C Minor Chord on Guitar
The C Minor chord contains C, E♭ and G — 3 notes. Every position is marked across the whole fretboard below, labelled with note names and with interval numbers, and the tuning of each string can be changed.
- Root
- Minor 3rd
- Perfect 5th
| Degree | 1 | ♭3 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Note | C | E♭ | G |
| Interval | Root | Minor 3rd | Perfect 5th |
Note names

Interval numbers

Scales containing C Minor
| Major (Ionian) | E♭ A♭ B♭ |
| Natural Minor (Aeolian) | C F G |
| Dorian | C F B♭ |
| Phrygian | C D G |
| Lydian | D♭ E♭ A♭ |
| Mixolydian | E♭ F B♭ |
| Locrian | D G A |
| Harmonic Lydian (Lydian ♭6) | D♭ A♭ |
| Harmonic Minor | C E G |
| Melodic Minor | C B♭ |
| Melodic Minor ♯4 | C D♭ |
| Gypsy Minor (Hungarian Minor) | C D♭ E |
| Major Pentatonic | E♭ |
| Minor Pentatonic | C |
| Dominant Pentatonic (Mixolydian Pentatonic) | F |
| Minor Sixth Pentatonic | C |
| Blues | C A |
| Dominant Diminished (M2) | C E♭ F# A |
| Tcherepnin (M3) | D E♭ F# G B♭ B |
Circle of fifths
Chords inside C Minor
| Power (5) | C |
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in the C Minor chord?
C, E♭ and G. That is 3 notes.
How is the C Minor chord built?
From a root of C: E♭ is the minor 3rd and G is the perfect 5th.
Which scales contain the C Minor chord?
E♭ Major (Ionian), C Natural Minor (Aeolian), C Dorian and C Phrygian, among others. Every note of the C Minor chord is in those, so they can be played over it.
Which smaller chords are inside the C Minor chord?
C Power (5). Each uses only notes the C Minor chord already contains.
Practice this on your own guitar
Fretonomy listens to your instrument and drills triads, scales and chords.