Julie Swihart

Minor Seventh Chords

Let’s look at how to play a Cm7 chord on the piano. We’ll also learn the pattern for building any minor seventh chord.

What Are Minor Seventh Chords?

Minor seventh chords are minor chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale, lowered 1/2 step.

We can build a minor chord by playing the first, third and fifth notes of the matching minor scale (learn how to build a minor scale here). So to build a C minor chord, we can play the first, third and fifth notes of a C minor scale.

Another way to build a C minor chord is to build a C major chord, then lower the middle note 1/2 step.

Next we’ll find the seventh note of the matching major scale and lower it 1/2 step. So to convert our C minor chord into a Cm7 chord, we’ll find the seventh note of the C major scale and lower it 1/2 step.

Chord Types Printable

Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 34-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note (C, D, E, etc.) and type (major, minor, etc.).

Get the Printable

How to Play a Cm7 Chord on the Piano

To build a Cm7 chord, we’ll start by building our C minor chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the C minor scale: C – E♭ – G.

Next we’ll find the seventh note of our C major scale, B, and lower it 1/2 step to B♭.

So to play a Cm7 chord on the piano, we’ll play:

C – E♭ – G – B♭

You can use this pattern to build any minor seventh chord. First play a minor chord, then add the seventh note of the matching major scale, lowered 1/2 step.

Chord Fingering

To play the Cm7 chord with your right hand, use fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5. Or to play it with your left hand, use fingers 5 – 3 – 2 – 1 (thumbs are 1’s).

Other Seventh Chords

Since there are different types of seventh chords, it can help to compare their differences:

Seventh chords are major chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale, lowered 1/2 step.

So a C7 chord is: C – E – G – B♭

Major seventh chords are major chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale.

So a Cmaj7 chord is: C – E – G – B

Minor seventh chords are minor chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale, lowered 1/2 step.

So a Cm7 chord is: C – E♭ – G – B♭

Other Chord Types

Some of the other chord types you can learn are:

Major
Minor
Augmented
Diminished
Second
Minor second
Fifth
Suspended
Sixth
Minor sixth
Seventh
Major Seventh
Ninth
Minor ninth
Major ninth

Conclusion

Now you know how to play a Cm7 chord on the piano, and you can use that knowledge to build any minor seventh chord.

Learning piano chords is a great way to learn the piano! Chords come in many forms, and they offer lots of options for playing the piano creatively and freely.