Gm7 chord on guitar

Gm7 is G, B♭, D and F. The usual shape is 3-5-3-3-3-3, a barre at the 3rd fret. Hit Play and watch each string light as it sounds.

3-5-3-3-3-3 · barre · medium

Notes: G · B♭ · D · F
Formula: 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7
First shape: 3-5-3-3-3-3

How to play Gm7 on guitar

Shape 1, 3-5-3-3-3-3, reading from the low E string on the left, starts at the 3rd fret:

Index finger lies flat over all the strings, just behind the 3rd fret wire.
D: middle finger, 5th fret of the A string.

Check the barre one string at a time. A dead string under the index finger usually means the finger has drifted away from the fret wire.

Other ways to play Gm7

x-x-5-7-6-6: movable shape at the 5th fret, medium. Fewer strings, so it sounds lighter and is quicker to change to.
x-10-12-10-11-10: barre shape at the 10th fret, medium. The root is on the A string; it's the Am7 shape moved up the neck.
15-13-15-x-15-x: movable shape at the 13th fret, medium. Fewer strings, so it sounds lighter and is quicker to change to.

Gm7 the capo way

With a capo you can skip the harder shapes: capo on the 3rd fret and play the open Em7 shape (0-2-2-0-3-0) or capo on the 5th fret and play the open Dm7 shape (x-x-0-2-1-1). Everything above the capo is fingered exactly like the open chord.

Gm7 chord changes

Songs rarely hold Gm7 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.

C7 (V in F major): Gm7 (3-5-3-3-3-3) to C7 (x-3-2-3-1-0): move the index finger to the B string, 1st fret, move the middle finger to the D string, 2nd fret, the ring finger comes down on the A string, 3rd fret, the pinky finger comes down on the G string, 3rd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. G and B♭ carry over from one chord to the other. C7 on guitar
B♭maj7 (IV in F major): Gm7 (3-5-3-3-3-3) to B♭maj7 (x-1-3-2-3-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 2nd fret, the ring finger comes down on the D string, 3rd fret, the pinky finger comes down on the B string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Shared notes: B♭, D and F. B♭maj7 on guitar
Fmaj7 (I in F major): Gm7 (3-5-3-3-3-3) to Fmaj7 (x-x-3-2-1-0): the index finger goes to the B string, 1st fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 2nd fret, the ring finger comes down on the D string, 3rd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. The two chords share F, which is why the change sounds smooth. Fmaj7 on guitar

Gm7 is a minor seventh chord: a minor triad plus a minor seventh. Gm7 is the easy-going minor, common as the ii chord right before a dominant seventh. The slow arpeggio button above makes that quality easy to hear.

Practice Gm7 in two minutes

Arpeggiate 3-5-3-3-3-3 from the lowest string: G, D, F, B♭, D, G. Then strum it and listen for the same 6 notes together. Finish by moving between 3-5-3-3-3-3 and x-x-5-7-6-6 to learn two positions of the same chord.

Keys and progressions with Gm7

In F major, ii–V–I on guitar is Gm7 (3-5-3-3-3-3), C7 (x-3-2-3-1-0) and Fmaj7 (x-x-3-2-1-0). About the jazz cadence.

Gm7 on piano and ukulele

Switching instruments? Try Gm7 on ukulele or Gm7 on piano, or compare them on the Gm7 chord page.

Next to try on guitar

Other minor seventh chords

Gm7 on guitar: questions

What notes are in Gm7 on guitar?

G, B♭, D and F. In the 3-5-3-3-3-3 shape the strings play G (low E string), D (A string), F (D string), B♭ (G string), D (B string) and G (high E string), so G and D are doubled.

What's the easiest way to play Gm7 on guitar?

In standard tuning Gm7 can't use open strings. Begin with x-x-5-7-6-6. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and a capo is worth trying when the song allows.

Is Gm7 a barre chord on guitar?

In its standard form, yes. 3-5-3-3-3-3 has your index finger across the 3rd fret. If that's hard, try x-x-5-7-6-6.

Which string does Gm7 start on?

In the 3-5-3-3-3-3 shape the lowest string you play is the low E string at the 3rd fret, which is G, the root.

Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside Gm7. Updated September 2026.