C minor seventh (Cm7) chord on mandolin

The C minor seventh chord (Cm7) is a minor seventh chord (a minor triad plus a minor seventh), made of four notes: C – E♭ – G – B♭.

Dots show:

Basic shapemedium

Position 5easy

Position 8medium

Tap a string on a diagram to hear just that string. The sound is generated in your browser with a physical string model.

Chord finder Transposer Tuner

What the Cm7 chord sounds like

A minor seventh chord is softer than a plain minor chord – the minor seventh fills out the sound. In jazz it is the ii of the ii–V–I, in pop and soul a common colour chord.

Notes of the Cm7 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	C	root
3	E♭	minor third (3 semitones)
5	G	perfect fifth (7 semitones) – often omitted on fretted instruments
7	B♭	minor seventh (10 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape

String 1 (E): fret 3, little finger (G5)
String 2 (A): fret 3, little finger (C5)
String 3 (D): fret 1, index finger (E♭4)
String 4 (G): fret 3, ring finger (B♭3)

Position 5, barre at fret 5

String 1 (E): fret 6, ring finger (B♭5)
String 2 (A): fret 6, middle finger (E♭5)
String 3 (D): fret 5, index finger (G4)
String 4 (G): fret 5, index finger (C4)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 5; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Position 8

String 1 (E): fret 8, ring finger (C6)
String 2 (A): fret 10, little finger (G5)
String 3 (D): fret 8, middle finger (B♭4)
String 4 (G): fret 8, index finger (E♭4)

Tuning: G D A E, like a violin; every note is a pair of strings that you fret together. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Which keys is it in?

The Cm7 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

C minor: i7 (tonic)
F minor: v7 (dominant)
G minor: iv7 (subdominant)
A♭ major: iii7
E♭ major: vi7
B♭ major: ii7

Similar chords and substitutes

If Cm7 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

E♭maj7 – relative major seventh: three shared notes
F7 – in a ii–V, this is the dominant that follows

Same notes

E♭6 – the same notes with a different root

Simpler versions

Cm – all 3 of its notes are in this chord

Richer versions

Cm9 – the same chord plus 1 colour note

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Cm7 chord?

C, E♭, G, B♭. The root is C; the intervals of the other notes from the root: minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh.

What is the easiest way to play Cm7 on mandolin?

The easiest shape above is “Position 5”, rated easy. We show 3 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

Why is a note missing from some Cm7 shapes?

On a fretted instrument you can't always play every note of a 4-note chord. The fifth (G) may be dropped – the chord keeps its character without it.

How is the Cm7 chord written?

The chord symbol is Cm7, and its full name is C minor seventh.