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F minor seventh chord (Fm7)

F minor seventh is a 4-note minor seventh chord: F – A♭ – C – E♭. It sounds relaxed, warm and a little melancholic. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele, with fingering and audio.

  • NotesF – A♭ – C – E♭
  • Formula1 – ♭3 – 5 – ♭7
  • SymbolFm7 · Fmin7 · F-7
  • TypeMinor seventh chord

F minor seventh on guitar

  • 131111FCE♭A♭CF
    Barre at fret 1 (E shape)
  • 8×13121FCE♭A♭C
    Barre at fret 8 (A shape)

How to place your fingers (barre at fret 1)

  1. Barre fret 1 with your index finger, from the 6th to the 1st string.
  2. Place finger 3 (ring) at fret 3 on the 5th string (A).

The numbers inside the dots are the fingers of your left hand: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring and 4 pinky. The colored dots mark the root (F). The other positions let you change chords without jumping along the neck, or give you a higher-pitched sound.

F minor seventh on piano

FCA♭E♭

In root position, play F – A♭ – C – E♭ from bottom to top with fingers 1, 2, 3 and 5 of your right hand. With your left hand you usually play just the root (F) or the root and the fifth.

Inversions

  • First inversion: A♭ – C – E♭ – F
  • Second inversion: C – E♭ – F – A♭
  • Third inversion: E♭ – F – A♭ – C

F minor seventh on ukulele

  • A♭E♭FC
    From fret 1
  • 4CFA♭E♭
    From fret 4

Standard tuning G – C – E – A (the G string is the high one). Is your ukulele in tune? Use the ukulele tuner.

Notes and intervals of F minor seventh

  • F1 · root
  • A♭♭3 · minor third
  • C5 · perfect fifth
  • E♭♭7 · minor seventh

It's the second degree of the jazz ii–V–I progression and shows up in salsa, funk, neo soul and pop.

Progressions with Fm7

The ii–V–I: ii7 – V7 – Imaj7

Fm7 is the second degree of E♭ major.

Two-chord vamp: i7 – IV7

A typical funk, soul and salsa groove.

Which keys contain F minor seventh?

Fm7 belongs to 6 keys: in each one it plays a different role depending on the degree (the Roman numeral).

KeyDegree
D♭ majoriii7
E♭ majorii7
A♭ majorvi7
C natural minoriv7
F natural minori7
B♭ natural minorv7

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the F minor seventh chord?

F minor seventh (Fm7) has 4 notes: F (root), A♭ (minor third), C (perfect fifth), E♭ (minor seventh).

How do you play F minor seventh on guitar?

The most common shape uses a barre at fret 1: 1 3 1 1 1 1 (from the 6th to the 1st string). Barre fret 1 with your index finger, from the 6th through the 1st string. Finger 3 (ring) goes on fret 3 of the 5th string (A).

What is the chord symbol for F minor seventh?

It is written Fm7; you may also see Fmin7 or F-7. Letter notation uses C, D, E, F, G, A, and B for the notes.

Want to play whole songs?

A teacher shows you how to change chords smoothly, strum and play along to your favorite songs, in online lessons or at home in Bogotá.

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