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Piano chord

Cm7 Piano Chord

Cm7 is a minor 7th chord rooted on C. A minor triad with a flattened 7th. Softer and more open than plain minor — the backbone of soul, jazz and R&B.

The notes

4 notes. Every inversion below is these same notes in a different order.

C1
E♭♭3
G5
B♭♭7

How to play it

Root position first, then each inversion. Numbers next to each note are right-hand fingers — 1 is the thumb. Tap a key to hear it, or play the whole chord.

Root position
C1E♭2G3B♭5

The root is on the bottom — planted and stable.

1st inversion
E♭1G2B♭3C5

b3 in the bass — same chord, new posture.

2nd inversion
G1B♭2C3E♭5

5 in the bass — same chord, new posture.

3rd inversion
B♭1C2E♭3G5

b7 in the bass — same chord, new posture.

Which inversion should you use?

Whichever one your hand is already near. Inversions exist so consecutive chords can share keys — instead of jumping the whole hand to a new root position, you move a finger or two and the chords melt into each other. That is most of what separates piano playing that sounds smooth from piano playing that sounds like a series of separate grabs.

Minor 7th chords in other keys

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