G#m7 G# minor seventh chord
- Notes
- G# B D# F#
- Formula
- 1 b3 5 b7
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 10 above the root
- Also written
- Abm7 (Ab Cb Eb Gb)
- Other symbols
- G#min7, G#−7
G# to B is a minor third (3 semitones), B to D# is a major third (4 semitones), D# to F# is a minor third (3 semitones). A minor triad plus a minor seventh (F#). With B in the bass the same four notes are read as B6.
G#m7 on the piano
Root position from G#4: G#4, B4, D#5, F#5. Middle C is C4.
G#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 G# as its lowest note.
4 6 4 4 4 4 (low E to high e)
Sounds G#2 D#3 F#3 B3 D#4 G#4
x 11 13 11 12 11 (low E to high e)
Sounds G#3 D#4 F#4 B4 D#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 seventh chords on other roots.
G#m7 on the ukulele
Standard ukulele tuning is G C E A, drawn with the G string on the left and frets downwards, as ukulele chord charts show it. The G string is tuned higher than the C string (G4 above middle C, a fifth over C4), so the lowest note you hear is usually on the C or E string, not on the G string, and a shape can sound as an inversion even when its root is on the G string. All four strings are strummed, so every string plays a chord tone; the root is in blue-green.
1322 (G C E A)
Sounds G#4 D#4 F#4 B4
Lowest note D#4, so the chord finder reads it as G#m7/D# (second inversion).
4646 (G C E A)
Sounds B4 F#4 G#4 D#5
Lowest note F#4, so the chord finder reads it as G#m7/F# (third inversion).
Inversions of G#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.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | G# B D# F# | G#m7 | |
| 1st inversion | B D# F# G# | B6 (also read as G#m7/B) | |
| 2nd inversion | D# F# G# B | G#m7/D# | |
| 3rd inversion | F# G# B D# | G#m7/F# |
Where G#m7 fits
G#m7 is ii7 in F# major, iii7 in E major, vi7 in B major. As ii7 it is the first chord of the ii–V–I that ends countless jazz and pop phrases: G#m7 → C#7 → F#maj7.