Minor 7th Chords
m7
Minor 7th Chords are represented as m7 or -7, with m7 being the most popular... the 7th note is a minor 7th above the root note or tonic.
- The chord is in essence a Minor Minor 7th chord - a minor chord with an added minor 7th. This in in contrast to a Minor Major 7th chord - a minor chord with an added major 7th.
- Minor 7th chord: root - minor 3rd - perfect 5th - minor 7th
- Chord formula: 1 - ♭3 - 5 - ♭7
- We calculate the notes of a chord from the Major Scale of that particular chord, e.g., the notes of a Gm7 chord are derived from the G Major Scale, the notes of a Cm7 chord are derived from the C Major Scale etc. In the following example, we will calculate the notes of a Bm7 chord:
| Chord Name + (other less-common names) | Bm7 ( B min7, B-7) |
|---|---|
| B Major Scale (B chords are derived from the B Major Scale) | B - C# - D# - E - F# - G# - A# - B |
| Chord Formula for all m7 chords | 1 - ♭3 - 5 - ♭7 |
| Chord Notes (after applying the formula to the Scale) | B - D - F# - A |
| Chord notes on the Treble Clef |  |
Here are some more examples for calculating the notes of a minor 7 chord:
| Chord | Major Scale | Chord Notes: 1 - ♭3 - 5 - ♭7 |
|---|---|---|
| F#m | F# - G# - A# - B - C# - D# - E# - F# | F# - A - C# - E |
| Dm | D - E - F# - G - A - B - C# - D | D - F - A - C |
| Fm | F - G - A - B♭ - C - D - E - F | F - A♭ - C - E♭ |
| Gm | G - A - B - C - D - E - F# - G | G - B♭ - D - F |
| Am | A - B - C# - D - E - F# - G - A | A - C - E - G |
| m 7 | A | A#/B♭ | B | C | C#/D♭ | D | D#/E♭ | E | F | F#/G♭ | G | G#/A♭ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Root | A | A#/B♭ | B | C | C#/D♭ | D | D#/E♭ | E | F | F#/G♭ | G | G#/A♭ |
| Minor 3rd | C | C#/D♭ | D | E♭ | E/F♭ | F | F#/G♭ | G | A♭ | A/B♭♭ | B♭ | B/C♭ |
| Perfect 5th | E | E#/F | F# | G | G#/A♭ | A | A#/B♭ | B | C | C#/D♭ | D | D#/E♭ |
| Minor 7th | G | G#/A♭ | A | B♭ | B/C♭ | C | C#/D♭ | D | E♭ | E/F♭ | F | F#/G♭ |
Minor 7th Chords - Right Handers
Chord Chart Legend
Minor 7th Chords - Left Handers
Chord Chart Legend
Practice Songs using Minor 7 chords
When you learn new chords, it is always a good idea to put them into practice. We have included some songs which are suitable for beginners and are all fairly easy to play.- Beautiful - Christina Aguilera
- Count On Me - Bruno Mars
- Dust In The Wind - Kansas
- Ventura Highway by America
- Wide Awake - Katy Perry
