i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII Chord Progression in C Minor

307 named progressions, from I–V–vi–IV to the 12-bar blues and the Andalusian cadence, in any key and with any capo.

In C minor, the i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII progression is Cm – A♭ – E♭ – B♭. The minor four-chord loop: dark but driving. Huge in rock, pop and film.

The library above is set to i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in C minor. Press Play to hear it with strummed guitar, bass and drums in a rock groove, tap any chord to hear it on its own, or pick another key or a capo.

The chords of i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in C minor

NumeralChordNotesWhat it does
iCm minorC E♭ Gtonic (home)
♭VIA♭ majorA♭ C E♭predominant (moving away)
♭IIIE♭ majorE♭ G B♭tonic (home)
♭VIIB♭ majorB♭ D Fdominant (pulling home)

Why it sounds smooth

Chords that share notes slide into each other; a change with no common notes sounds like a bigger step. Here is what each change keeps:

  • Cm → A♭: keeps C and E♭
  • A♭ → E♭: keeps E♭
  • E♭ → B♭: keeps B♭
  • B♭ → Cm: no notes in common, a bold move

The chords on guitar

The easiest shape for each chord, with finger numbers. The barre chords are the hard part; the capo positions below can avoid them.

Cm3fr1342
Medium
A♭4fr1342
Medium
E♭6fr1234
Medium
B♭1234
Hard

With a capo

With the capo on the 3rd fret you can play C minor with Am shapes, Am, F, C, G, and leave out three full barre chords. Each row shows the shapes you play and how easy they are (capo positions above the 7th fret are left out: the guitar sounds thin up there).

CapoShapes you playHow easy
3rd fretAm F C GEasy
6th fretF♯m D A ESome barre chords
1st fretBm G D AHard
No capoCm A♭ E♭ B♭Hard

Scales to play over it

Common questions

What are the chords of i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in C minor?

Cm, A♭, E♭ and B♭, one bar each, in that order.

What capo do I use for i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in C minor?

Capo on the 3rd fret and play Am, F, C, G: the easiest shapes for this key.

How do I play i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in another key?

Keep the numerals (i, ♭VI, ♭III, ♭VII) and build each chord from the new key, or tap another key in the library above and the chords change for you.

What is the relative major of C minor?

E♭ major. It has the same notes, which is why E♭ (the ♭III chord) sounds at home in C minor progressions.

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i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in other keys

i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in A minori–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in E minori–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in D minori–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in B minori–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in F♯ minori–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in C♯ minori–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in G minori–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in F minori–♭VI–♭III–♭VII in B♭ minor

More progressions in C minor

Andalusian Cadence in C minor

Chord tools

Chord progression library
307 named progressions, from I–V–vi–IV to the 12-bar blues and the Andalusian cadence, in any key and with any capo.
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Capo calculator
Easy chord shapes for any key: every capo position ranked, with the shape you play and the chord it sounds side by side.

All 307 progressions · All free tools

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