As the ii in a ii-V-IG♯ major
- ii7A♯m7
- V7D♯7
- Imaj7G♯maj7
The standard cadence: A♯m7 carries the subdominant function before the dominant arrives.
A♯m7 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The A♯m7 chord is a minor seventh chord built on the root note A♯. Its notes are A♯, C♯, E♯ and G♯. It's enharmonically the same chord as B♭m7.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Minor seventh chords are smooth and neutral, softer than a plain minor triad. They're a staple of jazz, funk and neo-soul, where they add motion without heavy tension.
- Notes
- A♯ · C♯ · E♯ · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 7 · 10
- Note
- A♯
- Quality
- Minor 7
- Symbol
- A♯m7
A♯m7 on piano
4 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play A♯m7 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on A♯, index finger on C♯, middle finger on E♯ and little finger on G♯. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- A♯1
- C♯♭3
- E♯5
- G♯♭7
A♯m7 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, A♯m7 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre shape: keep the index finger flat across the fretboard and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Strum only the strings marked as active in the diagram.
A♯m7 chord notes
Also known as B♭m7
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A♯(A#) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | C♯(C#) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | E♯(E#) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | G♯(G#) |
How to use the A♯m7 chord
The A♯m7 chord is built from a root, a minor third, a perfect fifth and a minor seventh. Start at the root A♯ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: A♯, C♯, E♯ and G♯. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Minor seventh chords are foundational in jazz, funk, neo-soul and R&B. They're typically the iim7, iiim7 or vim7 chord of a major key and the i7 of a minor key.
Where A♯m7 is used
A minor chord works as the tonic of its own key, and as the vi or the ii of a major one. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.
As the vi in a major keyC♯ major
- Imaj7C♯maj7
- vi7A♯m7
- ii7D♯m7
- V7G♯7
A turnaround. A♯m7 is the relative minor of C♯, which softens the way back to the tonic.
As a modal tonicA♯ minor
A modal vamp - A♯m7 is home, and the loop never resolves away from it.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the A♯m7 chord?
- The A♯m7 chord contains A♯, C♯, E♯ and G♯ (A#, C#, E# and G# in plain text).
- Is the A♯m7 chord major or minor?
- A♯m7 is a minor seventh chord. Minor seventh chords are smooth and neutral, softer than a plain minor triad. They're a staple of jazz, funk and neo-soul, where they add motion without heavy tension.
- How do you play A♯m7 on piano?
- Place your fingers on A♯, C♯, E♯ and G♯ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right.
- How do you play A♯m7 on guitar?
- A♯m7 is typically played with the fingering shown in the diagram above. If one of the chord tones lines up with an open string, an open position is worth trying too.
- What is another name for the A♯m7 chord?
- A♯m7 is enharmonically equivalent to B♭m7. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.