C minor (Cm) chord on mandolin

Looking for the Cm chord on mandolin? It is a minor triad, made of three notes: C – E♭ – G.

Dots show:

Basic shapeeasy

Position 3medium

Position 5medium

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 Cm chord sounds like

A minor triad differs from a major one only in the third: it has a minor third, which gives it a darker, sadder colour. In a major key, chords ii, iii and vi are minor.

Notes of the Cm chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	C	root
3	E♭	minor third (3 semitones)
5	G	perfect fifth (7 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape

String 1 (E): fret 3, little finger (G5)
String 2 (A): fret 3, ring finger (C5)
String 3 (D): fret 1, index finger (E♭4)
String 4 (G): open (G3)

Position 3

String 1 (E): fret 3, index finger (G5)
String 2 (A): fret 6, little finger (E♭5)
String 3 (D): fret 5, ring finger (G4)
String 4 (G): fret 5, ring finger (C4)

Position 5, barre at fret 5

String 1 (E): fret 8, little finger (C6)
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.

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

C minor: i (tonic)
F minor: v (dominant)
G minor: iv (subdominant)
A♭ major: iii
E♭ major: vi
B♭ major: ii

Similar chords and substitutes

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

Substitutes (by function)

E♭ – relative major: two shared notes
A♭ – the major chord a major third below: two shared notes
Cm7 – a fuller, softer minor colour

Richer versions

Cm7 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
Cm6 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
Cm9 – the same chord plus 2 colour notes

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Cm chord?

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

What is the easiest way to play Cm on mandolin?

The easiest shape above is “Basic shape”, rated easy. We show 4 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.

How is the Cm chord written?

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