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F minor 7th chord on guitar (Fm7)
Also called or written Fm7 or Fmin7
F minor 7th contains F, A♭, C, and E♭. The 1st fret voicing is a full barre chord that demands a strong index finger.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7
- Root positionF–A♭–C–E♭Fm71-3-1-1-1-1
- First inversionA♭–C–E♭–FFm7/A♭4-3-3-5-4-×
- Second inversionC–E♭–F–A♭Fm7/C×-3-1-1-1-1
- Third inversionE♭–F–A♭–CFm7/E♭×-×-1-1-1-1
How do you play an F minor 7th chord on guitar?
F minor 7th is played at the 1st fret as 1 3 1 1 1 1: barre your index finger across fret 1 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 3.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 1 | 1 (barre) | F (1) |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 4 | C (5) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 1 (barre) | C (5) |
| 1 (e) | 1 | 1 (barre) | F (1) |
AdvancedThe index finger must barre all six strings at the 1st fret while the pinky stretches to the 3rd fret on the A string.
3rd fret
F minor 7th is played at the 3rd fret as × × 3 5 4 4: index finger on the D string at fret 3, pinky finger on the G string at fret 5, middle finger on the B string at fret 4 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 4. The low E and A strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 3 | 1 | F (1) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 4 | C (5) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 2 | E♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 3 | A♭ (♭3) |
8th fret
F minor 7th is played at the 8th fret as × 8 10 8 9 8: barre your index finger across fret 8, pinky finger on the D string at fret 10 and ring finger on the B string at fret 9. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 8 | 1 (barre) | F (1) |
| 4 (D) | 10 | 4 | C (5) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 9 | 3 | A♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 8 | 1 (barre) | C (5) |
13th fret
F minor 7th is played at the 13th fret as 13 15 13 13 13 13: barre your index finger across fret 13 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 15.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 13 | 1 (barre) | F (1) |
| 5 (A) | 15 | 4 | C (5) |
| 4 (D) | 13 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 13 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 13 | 1 (barre) | C (5) |
| 1 (e) | 13 | 1 (barre) | F (1) |
Fm7/A♭ inversion
F minor 7th is played at the 3rd fret as 4 3 3 5 4 ×: barre your index finger across fret 3, middle finger on the low E string at fret 4, pinky finger on the G string at fret 5 and ring finger on the B string at fret 4. The high e string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4 | 2 | A♭ (♭3) |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 1 (barre) | C (5) |
| 4 (D) | 3 | 1 (barre) | F (1) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 4 | C (5) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 3 | E♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
Why it sounds like that
F minor 7th is built from 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7. The ♭7 adds a mellow edge to the minor triad. Compare it with F minor, which has no seventh.
What goes wrong with F minor 7th?
- The barre fails to press the high E string, causing a dead note.
- The pinky touches the D string, muting it.
- The barre fails to press the low E string, causing a dead note.
When to use it
F minor 7th works in the I–V–vi–IV progression in A♭ major: A♭ major–E♭ major–F minor–D♭ major. It suits jazz, R&B, and neo-soul.
Changing to and from F minor 7th
- Slide the shape up one fret to the 2nd fret to get <a href="/guitar/f-sharp-minor-7-chord">F♯ minor 7th</a>.
Which voicing to use
The 1st fret barre is the standard voicing. The 8th fret barre is easier to play because the frets are closer together. The Fm7/A♭ inversion puts the third in the bass for a darker sound.
Other F chords
Common questions
How is F minor 7th written?
F minor 7th is written as Fmin7 or Fm7.
What is the difference between F minor 7th and F minor?
F minor 7th adds the note E♭ to the F minor triad. That E♭ is a minor 7th above F, giving the chord a softer, more colorful sound.
Why does the 1st fret voicing use all six strings?
All six strings are fretted or barred to produce chord tones. The low E is the root, giving a strong bass foundation.