Fm7 chord on guitar

Fm7 is F, A♭, C and E♭. The usual shape is 1-3-1-1-1-1, a barre at the 1st fret. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.

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

How to play Fm7 on guitar

Shape 1, 1-3-1-1-1-1, reading from the low E string on the left:

Barre the 1st fret with your index finger, covering all the strings.
Put your middle finger on the A string at the 3rd fret, which is C.

A barre at the 1st fret is the hardest place to press. Pull your elbow in slightly and roll the index finger onto its bony edge; it takes less force than pressing harder.

Other ways to play Fm7

x-x-3-5-4-4: movable shape at the 3rd fret, medium. Only the thinner strings sound, which cuts through a band without getting muddy.
13-15-13-13-13-13: barre shape at the 13th fret, medium. Root on the 6th string: move it up or down and it names a different minor seventh chord.
x-8-10-8-9-8: barre shape at the 8th fret, medium. Root on the 5th string, so it pairs well with the 6th-string shape a few frets away.

Capo shortcuts for Fm7

A capo turns an open chord into Fm7: capo on the 1st fret and play the open Em7 shape (0-2-2-0-3-0), capo on the 3rd fret and play the open Dm7 shape (x-x-0-2-1-1) or capo on the 6th fret and play the open Bm7 shape (x-2-0-2-0-2). Handy when the rest of the song's chords also have open shapes in that position.

Fm7 chord changes

The chords Fm7 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.

B♭7 (V in E♭ major): 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. B♭7 on guitar
A♭maj7 (IV in E♭ major): 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. A♭maj7 on guitar
E♭maj7 (I in E♭ major): 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. E♭maj7 on guitar

Fm7 is a minor seventh chord: a minor triad plus a minor seventh. Fm7 is the easy-going minor, common as the ii chord right before a dominant seventh. Play it once strummed and once picked to hear the difference.

A short Fm7 drill

Arpeggiate 1-3-1-1-1-1 from the lowest string: F, C, E♭, A♭, C, F. Then strum it and listen for the same 6 notes together. Finish by moving between 1-3-1-1-1-1 and x-x-3-5-4-4 to learn two positions of the same chord.

Where Fm7 shows up

In E♭ major, ii–V–I on guitar is Fm7 (1-3-1-1-1-1), B♭7 (x-1-3-1-3-1) and E♭maj7 (x-x-1-3-3-3). About the jazz cadence.

Fm7 on piano and ukulele

The same notes on another instrument: Fm7 on piano and Fm7 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.

Close to Fm7

Other minor seventh chords

Fm7 on guitar: questions

What notes are in Fm7 on guitar?

F, A♭, C and E♭. In the 1-3-1-1-1-1 shape the strings play F (low E string), C (A string), E♭ (D string), A♭ (G string), C (B string) and F (high E string), so F and C are doubled.

What's the easiest way to play Fm7 on guitar?

No open-string Fm7 exists in standard tuning; x-x-3-5-4-4 is the place to start. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and in many songs a capo can take over part of the work.

Is Fm7 a barre chord on guitar?

In its standard form, yes. 1-3-1-1-1-1 has your index finger across the 1st fret. If that's hard, try x-x-3-5-4-4.

Which string does Fm7 start on?

In the 1-3-1-1-1-1 shape the lowest string you play is the low E string at the 1st fret, which is F, the root.

Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside Fm7. Updated September 2026.