G#m7 Chord
The G#m7 chord contains G sharp, B, D sharp, F sharp. Start with the G sharp minor triad, then add F sharp as a minor seventh. The four notes make a useful bridge into a longer progression: in F# major, G#m7 can lead to C#7 and then F#maj7.
- Notes: G sharp-B-D sharp-F sharp
- Formula: 1-flat 3-5-flat 7
- ii7 in F# major
What notes are in G#m7?
The minor triad is G sharp-B-D sharp. Add F sharp a minor seventh above G sharp to get G sharp-B-D sharp-F sharp. 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.
B natural is the minor third. The major third of G#7 would be B sharp, played on the C key.
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: G sharp-B-D sharp-F sharp, G sharp lowest.
- First inversion: B-D sharp-F sharp-G sharp, B lowest.
- Second inversion: D sharp-F sharp-G sharp-B, D sharp lowest.
- Third inversion: F sharp-G sharp-B-D sharp, F sharp 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 G#m7 fit in F# major?
It is the ii7 chord in F# major. Play G#m7-C#7-F#maj7 slowly and listen to how the middle chord makes the last chord feel like an arrival. You can play the same notes of G#m7 in other keys or styles; the ii label applies only when F# is the tonal center. The chord notes alone do not tell you which key a whole song is in.
How is G#m7 different from G#7?
Keep G sharp, D sharp and F sharp; raise only the minor third B by one semitone to B sharp. That creates G#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 G#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 F sharp, then remove it again. Sing that changing note while the other three keys stay down. Next, play the progression G#m7-C#7-F#maj7 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.