Cm7

Cm7 is C, Eb, G and Bb, a minor seventh. The shape this page opens on is written x3131x, lowest string first.

Also written Cmin7, C-7 or C minor 7. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 6 common shapes for Cm7 on the guitar, and 31 derived voicings in 4 families.

In which keys. Every note of Cm7 belongs to C minor (the i), Eb major (the vi), F minor (the v), G minor (the iv), Ab major (the iii) and Bb major (the ii).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x3131x, x3134x, x35343, xx5546, 8-10-8-8-8-8, x-x-10-12-11-11.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Cm7 has x313xx, 868xxx, x-15-13-15-x-x, x3x34x, 8x88xx, 8-13-13-x-x-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Cm7 has 3313xx, x1101x, xx1313, x3534x, xx5546, 6655xx, xx8888, 8-10-8-8-x-x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Cm7 has 3x131x, x3x343, 6x554x, x6x586, x-10-x-8-11-8, 8x888x, 11-x-10-12-11-x, x-13-x-12-13-11.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. Cm7 has 6600xx.

Tensions. A shell of Cm7, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 9 (D), the 11 (F) and the 13 (A).

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.