F#m7 Chord
The F#m7 chord contains F sharp, A, C sharp, E. Start with the F sharp minor triad, then add E as a minor seventh. The four notes make a useful bridge into a longer progression: in E major, F#m7 can lead to B7 and then Emaj7.
- Notes: F sharp-A-C sharp-E
- Formula: 1-flat 3-5-flat 7
- ii7 in E major
What notes are in F#m7?
The minor triad is F sharp-A-C sharp. Add E a minor seventh above F sharp to get F sharp-A-C sharp-E. The formula is 1-flat 3-5-flat 7: a minor third and a minor seventh around an unchanged perfect fifth. The flats in this formula refer to scale-degree distances. They do not require a flat sign in every chord spelling.
A natural is the minor third, while E natural is the minor seventh. Do not mistake F#m7 for F#7, which needs A sharp.
How can you play its inversions?
Keep all four note names and lift the lowest note by an octave to get each new position:
- Root position: F sharp-A-C sharp-E, F sharp lowest.
- First inversion: A-C sharp-E-F sharp, A lowest.
- Second inversion: C sharp-E-F sharp-A, C sharp lowest.
- Third inversion: E-F sharp-A-C sharp, E lowest.
The letter after the slash in a chord symbol tells a player which note belongs in the bass, if a particular bass is required. A bass instrument can change the overall lowest note while the keyboard hand keeps the same shape. Read Chord Inversions for that distinction.
Where does F#m7 fit in E major?
It is the ii7 chord in E major. Play F#m7-B7-Emaj7 slowly and listen to how the middle chord makes the last chord feel like an arrival. You can play the same notes of F#m7 in other keys or styles; the ii label applies only when E is the tonal center. The chord notes alone do not tell you which key a whole song is in.
How is F#m7 different from F#7?
Keep F sharp, C sharp and E; raise only the minor third A by one semitone to A sharp. That creates F#7, a dominant-seventh chord. Play both at the same volume and listen to the changed third before deciding which feels more tense. The two symbols are easy to confuse in print: the m in F#m7 changes the triad, while a plain 7 leaves the triad major. Minor Seventh Chord shows the formula across other roots.
One-minute practice
Play the minor triad, add E, then remove it again. Sing that changing note while the other three keys stay down. Next, play the progression F#m7-B7-Emaj7 with the chord roots in your left hand and compact right-hand shapes. Slow, audible changes teach you more than repeating the names from memory.