Cm piano chord — the keys, the inversions, the theory

Cm is a minor chord built from C, Eb, G. Below: the keys to press, every inversion with its own diagram, the intervals it is made of, the keys whose scale contains it, and a progression that actually uses it. Press any diagram to hear it.

Cm

C · Eb · G

Piano keyboardC4C5

Semitones above the root: 0 – 3 – 7

The third is minor — one semitone lower than in a major chord — which is where the darker colour comes from.

Inversions of Cm

  • Root position

    C · Eb · G · bass C

  • Inversion 1

    Eb · G · C · bass Eb

  • Inversion 2

    G · C · Eb · bass G

Same chord, different note at the bottom. Press a diagram to hear it — inversions are how you move between chords without jumping your hand across the keyboard.

Keys that contain Cm

  • Abiii
  • Ebvi
  • Bbii

In Eb it does this job: I – V – vi – IV

  1. Eb
  2. Bb
  3. Cm
  4. Ab

Questions