C Minor (Cm)

Download MIDI
1+b3+5
C1G5Eb3
4 4

Notes in C Minor

C (root)EbG

Inversions

Same notes as C Minor, with a different chord tone as the lowest note. Useful for smoother movement between chords instead of jumping around the keyboard.

Root position

C in the bass

C1G5Eb3

1st inversion

Eb in the bass (Cm/Eb)

G2C5Eb1

2nd inversion

G in the bass (Cm/G)

G1C3Eb5

Play C, Eb and G together and you get C Minor.

Shrink the major third by a semitone and the same stable shape turns melancholy. A minor triad still resolves, it just carries a heavier, more introspective mood than its major counterpart. Sad songs lean on it constantly, but so do tense film cues and moody grooves, so treat the label as a starting point rather than the whole story.

Difficulty: Beginner. Category: Triads. Click any highlighted key on the diagram above, or tab to it and press Enter, to hear that single note. Inversions mark the bass note with a contrasting outline.