semicord

F#m7 F# minor seventh chord

Notes
F# A C# E
Formula
1 b3 5 b7
Semitones
0 3 7 10 above the root
Also written
Gbm7 (Gb Bbb Db Fb)
Other symbols
F#min7, F#−7

F# to A is a minor third (3 semitones), A to C# is a major third (4 semitones), C# to E is a minor third (3 semitones). A minor triad plus a minor seventh (E). With A in the bass the same four notes are read as A6.

F#m7 on the piano

C4D4E4F4G4A4B4C5D5E5F5G5A5B5C#4Eb4F#4Ab4Bb4C#5Eb5F#5Ab5Bb5C4F#AC5C#E

Root position from F#4: F#4, A4, C#5, E5. Middle C is C4.

F#m7 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.

F#F#C#C#EEAAC#C#F#F#
E-shape barre, root on the E string at fret 2
2 4 2 2 2 2 (low E to high e)
Sounds F#2 C#3 E3 A3 C#4 F#4
9fr×F#F#C#C#EEAAC#C#
A-shape barre, root on the A string at fret 9
x 9 11 9 10 9 (low E to high e)
Sounds F#3 C#4 E4 A4 C#5

The barre shapes 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 seventh chords on other roots.

Inversions of F#m7

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.

PositionNotes, bass firstNamedListen
Root positionF# A C# EF#m7
1st inversionA C# E F#A6 (also read as F#m7/A)
2nd inversionC# E F# AF#m7/C#
3rd inversionE F# A C#F#m7/E

Where F#m7 fits

F#m7 is ii7 in E major, iii7 in D major, vi7 in A major. As ii7 it is the first chord of the ii–V–I that ends countless jazz and pop phrases: F#m7 → B7 → Emaj7.