Minor seventh chords, written m7, are among the most useful families on the guitar. They keep the color of a minor chord but add air, thanks to the minor seventh on top. You hear them in pop, folk, soul, jazz, bossa, funk and film music. Better still, several of them are easier to play than the plain minor chord they replace.
How an m7 chord is built
Formula: 1 b3 5 b7, a minor triad plus a minor seventh. Am7 is A, C, E and G. The C makes it minor. The G, a whole step below the octave, opens it up.
| Family | Formula | On A | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| m7 | 1 b3 5 b7 | A C E G | Minor, relaxed |
| 7 | 1 3 5 b7 | A C# E G | Dominant, tense |
| maj7 | 1 3 5 7 | A C# E G# | Major, bright |
The open m7 chords
Each of these is the open minor chord with one finger lifted, moved or added. Compare them with Am, Em and Dm and you will see the seventh appear.
- Am7,
x02010: Am (x02210) with the third finger lifted, so the G string rings open. A fuller version,x02213, adds G on the high E. - Em7,
022030: Em with D added on the B string. The simplest version,020000, needs a single finger. - Dm7,
xx0211: Dm (xx0231) with the B string lowered to C. The first finger covers the top two strings.
Wonderwall by Oasis opens on Em7, which is one reason it sounds so open under the strum.
Two movable shapes, every m7 chord
For every other root, use a barre shape and move it. There are two, one per bass string.
- Root on the fifth string, the Am7 shape barred: Bm7 at
the second fret (
x24232), Cm7 at the third (x35343), Dm7 at the fifth, Em7 at the seventh. - Root on the sixth string, the Em7 shape barred: Fm7 at
the first fret (
131111), Gm7 at the third (353333), Am7 at the fifth, Bm7 at the seventh.
Do not think of these as many separate chords. Each is one shape, named by the fret of its root. The notes on the fretboard tell you where each root is.
1x111x, Gm7 3x333x.
On the fifth string, Cm7 works as x3131x. Four notes, less
effort, a cleaner sound in soul, funk and jazz.
Every minor seventh chord
- Cm7 chord (C Eb G Bb)
- C#m7 chord (C# E G# B)
- Dm7 chord (D F A C)
- Em7 chord (E G B D)
- Fm7 chord (F Ab C Eb)
- F#m7 chord (F# A C# E)
- Gm7 chord (G Bb D F)
- Am7 chord (A C E G)
- Bm7 chord (B D F# A)
Where m7 chords live: ii, iii, vi and the ii V I
Stack sevenths on every note of a major scale and three of the chords come out as m7: the ii, the iii and the vi. In C major that is Dm7, Em7 and Am7, between Cmaj7, Fmaj7, G7 and Bm7b5.
The ii7 matters most. It prepares the V7, which leads home to the I: preparation, tension, release. That cadence is the backbone of jazz and much of soul.
| Key | ii7, V7, Imaj7 |
|---|---|
| C major | Dm7, G7, Cmaj7 |
| D major | Em7, A7, Dmaj7 |
| F major | Gm7, C7, Fmaj7 |
| G major | Am7, D7, Gmaj7 |
| A major | Bm7, E7, Amaj7 |
Simpler progressions use m7 chords too: C, G, Am7, F softens the vi; D, Bm7, G, A does the same in D; F, Fm7, C borrows a minor color from the parallel key. Practice slowly with the online metronome, and see every key on the chords in every key page.
The best exercise: minor, then m7
Play the plain minor chord, then its m7 version, and listen to the difference. Each pair moves only one or two fingers.
| Minor | Minor seventh |
|---|---|
Am x02210 | Am7 x02010 |
Dm xx0231 | Dm7 xx0211 |
Bm x24432 | Bm7 x24232 |
Common mistakes to avoid: confusing m7 with 7 or with maj7, gripping the barre too hard when a compact voicing would do, and swapping every minor chord for an m7 without listening to the melody first.
Frequently asked questions
What is a minor 7 chord?
What is the difference between m7 and 7?
Where do m7 chords appear in a major key?
Which m7 chords should I learn first?
Who made this
Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris. He teaches adults, and the minor-then-m7 exercise on this page is one he uses in lessons: hearing one note change does more than any definition. All the chord families are gathered on the guitar chords page.
More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.