Fm7 chord
Fm7 is F, A♭, C and E♭: 1–♭3–5–♭7 built on F. See and hear it on all three instruments below.
On guitar
1-3-1-1-1-1 · barre · hard
- Notes
- F · A♭ · C · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7
- First shape
- 1-3-1-1-1-1
Fm7 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · F–A♭–C–E♭ · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- F · A♭ · C · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7
Fm7 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
1-3-1-3 · movable · medium
- Notes
- F · A♭ · C · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7
- First shape
- 1-3-1-3
Changing out of Fm7
The moves below are the ones you'll meet most, shown for guitar and piano.
- Fm7 → B♭7 (V in E♭ major)
Guitar: Fm7 (1-3-1-1-1-1) to B♭7 (x-1-3-1-3-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, the middle finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, the ring finger comes down on the B string, 3rd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. F and A♭ carry over from one chord to the other.
Piano: Fm7 to B♭7: play B♭7 in 2nd inversion (F–A♭–B♭–D) and F and A♭ stay under the same fingers, while C moves down to B♭ and E♭ down to D. B♭7 - Fm7 → A♭maj7 (IV in E♭ major)
Guitar: Fm7 (1-3-1-1-1-1) to A♭maj7 (4-6-5-5-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, your middle finger lands on the D string, 5th fret, the ring finger comes down on the G string, 5th fret, the pinky finger comes down on the A string, 6th fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. The two chords share A♭, C and E♭, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: Fm7 to A♭maj7: play A♭maj7 in 3rd inversion (G–A♭–C–E♭) and A♭, C and E♭ stay under the same fingers, while F moves up to G. A♭maj7 - Fm7 → E♭maj7 (I in E♭ major)
Guitar: Fm7 (1-3-1-1-1-1) to E♭maj7 (x-x-1-3-3-3): your index finger lands on the D string, 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 3rd fret, the ring finger comes down on the B string, 3rd fret, the pinky finger comes down on the high E string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share E♭, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: Fm7 to E♭maj7: play E♭maj7 in 1st inversion (G–B♭–D–E♭) and E♭ stays under the same finger, while F moves up to G, A♭ up to B♭ and C up to D. E♭maj7
Guitar with a capo: capo 1, Em7 shape; capo 3, Dm7 shape; capo 6, Bm7 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 1, Em7 shape; capo 3, Dm7 shape; capo 6, Bm7 shape.
How Fm7 is built
Fm7 is a minor seventh chord: a minor triad plus a minor seventh. It is mellow rather than sad, and slides easily into other chords, which is why funk, R&B and jazz lean on it.
Start on F, count 3 half steps up to A♭, 4 half steps up to C then 3 half steps up to E♭.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | root | 0 | |
| A♭ | minor third | 3 | |
| C | perfect fifth | 7 | |
| E♭ | minor seventh | 10 |
Keys and progressions with Fm7
In major keys, Fm7 is ii7 in E♭ major, iii7 in D♭ major and vi7 in A♭ major. In minor keys it is i7 in F minor, iv7 in C minor and v7 in B♭ minor.
In E♭ major, ii–V–I is Fm7 – B♭7 – E♭maj7. the jazz cadence
Chords close to Fm7
- Fm7 is Fm plus E♭. Fm
Chords that share most of their notes with Fm7: A♭6, Fm, A♭, C♯maj7, C♯add9, Dm7♭5.
Every F chord
Fm7 chord: questions
What notes are in the Fm7 chord?
F, A♭, C and E♭. Fm7 is built 1–♭3–5–♭7 from F: A♭ is the minor third, C is the perfect fifth and E♭ is the minor seventh.
How do you play Fm7 on guitar?
The usual shape is 1-3-1-1-1-1 (barre). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play Fm7 on piano?
Play F, A♭, C and E♭ with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-5. F sits just left of the group of three black keys. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play Fm7 on ukulele?
1-3-1-3 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is Fm7 in?
In major keys, Fm7 is ii7 in E♭ major, iii7 in D♭ major and vi7 in A♭ major. In minor keys it is i7 in F minor, iv7 in C minor and v7 in B♭ minor.
What's the difference between Fm7 and Fm?
Fm7 is Fm plus E♭.
Diagrams and sound come from the same data, tested so they match. Updated September 2026.