F♭m7 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The F♭m7 chord is a minor seventh chord built on the root note F♭. Its notes are F♭, A𝄫, C♭ and E𝄫. It's enharmonically the same chord as Em7.
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
- F♭ · A𝄫 · C♭ · E𝄫
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 7 · 10
- Note
- F♭
- Quality
- Minor 7
- Symbol
- F♭m7
F♭m7 on piano
4 notes
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play F♭m7 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on F♭, index finger on A𝄫, middle finger on C♭ and little finger on E𝄫. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard every note of F♭m7 is a white key, the keys you'd normally call E, G, B and D. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- F♭1
- A𝄫♭3
- C♭5
- E𝄫♭7
F♭m7 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, F♭m7 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 7: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play string 6.
F♭ · A𝄫 · C♭ · E𝄫
Try F♭m7 on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
F♭m7 chord notes
Also known as Em7
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F♭(Fb) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | A𝄫(Abb) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | C♭(Cb) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | E𝄫(Ebb) |
How to use the F♭m7 chord
The F♭m7 chord is built from a root, a minor third, a perfect fifth and a minor seventh. Start at the root F♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: F♭, A𝄫, C♭ and E𝄫. 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.
How F♭m7 differs from similar chords
F♭m7 puts a minor seventh on a minor triad, which separates it from F♭m(maj7), whose seventh is a half step higher and much sharper. Compared with F♭m7♭5, it keeps a perfect fifth, so it sounds relaxed rather than tense. Its upper three notes form the major triad a minor third above the root, which is why it blends so easily with major chords.
Where F♭m7 is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key F♭m7 would have a function in has a tonic that needs a double accidental, which is not a key this library teaches. The enharmonic spelling carries the same chord in a key that exists.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the F♭m7 chord?
- The F♭m7 chord contains F♭, A𝄫, C♭ and E𝄫 (Fb, Abb, Cb and Ebb in plain text).
- Is the F♭m7 chord major or minor?
- F♭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 F♭m7 on piano?
- Place your fingers on F♭, A𝄫, C♭ and E𝄫 and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard every note of F♭m7 is a white key, the keys you'd normally call E, G, B and D.
- How do you play F♭m7 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 7: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the F♭m7 chord?
- F♭m7 is enharmonically equivalent to Em7. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.