Chords
A# Minor seventh
A# · C# · E# · G#
The minor seventh chord — a minor triad with a minor seventh. The most useful chord in jazz and soul.
Also written A#min7 · A#mi7 · A#-7
A# Minor seventh
A# · C# · E# · G#
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | A#3 · C#4 · E#4 · G#4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | E#3 · A#3 · C#4 · G#4 | |
| Shell | A#3 · C#4 · G#4 | |
| Rootless | C#4 · E#4 · G#4 · B#4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
A# Minor seventh (A#m7) contains the notes A# · C# · E# · G#, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords
Inversions
An inversion of A# Minor seventh puts a chord tone other than A# in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales A# Minor seventh belongs to.
In which keys
A# Minor seventh is diatonic to 6 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
A# Minor seventh fits inside these scales, each built on A#.
- A# Minor PentatonicA# · C# · D# · E# · G#
- A# Minor BluesA# · C# · D# · E · E# · G#
- A# MinorA# · B# · C# · D# · E# · F# · G#
- A# PhrygianA# · B · C# · D# · E# · F# · G#
- A# Bebop LocrianA# · B · C# · D# · E · E# · F# · G#
Understanding the A# Minor seventh chord
Names and symbols
A#m7 is the chord symbol for A# Minor seventh; it is also written A#min7, A#mi7, A#-7.
A# Minor seventh and Bb Minor seventh are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. Bb Minor seventh
How it is built
On A# it is A# · C# · E# · G#, stacking 1P · 3m · 5P · 7m. Both added intervals are minor, which keeps the chord dark but soft — there is no tritone inside it, so it carries no obligation to move.
How it is used
It is the ii of a major key and therefore the opening chord of the ii–V–I, the single most common progression in jazz. It is also the i of a modal minor vamp, where its lack of tension is exactly what lets a groove sit still for eight bars.
Soul, R&B and neo-soul lean on it for the same reason: it is rich enough to be interesting and stable enough to loop.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in A#m7?
- A#m7 contains A# · C# · E# · G#. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- What is the difference between m7 and m/maj7?
- The seventh. A minor seventh chord uses a minor seventh; a minor-major seventh raises it to a major seventh, which makes the chord far more tense.
- Where is a minor seventh chord used?
- As the ii of a ii–V–I, as the tonic of a modal minor vamp, and throughout soul and R&B where its stability suits looping.
- What notes are in the A# Minor seventh chord?
- The A# Minor seventh chord contains the notes A# · C# · E# · G#: the root A# with the intervals 1P, 3m, 5P, 7m stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally A#, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the A# Minor seventh chord?
- Measured from A#, the A# Minor seventh chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3m, 5P, 7m. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.