F#m(maj7) F# minor-major seventh chord
- Notes
- F# A C# E#
- Formula
- 1 b3 5 7
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 11 above the root
- Also written
- Gbm(maj7) (Gb Bbb Db F)
- Other symbols
- F#mM7, F#m(Δ7), F#min(maj7)
F# to A is a minor third (3 semitones), A to C# is a major third (4 semitones), C# to E# is a major third (4 semitones). A minor triad with a major seventh, E#, a half step below the root. The minor third A and the major seventh make an augmented triad (A C# E#) inside the chord, which gives it its tense, suspenseful sound.
F#m(maj7) on the piano
Root position from F#4: F#4, A4, C#5, E#5. Middle C is C4.
F#m(maj7) on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has F# as its lowest note.
2 x 3 2 2 x (low E to high e)
Sounds F#2 E#3 A3 C#4
x 9 11 10 10 9 (low E to high e)
Sounds F#3 C#4 E#4 A4 C#5
The E-shape and A-shape grips are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play minor-major seventh chords on other roots.
Inversions of F#m(maj7)
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | F# A C# E# | F#m(maj7) | |
| 1st inversion | A C# E# F# | F#m(maj7)/A | |
| 2nd inversion | C# E# F# A | F#m(maj7)/C# | |
| 3rd inversion | E# F# A C# | F#m/F |
Where F#m(maj7) fits
F#m(maj7) is i(maj7) in F# minor. Most often it is a passing chord in the descending line F#m → F#m(maj7) → F#m7 → F#m6, where one voice falls a half step at a time from F#. The first four bars of the jazz standard "My Funny Valentine" (Cm, Cm(maj7), Cm7, Cm6 in C minor) are exactly that line.