Gm7 chord
Mellow and smooth. Softer than a plain minor chord, and the backbone of soul, funk, and jazz comping.
G minor 7th · 2 voicings
Notes in Gm7
How to Play Gm7
Barre, Em7 shape
3 5 3 3 3 3
Barre, Am7 shape
x 10 12 10 11 10
Numbers under each diagram are frets, string 6 (thickest) to string 1. x means don't play that string; 0 means play it open.
Where Gm7 Is Used
Gm7 occurs naturally in 3 major keys. Its roman numeral tells you the job it does in each — the same chord feels like home in one key and like tension in another.
| Key | Degree | Role |
|---|---|---|
| E♭ major | iii | Mediant — a soft, in-between colour |
| F major | ii | Pre-dominant — sets up the V |
| B♭ major | vi | Relative minor — the darker centre |
Progressions featuring Gm7
- I – iii – IV – V — a bright, lifting movement
- ii – V – I — the central cadence in jazz
- I – vi – ii – V — the 1950s doo-wop turnaround
How Gm7 Relates to Other Chords
Gm7 contains exactly the same notes as B♭6 — the two are the same chord voiced from a different root, so one shape covers both.
Playing tips for Gm7
Gm7has no standard open-position shape, so every voicing here is movable — the same finger pattern works at any fret, and sliding it changes the chord's root. Barre with the flat edge of your index finger, slightly rolled toward the headstock, rather than the soft centre of the pad.
If a string buzzes or sounds dead, the usual causes are a fingertip leaning against it, not quite enough pressure, or a finger too far behind the fret. Play each string one at a time to find which one is failing before adjusting the whole shape — and make sure your guitar is in tune first, since an out-of-tune string will make a correct shape sound wrong. Use our free online tuner to check.
Related Chords
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