Chord · F Minor-Major 7th
Fm(maj7) Chord
Fm(maj7) is F, Ab, C and E — sinister, James Bond-ish. Tonic of harmonic minor.
Fm(maj7) on every instrument
The same 4 notes, 5 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What Fm(maj7) is made of
Fm(maj7) (F minor major seventh) is built from the notes F, Ab, C, E, with the interval pattern 1, b3, 5, 7.
Stack 1, b3, 5 and 7 on a root of F and you get F, Ab, C and E. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a minor major seventh chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why Cm(maj7) sounds like a transposed Fm(maj7).
Minor-Major 7th: Sinister, James Bond-ish. Tonic of harmonic minor.
Spelling: the notes above are written the way a score would write them, not simplified to the nearest piano key. That is why this chord is spelled with A♭ rather than its enharmonic equivalent.
Keys that contain Fm(maj7)
No major or natural-minor key contains all 4 of these notes — this one gets borrowed.
Chords like this one sit outside the diatonic set — they arrive as secondary dominants, borrowed chords or passing harmony. Browse every key to see which progressions pull it in.
Other chords on F
Same root, different colour.
The same minor major seventh shape, moved
The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.
Questions people ask about Fm(maj7)
- What notes are in the Fm(maj7) chord?
- Fm(maj7) is made of F, Ab, C and E — the 1, b3, 5 and 7 degrees of a minor major seventh chord built on F.
- What keys use the Fm(maj7) chord?
- No major or natural-minor key contains all 4 notes of Fm(maj7). Chords like this arrive as borrowed harmony — secondary dominants, harmonic-minor colour, or chromatic passing chords — rather than as one of a key's native chords.
- How do you play Fm(maj7) on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Fm(maj7) on guitar, piano, ukulele, mandolin and banjo — 8 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
Learn the theory behind it
Why Fm(maj7) behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.