F#m7 is F sharp minor with a seventh added, and on guitar the seventh makes things easier, not harder. Its barre version needs one finger on top of the barre, and its four string version needs one finger, full stop. If the F barre has been fighting you, F#m7 at the second fret is the place to win your first barre chord.
F#m7 chord: notes and shapes at a glance
- Name: F sharp minor seventh
- Symbol: F#m7
- Notes: F#, A, C#, E
- Where it belongs: iii7 in D major, ii7 in E major, vi7 in A major, ivm7 in C# minor, im7 in F# minor
Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a
number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you
do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.
| Shape | Frets, low E to high E | Notes, low to high | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| F#m7, four strings | xx2222 | E A C# F# | One finger flat across the top four strings. Complete, but E, the seventh, is the lowest note: light and airy. |
| F#m7, with open strings | 202220 | F# A E A C# E | F# in the bass, open A and high E ringing. Four fingers at fret 2, no barre. |
| F#m7, barre at the second fret | 242222 | F# C# E A C# F# | The Em7 shape barred at fret 2: one finger on top of the barre. The easiest full barre there is. |
| F#m7, ninth fret | x 9 11 9 10 9 | F# C# E A C# | The Am7 shape barred at fret 9: third finger on the fourth string at fret 11, second finger on the second string at fret 10. |
Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.
F#m7 on the neck: every F#, A, C#, E
Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of F#m7: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still F#m7.
How to play F#m7, step by step
1. One finger: xx2222
Lay the first finger flat across the fourth, third, second and first strings at fret 2. You hear E, A, C# and F#: all four notes, with the seventh in the bass. It is light, and lovely in an arpeggio.
2. Open strings: 202220
First finger on the low E at fret 2 (F#), then second, third and fourth fingers on the fourth, third and second strings at fret 2. Leave the A string and the high E open: they give A and E. The root is now in the bass, and the open strings ring around it.
3. The barre: 242222
First finger across all six strings at fret 2, third finger on the fifth string at fret 4 (C#). The barre plays the other five strings by itself, and at the second fret the strings are softer than at the first.
Where F#m7 fits
F#m7 is the soft minor chord of the keys of E and A. In E it is the ii, the chord that leads to B7 and home. In A it is the vi, the relative minor. In D it is the iii. These progressions show it at work.
| Progression | Shapes | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| F#m7, B7, E | 242222, x21202, 022100 | ii, V7, I in E. Move the barre down and let B7 pull to E. |
| A, F#m7, D, E | x02220, xx2222, xx0232,
022100 | The I vi IV V of A, softened. From A, stay at fret 2 and flatten one finger over the top four strings. |
| F#m7, Bm7 | 242222 to x20202 | A gentle back and forth, popular in soul and R&B. |
For its neighbors, see B7, E and A. And do not confuse it with F#7: one letter, a different chord.
Em7 with a capo on 2 is F#m7
A capo on the second fret raises everything by two half steps, so an open Em7 shape sounds as F#m7. That is the case in Oasis's Wonderwall: it is played with a capo on 2, the first chord is an Em7 shape, and what you hear is F#m7. Same sound, two ways to get it: the capo and the open shape, or no capo and the barre at the second fret. The capo chart does the same translation for any chord.
Common mistakes
- The fourth string is dead in the barre. It carries E, the seventh, and only the barre covers it. Keep the first finger right behind the fret wire.
- The open A rings in xx2222. It is in the chord, but in the bass it changes the sound. Start the strum on the fourth string.
- Too much pressure. A one finger barre at fret 2 needs very little. Press only until every string rings, then stop.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play F#m7 on guitar?
What notes are in F#m7?
What is the difference between F#m and F#m7?
Is F#m7 the same as F#7?
What chord does Em7 with a capo on 2 make?
Who made this
Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris who teaches adults. Every shape on this page is written string by string and checked against standard tuning, and the diagrams are drawn from those same fret numbers. The rest of our free guitar tools, including the chord finder, work the same way.
More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.