F#m7 Piano Chord

F sharp minor seventh is the F#m7 piano chord. It has four notes: F sharp, A, C sharp and E. The root and the fifth are black keys; the third and the seventh are white.

1F♯2A3C♯5EC4C5

F♯ at the bottom, then A and C♯ and E. Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1. The black keys are F♯ and C♯.

How to play F#m7 on piano, step by step

  1. Start on the F♯ above middle C. That is the lowest note of the chord.
  2. Thumb (1): F♯
  3. Index finger (2): A
  4. Middle finger (3): C♯
  5. Little finger (5): E
  6. Press them together with the right hand. The left hand plays the same notes with fingers 5, 3, 2, 1 an octave lower, or just F♯ on its own as a bass note.

This chord alternates black and white keys all the way up. Keep the fingers curved and the wrist still, and let the fingertips do the travelling rather than the whole hand.

Inversions of F#m7

The same 4 notes with a different one at the bottom. All of them are F#m7; which you play depends on what the hand is coming from. Tap any card to hear it.

First inversionA C♯ E F♯
F#m7 piano chord diagram, first inversion, A C♯ E F♯
Lighter than root position and less final. A flat third in the bass tips the chord forward, which is why it usually sits between two other chords rather than at the end of a line.
Second inversionC♯ E F♯ A
F#m7 piano chord diagram, second inversion, C♯ E F♯ A
Open and slightly unresolved. A fifth in the bass makes the chord sound like a step on the way somewhere, which is mostly how it is used.
Third inversionE F♯ A C♯
F#m7 piano chord diagram, third inversion, E F♯ A C♯
The most restless of the four. The seventh is the note that wants to move, and putting it underneath the whole chord makes that pull impossible to miss.

If it sounds wrong

The chord sounds bright
The second note is A natural, a white key. A sharp would give F sharp 7, a dominant chord.
The hand rocks in and out
Alternating depths is the least stable shape on the keyboard. Settle the hand at a middle depth so no finger has to travel far.
The top note is E sharp
It has to be E natural, the white key. The flat seventh is what makes this a minor seventh.

What makes it an F#m7

F♯ · A · C♯ · E 1 ♭3 5 ♭7

F sharp minor seventh is an F sharp minor triad, F sharp A C sharp, with an E added: the flat seventh.

It is the ii chord of E and the vi of A. Both are guitar keys, so this chord is far more common in practice than its key signature suggests.

F#m7 vs F#m

F sharp minor seventh is F sharp minor with an E on top. The triad is a comfortable black, white, black shape; adding the seventh brings a fourth finger onto another white key.

In pop the two are usually interchangeable, and the seventh is the smoother of the two.

Questions about F#m7

Which notes are in an F#m7 chord on piano?

F sharp, A, C sharp and E. F sharp and C sharp are black keys; A and E are white.

What fingers do you use for F#m7?

Right hand: thumb on F sharp, index on A, middle on C sharp, little finger on E. Left hand: 5, 3, 2, 1.

What is the difference between F#m7 and F#7?

The second note. F sharp minor seventh has A natural and sounds soft; F sharp 7 has A sharp and drives toward B.

Where is the F#m7 chord used?

As the ii chord in E and the vi in A. It is very common in guitar based pop.

Is F#m7 hard to play?

The alternating black and white keys take a little getting used to, but the span is comfortable and nothing stretches.

Chords to learn next

Other F# chords