How to Play Fmaj7 Chord on Guitar
In today's lesson, we'll go over 5 distinct ways to play the F major seventh chord, also written as Fmaj7 or FM7 for short.
The Fmaj7 chord is a major chord with a little extra sauce that helps give it a unique sound and that special sauce is where the number 7 comes from.
In this article, we'll discover common positions, voicings, and recommend finger placements, each with its chord diagram and later, we'll also discuss chord theory, how it gets its name, and how to use it, etc.
Fmaj7 Chord Open Position
To play the Fmaj7 chord in an open position, place your:
- Index finger on the second string, first fret
- Middle finger on first string, first fret
- Ring finger on fourth string, second fret
- Pinky finger on third string, second fret
Strum from the A string down.
This chord would be written as Fma7/A as it is an inversion. (see inversion below)
Fmaj7 As A Barre Chord
This first bar chord example is a four string voicing which means we will avoid strumming the low e string and the A string. To play, place your:
- First finger on D string, third fret
- Third finger on G string, fifth fret
- Bar across the B string and high E string
Where only one finger is doing the barre on one fret of the fretboard, make sure your thumb is in the correct position so all the strings ring out.
Fmaj7 Barre Chord Shape 2
This next voicing will sound the most full as it uses all the strings. To play, place your:
- Second finger on fourth string, second fret
- Third finger on third string, second fret
- First finger on 6th string, first fret
- Fourth finger on the fifth string, third fret
Start slow and listen to each string. If you hear some of the notes not ringing out, check your technique (see video)
Fmaj7 Chord Barre Chord Shape 3
This next version of Fmaj7 is also very popular and commonly found. To play, place your:
- Second finger on third string, 9th fret
- Third finger on 4th string, 10th fret
- Pinky finger on 2nd string, 10h fret
- First finger on 5th string, 8th fret
- Barre using your first finger
Fmaj7 Chord Barre Chord Shape 4
This last shape is a bit easier than the previous two chords and a great chord to add to your chord vocabulary. To play, place your:
- Pinky on 5th string, 8th fret
- Ring finger on 4th string, 7th fret
- Barre with your index finger on strings 1 - 3
If needed, use your middle finger to help your index finger barre.
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Fmaj7 Guitar Chord Theory
Now, let’s break down the theory of the Fmaj7 chord so you can better understand how to use it.
The F major seventh chord is a four note chord built from the F major scale: F G A Bb C D E
To understand the chord formula, you need to understand "scale degrees," which is simply numbering the notes of a scale starting with the root note.
Often, music teachers reference piano note names due to the simplicity of the layout of a piano for scales, but I think the illustration below will do:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
F G A Bb C D E
The Fmaj Chord Formula
In music theory, chord formula refers to which notes of a scale are used to make the chord. The F major chord uses three notes, the 1 3 5 of the scale. The Fmaj7 uses four notes using the 1 3 5 7 notes of the scale.
You may also hear these notes explained using intervals such as the root, major third, perfect fifth, and major seventh. That is another layer deeper in the theory and can cause some confusion. We’ll have that discussion in another lesson.
F Major Seventh Chord vs F Dominant Seventh Chord
Both these seventh chords are major chords because they both use notes 1 3 5 as part of their formula. The 3rd degree of a scale is what determines if the chord is major or minor because when the 3rd degree of a scale is flattened, this makes minor chords. (more on this in future articles).
Where these two chords differ is that the major seventh uses the 7th degree, and the dominant seventh uses a flat seven. The notes of Fmaj7 would be F A C E and F7 would be F A C Eb.
Fmaj7 Chord Inversions
The notes of a chord can be in any order so long as you have at least one of each of these notes. When the root note (in this case, the F note) is the lowest sounding note or bass note it is said to be in the root position.
When the root note is not the bass note it would be called an inversion and written as a slash chord. e.g. Fmaj7/A. All this means is play the Fmaj7 chord but have the A note as the bass note. (see Fmaj7 in open position at the beginning)
How To Use F Major Seventh Chord
The F major seventh chord can be used to make a chord progression have a slightly more unique tone than just a typical progression that uses major chords and minor chords. You can also use these guitar chords for voice leading to help the music flow a bit more naturally.
For example, in the song Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin the Fmaj7 is followed by an Am. The notes of Fmaj7 are F A C E, and for Am, they are A C E. Adding in the 7th degree adds an E note to the F chord, and thus, it flows better to Am because now there are 2 common tones (notes that are the same).
Chord Progressions Using Fmaj7 On Guitar
Instead of C -F- G try C- Fmaj7 -G
Try Am- Asus2 -Fmaj7 -G- F
What Keys Use Fmaj7 Guitar Chord?
Fmaj7 works in the key of:
Now you know a few ways to play the Fmaj7 chord and understand some Fmaj7 chord theory!
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