How To Build Minor 7th Chords, Learn How to Build and Play m7 Chords Options

[The Professor]

How to Build Minor 7th Chords

In today’s theory lesson we’ll be looking at how you build m7th chords, as well as 8 commonly used fingerings for these chords that you can take into the practice and bring into your playing and songwriting.

The m7th chord comes from the aeolian mode, as it uses the 1st, b3rd, 5th and b7th notes of the aeolian mode in it’s construction.

Here is how you would build a Cm7 chord from the C aeolian mode.

Notice how the numbers of the C aeolian mode are used to spell the numbers of the Cm7 chord, 1-b3-5-b7, as this is the interval pattern needed to build any m7th chord, regardless of key.






So, the m7th chord is built by taking the Root, b3rd, 5th and b7th of the related Aeolian Mode.

Test Your Theory Knowledge

To help get this formula under your fingers and into your theory chops, you can write out all 12 different m7th chords, such as C Eb G Bb for Cm7, and post them in the comments section of this thread.

I’ll be glad to check your work and help with any questions you have regarding this lesson on building m7th chords.

m7th Chord Shapes

To keep things practical as well as theoretical, here are 8 different shapes for Cm7 that you can take into your guitar playing.

Each of these shapes is commonly used and if you have even a few of them under your fingers will allow you to easily bring these sounds into your playing regardless of the style or musical situation.





Check out m7th chords from both a construction and practical application.

These chords will pop up from time to time, or a lot if you play blues, jazz or fusion, and so it’s a good idea to have a mental and physical understanding of these common chords.

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This post has been edited by The Professor: May 7 2013, 07:16 PM