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How to Play The C Minor Chord on Bass
The most common way to play the C minor chord on bass is at the 3rd position of the fretboard, on the E, A, and D strings. Play it with your ring, pinky, and index fingers. Here’s how to place your fingers:
- Ring finger (3) on fret 3 of the E string
- Pinky finger (4) on fret 3 of the A string
- Index finger (1) on fret 2 of the D string
The root note, C, is on the 3rd fret of the A string, which you can see in the chord diagram below.
You can also play C minor as a dyad, which means playing it with only the 2 primary intervals: the root (C) and the minor 3rd (Eb).
You can use this C minor arpeggio bass diagram to visualize and construct the C minor chord in any position on your fretboard.
Other names for C Minor
The C minor chord can be written in several ways, including:
- C Minor
- Cmin
- Cm
These notations all represent the same chord, built from the notes C, Eb, and G.
Practicing the C Minor chord on bass
The C minor chord is the root chord in the C natural minor scale, so use it in a 1-4-5 progression in the key of C minor. This gives you the chords Cm – Fm – Gm.
The C minor chord also sounds great as the minor vi chord in the Eb major scale. Use it in an Eb major chord progression, such as Eb – Cmin – Ab – Bb.
