C minor
C minor is a key of the tonal family minor, built on the root note c. The key of C minor is written in musical notation with three ♭ (b, e-flat, a-flat). The corresponding scale and the fundamental chord of this key (the tonic C-es-g) are also designated by the term C minor.
On the left the accidentals of C minor, on the right the fundamental chord on a piano.
Well-known works in C minor include Johann Sebastian Bach's Passacaglia for organ and Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th Symphony. For an assessment of this key as fateful-tragic, see Key Character.
C minor is often used in heavy metal and style variations of it. The reason for this is the tuning of the guitars in Dropped C (C-G-c-f-a-d'). The low C-string is muted openly here and put together in rhythmic sequences to form motifs.
Key classification
| Keys and their accidentals | |||||||||||||||
| Portent: | 7 ♭ | 6 ♭ | 5 ♭ | 4 ♭ | 3 ♭ | 2 ♭ | 1 ♭ | 0 ♭/♯ | 1 ♯ | 2 ♯ | 3 ♯ | 4 ♯ | 5 ♯ | 6 ♯ | 7 ♯ |
| Major keys: | Ces | Ges | Des | As | It | B | F | C | G | D | A | E | H | F# | C sharp |
| Minor keys: | as | it | b | f | c | g | d | a | e | h | F# | cis | gis | dis | ais |
Questions and Answers
Q: What is C minor?
A: C minor is a minor scale based on the note C.
Q: How does the harmonic minor differ from the regular C minor?
A: The harmonic minor raises the B♭ to B♮.
Q: What is the key signature for C Minor?
A: The key signature for C Minor has three flats.
Q: How is C Minor written in jazz notation?
A: In jazz notation, its short form is written as "Cm".
Q: What is the relative major of C Minor?
A: The relative major of C Minor is E-flat major.
Q: What is the parallel major of C Minor?
A: The parallel major of C Minor is C Major.
