As a harmonic-minor tonicG♯ minor
The raised seventh inside the tonic is what lets D♯7 work as a real dominant in a minor key.
G♯m(maj7) Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The G♯m(maj7) chord is a minor major seventh chord built on the root note G♯. Its notes are G♯, B, D♯ and F𝄪. It's enharmonically the same chord as A♭m(maj7).
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Minor major seventh chords are unsettling in a beautiful way. A major seventh over a minor triad creates a sharp, unresolved edge best known from spy themes, Hitchcock scores and the darker corners of jazz.
- Notes
- G♯ · B · D♯ · F𝄪
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · 7
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 7 · 11
- Note
- G♯
- Quality
- Minor Major 7
- Symbol
- G♯m(maj7)
G♯m(maj7) on piano
4 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play G♯m(maj7) on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on G♯, index finger on B, middle finger on D♯ and little finger on F𝄪. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard G♯ and D♯ are black keys and B and F𝄪 are white. F𝄪 is the key you'd normally call G. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- G♯1
- B♭3
- D♯5
- F𝄪7
G♯m(maj7) on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, G♯m(maj7) is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 4. Strings 3 and 2 ring open.
G♯ · B · D♯ · F𝄪
Try G♯m(maj7) on the virtual piano
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G♯m(maj7) chord notes
Also known as A♭m(maj7)
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | G♯(G#) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | B | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | D♯(D#) | |
| 7 | Major seventh | 11 | F𝄪(F##) |
How to use the G♯m(maj7) chord
The G♯m(maj7) chord is built from a root, a minor third, a perfect fifth and a major seventh. Start at the root G♯ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: G♯, B, D♯ and F𝄪. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Minor major seventh chords appear in line cliches, where the top voice of a minor chord walks down from the root through the major seventh. James Bond themes, bossa nova and minor-key jazz ballads are where you meet them.
How G♯m(maj7) differs from similar chords
G♯m(maj7) combines the minor third of G♯m with the major seventh of G♯maj7. Its seventh sits a half step higher than in G♯m7, right under the root, and that is where its tense, cinematic edge comes from. It usually passes by in a line cliché between G♯m and G♯m7.
Where G♯m(maj7) 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.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the G♯m(maj7) chord?
- The G♯m(maj7) chord contains G♯, B, D♯ and F𝄪 (G#, B, D# and F## in plain text).
- Is the G♯m(maj7) chord major or minor?
- G♯m(maj7) is a minor major seventh chord. Minor major seventh chords are unsettling in a beautiful way. A major seventh over a minor triad creates a sharp, unresolved edge best known from spy themes, Hitchcock scores and the darker corners of jazz.
- How do you play G♯m(maj7) on piano?
- Place your fingers on G♯, B, D♯ and F𝄪 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 G♯ and D♯ are black keys and B and F𝄪 are white. F𝄪 is the key you'd normally call G. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play G♯m(maj7) on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 4. Strings 3 and 2 ring open.
- What is another name for the G♯m(maj7) chord?
- G♯m(maj7) is enharmonically equivalent to A♭m(maj7). Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.