Fm7 barre chord, 1st fret (131111)
- Fingering
- 131111
- Fingers
- 1 3 1 1 1 1
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Position
- barre chord, 1st fret
Notes in the F minor 7th chord
The Fm7 chord is made of F · A♭ · C · E♭. Its formula is 1–♭3–5–♭7.
| Note | Degree | Interval from F |
|---|---|---|
| F | 1 | root |
| A♭ | ♭3 | minor third |
| C | 5 | perfect fifth |
| E♭ | ♭7 | minor seventh |
How to play the Fm7 guitar chord
- Lay your first finger flat across the 1st fret, from the low E string to the high E string.
- Put your third finger on the 3rd fret of the A string.
- Strum all six strings.
That is the barre chord, 1st fret shape, 131111. It is rated medium: 2 fingers, 6 strings, one barre.
Why your Fm7 chord buzzes or sounds muted
If the Fm7 chord buzzes, check the barre first: roll your first finger slightly onto its bony edge and move it up against the 1st fret wire, with your thumb behind the neck.
Easy Fm7 guitar chord
The easy Fm7 chord is xx1111: the top four strings of the full shape, with the low E and A strings left out. It still contains every note of the chord (F, Ab, C and Eb), so it is a real Fm7, just thinner in the bass.
Your first finger covers two strings at the 1st fret, which is far less work than the full six-string barre.
Fm7 barre chord
Fm7 has 2 barre shapes here: 131111 (barre at the 1st fret) and 8-8-10-8-9-8 (barre at the 8th fret).
A barre shape has no open strings, so it moves. Slide any of them up one fret and you are playing F#m7 (Gbm7).
Songs that use Fm7
- Blue Bossa (Jazz standard): Cm7 Fm7 Dm7b5 G7 Ebm7 Ab7 Dbmaj7
- Just the Two of Us (Grover Washington Jr.): Dbmaj7 C7 Fm7 Ebm7 Ab7
Chord names only, as the songs are usually charted for guitar. Recordings may use a capo or another key.
Keys with the Fm7 chord
Fm7 is the iii chord in Db major, ii chord in Eb major and vi chord in Ab major. In minor keys it is the v chord in Bb minor, iv chord in C minor and i chord in F minor.
Chords related to Fm7
Fm7 guitar chord questions
How do you play an Fm7 chord on guitar?
Play 131111, reading from the low E string to the high E string, with a barre at the 1st fret. An x means the string is not played and a 0 means it rings open. The fingers used are 1 3 1 1 1 1.
What notes are in the Fm7 chord?
The F minor 7th chord has 4 notes: F, Ab, C and Eb. Its formula is 1–♭3–5–♭7, counted from the F major scale.
Is there an easy way to play Fm7?
Yes. Play xx1111, which uses only the top four strings and no full barre. It contains the same notes: F, Ab, C and Eb.
What keys is the Fm7 chord in?
Fm7 is the iii chord in Db major, ii chord in Eb major and vi chord in Ab major. In minor keys it is the v chord in Bb minor, iv chord in C minor and i chord in F minor.
Fm7 chord diagram to print or save
Printable Fm7 chord PDF (one letter page, black on white) · Fm7 chord PNG (1200 px)
