Minor Seventh Chords

Let’s look at how to play an F sharp minor 7 chord on the piano. We’ll also learn the pattern for building any other minor seventh chord.

What Are Minor Seventh Chords?

Minor seventh chords are minor chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale, lowered 1/2 step.

So to build a minor seventh chord, we’ll start by building a minor chord. We can build a minor chord by first building the matching major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale. Then we’ll lower the middle note 1/2 step to convert the major chord into a minor chord.

Next we’ll find the seventh note of the matching major scale and lower it 1/2 step, before adding it to the chord.

Chord Types Printable

Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 35-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note and type.

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How to Play an F Sharp Minor 7 Chord

So to build an F sharp minor 7 chord, we’ll start with an F sharp minor chord. We can build an F sharp minor chord by first building an F sharp major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the F sharp major scale: F♯ – A♯ – C♯

Then to convert the major chord into a minor chord, we’ll lower the middle note 1/2 step: F♯ – A – C♯

Then to convert the minor chord into a minor seventh chord, we’ll find the seventh note of the scale, lower it 1/2 step, and add it to the chord: E

So to play an F sharp minor 7 chord, we’ll play:

F♯ – A – C♯ – E

Chord Fingering

To play this chord with the right hand, we can use fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5. And to play it with the left hand, we can use fingers 5 – 3 – 2 – 1 (thumbs are 1’s).

Other Seventh Chords

Since there are different types of seventh chords, it can be helpful to compare their differences:

Seventh chords are major chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale, lowered 1/2 step.

So an F sharp 7 chord is:

F♯ – A♯ – C♯ – E

Major seventh chords are major chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale.

So an F sharp major 7 chord is:

F♯ – A♯ – C♯ – E♯

Minor seventh chords are minor chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale, lowered 1/2 step.

So an F sharp minor 7 chord is:

F♯ – A – C♯ – E

Other Chord Types

Some of the other chord types we can learn are:

Major
Minor
Augmented
Diminished
Second
Minor Second
Suspended
Fifth
Sixth
Minor Sixth
Seventh
Major Seventh
Ninth
Minor Ninth
Major Ninth

Conclusion

Now you know how to play an F sharp minor 7 chord on the piano, and you can use that knowledge to build any other minor 7 chord.

Chords are a great way to learn music! When we begin to understand the piano in terms of scales and chords, and we understand the patterns used to build those scales and chords, then a new world of opportunity opens up at the piano!