Looking for Cm?
Cbm guitar chord: see the fingering, compare positions, and hear it before you play.
P - i - m - a · Classic Ascending (4/4 · 4 notes · Level 1)
The thumb plays B on the 5th and the three top strings add up to 3 different notes. All 6 arpeggios
Steady bass with uniform ascending movement.
Cbm is built from Cb, Ebb and Gb. Cb is the root, Ebb the minor third and Gb the fifth. Said aloud, its notes are C flat, E double flat and G flat.
String by string, low to high, it plays Cb, Gb, Cb, Ebb and Gb. Cb rings twice across the five strings, and it is the root. It runs from Cb on string 5 up to Gb on string 1.
For Cbm, your index finger barres fret 2. String 6 is not played. Your hand covers three frets, from 2 to 4. There is one more position, starting at fret 7.
Change only string 2 in Cbm and you have Cb. D shares two positions with this shape. Bm is the same chord under another name.
Cbm belongs to five keys. In D major it is the vi, in A major the ii and in G major the iii. The rest appear in the key list.
Cb 1Ebb ♭3Gb 5
Root Bass (Fundamental String)5th String (A) • Fret 2 (B)
String Control (Muted & Active)5 / 6 • 1 X Muted
Placement tip: Barre fret 2. Press: 4th String (D) at fret 4, 3rd String (G) at fret 4, 2nd String (B) at fret 3. Don't play: 6th String (Low E).
Placement tip: Barre fret 7. Press: 5th String (A) at fret 9, 4th String (D) at fret 9.
| Item | In this chord |
|---|---|
| Frets | 2 to 4 |
| Barre | fret 2, from the 5th to the 1st string |
| Fretting fingers | 4 |
| Open | none |
| Muted | 6th |
At fret 2, only the barre sounds the 5th and 1st strings.
Listen: Cbm → Bm · D · F#
Cbm sits in the scale of 5 keys.
The questions that come up most when playing this chord
To play the Cbm chord on guitar, only 5 strings are played, from string 5 to string 1. Muted strings must be gently dampened with the fleshy side of a fretting finger to prevent dissonance.
The primary bass note of the Cbm chord is its lowest pitch: B. In standard guitar tuning (EADGBe), this bass note is located on string 5 at fret 2.
When strumming or fingerpicking, strike this string first.
The Cbm chord is constructed using the 1 - ♭3 - 5 formula (Minor Triad). Its constituent pitches are Cb, Ebb, Gb.
To prevent fret buzz on the Cbm barre chord, roll your index finger slightly outward (about 15 degrees) to press with its harder bony edge. Position your finger directly behind the fret wire and apply gentle arm pull from your back rather than squeezing with thumb force.
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