How to Build C Minor Chords on the Guitar

The C minor is a strange chord on the guitar because it does not use all of the strings. Beginners who have looked at chord building before know that the major chord consists of three notes in the chromatic scale of the key of C: the "base" or first, C, the third, E, and the fifth, G. For the C minor, the third must be flatted, and this is what makes the chord more difficult.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Leave the bottom E string alone. We don't use the bottom string for a C major chord for two reasons: it would undermine the power of the low C note, and it would be dissonant because instead of E, we're using E flat.

2. Put your index finger on the first fret of the D string (third string from bottom). With an open C minor chord, we're going to apply fingering out of order, since the fingering is unlike that of C major.

3. Add your middle finger below your index finger. Place it on the first fret of the B string (second string from top) to give you a C note.

4. Let the G string (fourth string from bottom) open. This is your fifth scale note.

5. Ignore the top E string. The E string is also open in the C major chord, but the difference with C minor is that we can't play it, because again, we need an E flat note in place of the E.

6. Play the chord only on the middle four strings of the guitar. Practice restricting your pick sweep to the A, D, G and B strings so that your C minor chord doesn't include any dissonant E notes.

Tips & Warnings

• Do a little research on how the C minor chord compares to other minor chords like A minor and E minor. The C minor chord is a good example for showing you an irregular product of chord building. Most open chord structures are easier to apply to all of the guitar strings, but C minor is not. Observing this will help your music theory knowledge building.