or may not know, building a major chord is simply using the I, III, and V notes of that chords major scale. This is called a major triad.For example, to build a C major chord you would use the notes:

• C (I)
• E (III)
• G (V).

The C major scale looks like this:

To build a minor chord, you will use the same major scale but a slightly different formula. You will still use your I, or root, note, as well as your V. However, the III will be a bIII, or flat 3rd. That just means you lower the III by a half step.

So to build a Cm chord your formula would look like this:

• C (I)
• Eb (bIII)
• G (V)

Now, to make a major chord a major 7th chord you simply add a VII note. So for Cmaj7 it would be

• C (I)
• E (III)
• G (V)
• B (VII)

To build a minor 7th chord, you start with your minor triad and add in a bVII, or flat 7th. So your note would be:

• C (I)
• Eb (bIII)
• G (V)
• Bb (bVII)

Complementary Chords

What's the fun of learning new chords if you can't use them in a chord progression?

Above, we used the C major scale to build our minor chord. However, Cm is the root of the C minor scale. To build a chord progression around Cm7 you will need to use the C minor scale.

The chords available in a C minor chord scale are:

• Cm (i)
• Ddim (ii°)
• Eb (III)
• Fm (iv)
• Gm (v)
• Ab (VI)
• Bb (VII)

Note: when a scale degree is lower case (example "iv") that means it is a minor chord.

To make a chord progression you just pull chords from this selection. We went with i7-v7-iv7-v7 or Cm7-Gm7-Fm7-Gm7.

This is how you play that progression:

A Couple Cm7 Chord Variations

Like the old saying, "There's more than one way to skin a cat" there's always more than one (or even 3) ways to play a chord.

In this diagram, you play the Cm7 chord starting on the 3rd fret. The way you play this version is with your:

• index finger (1) fretting the D note on the A string at the 3rd fret
• middle finger (2) fretting the F note on the G string at the 3rd fret
• ring finger (3) fretting the B note on the B string at the 4th fret

This last version uses an A shape on the 8th fret with a C bass note on the E string.

To play this last version is with your:

• middle finger (2) fretting the C note on the low E string at the 8th fret
• ring finger (3) barring the A#, D#, & G notes on the D, G, and B strings of the 8th fret
• mute the A string with your middle finger (2) and the high e string with your ring finger (3)

Songs That Have The Cm7 Chord

Here are some popular songs across multiple genres that have an Cm7 chord in them:

• Satisfied by The Cast Of Hamilton
• Building A Mystery by Sarah McLachlan
• Treasure by Bruno Mars
• Everybody Knows by John Legend
• Funkytown by Lipps, Inc.
• Turning Tables by Adele
• The Power Of Love by Huey Lewis & The News

Final Word

The Cm7 is such a versatile chord. Like we mentioned above, it can be used for more somber songs but, when used creatively, it can spread into much more upbeat songs like Treasure by Bruno Mars.

Add the Cm7 to your arsenal and see what you can come up with!