Minor 7th chord · G root
Gm7 chord
- G1
- Bb♭3
- D5
- F♭7
The G minor 7th chord is built from the notes G, Bb, D, F. It turns up 12 times in the 104 songs on this site, including Autumn Leaves and Black Orpheus.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the Gm7 chord?
The Gm7 chord (G minor 7th) is a minor 7th chord built from four notes: G, Bb, D, F — the 1–♭3–5–♭7 of the G scale, 3 semitones and 7 semitones and 10 semitones above the root. On guitar it is most often played as a movable shape from fret 3 (3-5-3-3-3-3); shift all fretted notes together to transpose it along the neck. It is rated intermediate. The smooth workhorse of funk, R&B and lo-fi. Across the 104 song sheets in this site's library, Gm7 appears 12 times in 3 songs, most often in the keys of Gm and Dm, and the chord it most often moves to is Gm7. Below you will find step-by-step fingering, 3 positions up the neck, audio of every shape, and the real progressions this chord lives inside.
How do you play the Gm7 chord on guitar?
Fret 3 barre — a movable shape, so this same fingering works for every root note.
- Lay your index finger flat across the low E to high E strings at fret 3, rolled slightly onto its bony edge.
- Press the A string at fret 5 with your ring finger.
- Strum all six strings and let every one ring.
Leave out the lowest fretted note (low E string) and practise the remaining strings. The bass changes, and the upper strings may still need a smaller barre; check that the third and other colour tones stay clear. x-5-3-3-3-3
How do you make Gm7 sound clean?
Gm7 gets confused with Gm — the seventh is a different fret, not a different shape.
Compare Gm with Gm7: the D string drops from fret 5 to the fret-3 barre. Then practise moving to Cm without rushing the change.
In real songs
What songs use the Gm7 chord?
- chord changes
- 12
- songs
- 3
- common keys
- Gm · Dm
Across the 104 chord sheets on this site, Gm7 appears 12 times in 3 songs — most often in the keys of Gm and Dm.
Am7b5D7Gm7Gm7
Am7b5D7Gm7Gm7
Am7b5D7Gm7Gm7
Chord flow
What chord comes after Gm7?
Every number here is a count from the progressions in our song sheets, not a generalisation: 1879 chord changes are behind these figures.
Three-chord moves
Three-chord moves are where a chord really shows its character. These are the ones that actually happen in this library, counted from the sheets:
What other ways can you play Gm7 up the neck?
2 more positions below. These are the same notes in a different part of the neck. Choosing the position closest to the chord you just played is what stops your hand jumping between changes.
Position 2 · Fret 5 barre
Every note here is fretted, which means the shape transposes anywhere on the neck without changing your fingers.
The barre is the only hard part of this shape. Keep the bar finger straight and use the weight of your arm rather than the grip of your thumb.
Position 3 · Fret 10 barre
No open strings, so this is a movable shape: slide it up or down and the same fingering gives you a different chord name.
One bar does most of the work. Roll that finger onto its bony edge and pull the elbow slightly in — a barre that buzzes is almost always a position problem, not a strength problem.
The theory behind Gm7
Gm7 is spelled G – Bb – D – F — the 1 – ♭3 – 5 – ♭7 of the G scale, which is the root plus 3 semitones, 7 semitones, 10 semitones. The smooth workhorse of funk, R&B and lo-fi.
The flat seventh softens the minor third, which is why m7 chords sit comfortably under a vocal. In practice you will use Gm7 far more often than the plain minor triad in anything funky or jazzy.
Gm7 on other instruments
G – Bb – D – F — the highlighted black keys are the sharps or flats; play each note once, then move them into one hand position.
Take it to the practice room
