Minor 7th guitar chords
A minor 7th chord is a minor chord with a flattened seventh on top. It is softer and less final than a plain minor chord.
How minor 7th chords are built
The formula is 1–♭3–5–♭7: the root, the minor third, the perfect fifth and the minor seventh, counted from the root’s major scale. In Cm7 that gives C · E♭ · G · B♭.
All 12 minor 7th chords on guitar
Fingerings read from the low E string to the high E string. x = not played, 0 = open. 3 of the twelve main shapes are easy, 9 medium and 0 hard.
| Chord | Notes | Fingering | Position | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cm7 | C E♭ G B♭ | x3134x | 1st fret | Medium |
| Dbm7 | D♭ F♭ A♭ C♭ | x46454 | barre chord, 4th fret | Medium |
| Dm7 | D F A C | xx0211 | open position | Easy |
| Ebm7 | E♭ G♭ B♭ D♭ | xx1322 | 1st fret | Medium |
| Em7 | E G B D | 022030 | open position | Easy |
| Fm7 | F A♭ C E♭ | 131111 | barre chord, 1st fret | Medium |
| Gbm7 | G♭ A D♭ F♭ | 242222 | barre chord, 2nd fret | Medium |
| Gm7 | G B♭ D F | 353333 | barre chord, 3rd fret | Medium |
| Abm7 | A♭ C♭ E♭ G♭ | 464444 | barre chord, 4th fret | Medium |
| Am7 | A C E G | x02010 | open position | Easy |
| Bbm7 | B♭ D♭ F A♭ | x13121 | barre chord, 1st fret | Medium |
| Bm7 | B D F♯ A | 224232 | barre chord, 2nd fret | Medium |
Minor 7th chord diagrams
- Cm7x3134x4 fingerings · medium
- Dm7xx02114 fingerings · easy
- Ebm7xx13224 fingerings · medium
- Em70220305 fingerings · easy
- Fm71311114 fingerings · medium
- Gm73533334 fingerings · medium
- Am7x020104 fingerings · easy
- Bbm7x131214 fingerings · medium
- Bm72242324 fingerings · medium
Where minor 7th chords appear in a key
In a major key, a minor 7th chord fits on the vi, iii and ii degrees of the scale. For example, Cm7 is the vi chord in Eb major, iii chord in Ab major and ii chord in Bb major.