F minor seventh

Fm7

Also written Fmin7 · F−7 · Fmi7

NotesF · A♭ · C · E♭
Formula1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7
F1C5A♭♭3E♭♭7
Root position

The minor 7th: ii of E♭ major, where it opens the ii–V–I Fm7 → B♭7E♭maj7. It also plays iii of D♭ major and vi of A♭ major.

How pianists voice Fm7

Nobody plays a jazz chord in root position. These are the shapes that actually get played — the same ones Cadenza shows when you play the chord.

Shell Left hand

F1A♭♭3E♭♭7

1 · ♭3 · ♭7 — root, 3rd and 7th: the three notes that say what the chord is. Left hand, low; everything else is colour.

Rootless A From the 3rd

C5G9A♭♭3E♭♭7

♭3 · 5 · ♭7 · 9 — no root: the bass player has it. The left-hand voicing of modern jazz piano. Without F underneath, the same keys read as A♭maj7 — the bass turns them into Fm7.

Rootless B From the 7th

G9C5E♭♭7A♭♭3

♭7 · 9 · ♭3 · 5 — the other half of the pair. A and B alternate through a ii–V–I so the hand barely moves.

Drop 2 Two hands

C5F1A♭♭3E♭♭7

5 · 1 · ♭3 · ♭7 — close position with the second voice from the top dropped an octave: wider, warmer, the standard for chord melody.

Fm7 inversions

The same 4 notes with a different one in the bass. Each inversion is written as a slash chord.

Root position Fm7

F1C5A♭♭3E♭♭7

Root at the bottom, stacked in 3rds: 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7.

1st inversion Fm7/A♭

C5F1A♭♭3E♭♭7

A♭ (the ♭3) in the bass: ♭3 · 5 · ♭7 · 1.

2nd inversion Fm7/C

C5F1E♭♭7A♭♭3

C (the 5) in the bass: 5 · ♭7 · 1 · ♭3.

3rd inversion Fm7/E♭

F1C5E♭♭7A♭♭3

E♭ (the ♭7) in the bass: ♭7 · 1 · ♭3 · 5.

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