The Gm7 chord—also known as “G Minor 7″—is an important guitar chord for you to know. Here are two useful guitar fingerings for a Gm7 chord. Continue reading for an explanation of Gm7, Minor 7th chords in general, the notes in Gm7 chord, and how to play Gm7 on a guitar.
What is a Gm7 Chord?
A Gm7 is what is referred to as a “Minor Seventh” chord. In music theory terms, a Minor Seventh chord is a 4-note 7th chord where both the 3rd and 7th note are flattened 1 half step (1 fret in guitar terms). In musical notation, Minor Seventh chords are represented by the root note followed by a lowercase “m” for minor, followed by the number “7” (e.g. Gm7 or Am7). The notes in a Gm7 chord are G, Bb, D, F.
If you are familiar with standard Minor chords, you can think of a Minor 7th as a minor chord with an extra note, the flat 7th. For Gm7, the seventh note of a G Major scale is F#. Flattening it by 1 half step (1 fret) results in the note becoming an F natural. The flat 7th, in combination with the flat 3rd, is what gives Minor 7th chords their characteristic sound.
Gm7 Guitar Chord Shapes
Now that we know how a Gm7 chord is constructed, let’s look at three ways to play a Gm7 chord on the guitar. Below are two fingerings for a Gm7 chord. Both shapes require you to create a barre chord with your first finger. The numbers indicate which fingers you will use to fret each note in the chord.
Example 1: The first example (below, left), is a Root 6 barre chord, with the G root note on the 6th string, 3rd fret.
Example 2: The second (below, right) is a barre chord at the 10th fret. The G root note is on the 5th string, 10th fret. Note: You can finger this chord with a partial bar, if you prefer. That is to say, the D note on the 1st string, 10th fret is optional. This is because in this chord shape, you are already playing a D note an octave lower, on the 4th string, 12 fret.
Minor 7th Chord Formula
A Minor 7th chord is built with the following scale degrees: 1, b3, 5, b7. In the case of a Gm7, the root note is G.
1st (Root Note, G)
Minor 3rd (Flat 3rd)
5th (Perfect 5th)
Minor 7th (Flat 7th)
Notes in a Gm7 Guitar Chord
As we saw above, the scale degrees of a Gm7 chord are 1, b3 ,5, b7. These equate to the following notes on the guitar:
1st (Root Note): G
Minor 3rd (Flat 3rd) Bb
5th (Perfect 5th) D
Minor 7th (Flat 7th) F
These intervals will be the same for any Minor 7th chord, but the notes will change depending on the root note. For example, a Gm7 chord and an Am7 chord are built exactly the same way (1, b3, 5, b7) but the actual notes will be different. Gm7 = [G, Bb, D, F] and Am7 = [A, C, E, G].
What is the sound of a Gm7 Chord?
You can think of a Minor 7th chord as a Minor chord (triad) with an added flat 7th note. Minor 7th chords retain the same melancholy sound as a standard Minor chord, but with an added dimension that comes from the addition of the flattened 7th note. In the case of Gm7, this note is an F.
Minor 7th Chord vs. Dominant 7th Chord
Do not confuse a Minor Seventh chord with a Dominant Seventh Chord, as they sound very different. A Dominant Seventh chord is a Major chord with a “natural” 3rd, instead of a flat 3rd. A G7 (Dominant) chord has the notes G, B, D, F, whereas a Gm7 has the notes G, Bb, D, F. Moving the B note to Bb changes the chord quality to minor, and results in a completely different sound.
How is a Gm7 Chord Used In Music?
Minor 7th chords are one of the most common minor chords. They are used extensively in Jazz, and many Rock and Pop songs feature Minor 7th chords. A great way to begin playing Minor 7th chords is to use them in familiar chord progression, such as a 12-Bar Blues. Although 12-Bar Blues progressions are commonly played with Dominant 7th chords, these can be switched out for Minor 7th chords. See our article on the A7 chord for more on the 12-Bar Blues.
Minor Blues Progression
Below is a 12-Bar Blues progression that utilizes Minor 7th chords. Like a major blues progression, the chords used are the I, IV, and V chords of the key, which in this case is G Minor. The resulting chord progression retains the same familiar 12-bar form, but has a moodier, “minor blues” sound that is distinct. While you can certainly play a straight minor blues using solely Minor 7th chords, you will often see the 12th bar “turnaround” section switched out for a Dominant 7th chord. Try swapping the final Dm7 chord in the progression below for D7, and note the extra tension that this creates.
Summary
Keep in mind that we’ve only shown you two of the many ways to play a Gm7 chord on the guitar. When you feel confident with the two chord shapes we’ve discussed, move on and explore other Minor Seventh chord voicings. Minor Seventh chords are some of the most useful chords you can use to add color and sophistication to your playing.
Happy Playing!