On the ukulele, the Gm7 chord is the minor 7th chord built from G, A#, D, F. Its first ukulele voicing is a barre chord at fret 1: G string open; C string at fret 2 (middle finger); E string at fret 1 (index finger); A string at fret 1 (index finger). Keep this page open while you practise: it lists the notes, every practical voicing, the mistakes that make it sound wrong and the progressions where it does its best work.
What notes are in the Gm7 chord?
The Gm7 chord is a minor 7th chord, and its notes are fixed: G, A#, D, F. Every voicing on every instrument uses these same notes, in some order and in some octave — change one of them and you are playing a different chord. The table below lists each note with its interval from the root G, so you can see the structure of Gm7 at a glance. On the ukulele, the barre chord of Gm7 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| G | Root |
| A# | b3 |
| D | 5 |
| F | b7 |
The root is G, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in Gm7 are b3, 5, b7. That combination is what makes Gm7 sound the way it does: the intervals decide the colour, and the root decides the pitch. On the ukulele, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
Gm7 sounds smooth, mellow and understated — the minor 7th chord is the most relaxed-sounding seventh chord there is. That character comes straight from the intervals above, not from the instrument: the same notes on piano, guitar or ukulele carry the same colour, even though the voicing changes. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Gm7.
Comparing Gm7 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, minor 7th against dominant 7th: both have the flattened 7th F, but Gm7 has the minor 3rd A# while the dominant 7th has the major 3rd B. Hearing the comparison matters more than reading it: play Gm7, then play the chord it is compared with above, and let your ear find the note that changed. On the ukulele, the barre chord of Gm7 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
How to play Gm7 on ukulele
On the ukulele, Gm7 has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — G, A#, D, F — in a different place on the neck. The first voicing below is the one to learn first, and the alternatives cover the rest of the neck. Finger numbers below use 1 for the index finger, 2 for the middle finger, 3 for the ring finger and 4 for the little finger, and x means the string is not played.
For the barre chord, Gm7 sits in open position: G string open; C string at fret 2 (middle finger); E string at fret 1 (index finger); A string at fret 1 (index finger). It barres across strings 3 to 4 at fret 1 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 3 to 4 evenly at fret 1, so roll it slightly onto its bony side and keep it close to the fret wire. If the barre buzzes, move it a fraction closer to the fret and press from the arm, not the thumb alone. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Gm7 — G, A#, D, F — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Another way to play Gm7 is the movable voicing, in around fret 5: G string open; C string at fret 5 (index finger); E string at fret 6 (ring finger); A string at fret 5 (middle finger). This voicing is comfortable because the fretted notes sit close together, from fret 5 to fret 6, so your hand stays relaxed and every note can ring. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Gm7 — G, A#, D, F — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The barre chord puts Gm7 in open position: G string open; C string muted; E string at fret 1 (index finger); A string at fret 1 (index finger). It barres across strings 3 to 4 at fret 1 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 3 to 4 evenly at fret 1, so roll it slightly onto its bony side and keep it close to the fret wire. If the barre buzzes, move it a fraction closer to the fret and press from the arm, not the thumb alone. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Gm7 — G, A#, D, F — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of Gm7 is a musical decision, not a right-or-wrong one. The open or low-position voicing rings the most and suits strumming, while a barre or movable voicing lets you slide Gm7 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of Gm7 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into Gm7 from the chord that comes before it in your song, not the chord on its own, because the move is the skill. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Gm7.
A short practice routine for Gm7 on the ukulele: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above G and back, four times, at a slow tempo. Then play the second voicing the same way. If a note buzzes, stop and fix the finger placement rather than playing through the buzz — clean notes at a slow tempo become clean notes at full tempo, while buzzes practised fast become habits. Use the Ukulele Chord Finder to see the diagram for Gm7 while you practise, and the Chord Finder to compare it with the same chord on other instruments.
Common mistakes
These are the mistakes that most often make Gm7 sound wrong on the ukulele, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Raising the 7th. The 7th here is F, flattened. Playing F# instead gives a minor-major 7th, a much tenser sound. On the ukulele, the barre chord of Gm7 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Losing the 7th in a thick voicing. F is easy to bury under the root and 5th. Voice the chord so the 7th rings, or the chord collapses into a plain minor triad. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes G, A#, D, F in Gm7.
Rushing ii–V–I. Gm7 usually leads to a dominant chord and then home. Practise the three-chord move slowly so each chord gets its full beat. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Gm7.
Pressing too hard on the nylon strings. Ukulele strings need far less pressure than guitar strings, and pressing hard on Gm7 pulls the notes sharp and tires the hand. Use the lightest touch that gives a clean note, and keep your fingers close to the frets. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Gm7.
Where Gm7 is used
Gm7 is not a diatonic triad in any major or minor key, because it is an extended or altered chord, but its base triad belongs to the key of D# major, the key of F major, the key of A# major. the ii chord in major keys and the i chord in minor keys — the starting point of countless jazz progressions. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward C major, the key a perfect fourth above G, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where Gm7 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Gm7.
Because Gm7 is an extended or altered chord, it appears in progressions as a colour or a dominant rather than as a diatonic staple. Try it in place of the plain G triad in a progression you already know, and listen to how the extra notes change the feel — that substitution is the usual way extended chords enter real music. The Chord Progression Builder lets you try Gm7 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes G, A#, D, F in Gm7.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in Gm7 on guitar, Gm7 on piano, Gm7 on bass, and the scales that fit over it are the G major scale and the G minor pentatonic scale. Learning Gm7 on the ukulele and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — G, A#, D, F — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising Gm7
A short worked example makes Gm7 concrete. Play the four-chord progression C – G – Am – F in C major, the key Gm7 most often resolves toward: C – G – Am – F. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how Gm7 sounds in that sequence — whether it feels like home, like a lift, or like a chord on its way somewhere else. Then play the same four chords in a different order, starting on Gm7 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the ukulele, the barre chord voicing is the place to hear it in Gm7.
For a second exercise, play Gm7 and then the chord a fourth above G, back and forth, four times each. That move — a chord and the chord a fourth above it — is the most common resolution in Western music, and it is the move Gm7 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing Gm7 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: G, A#, D, F. Naming the notes while you play them is what turns a shape into knowledge you can use in any key. Test yourself with the Practice Chord Quiz and keep time with the Metronome as the tempo rises. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes G, A#, D, F in Gm7.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gm7 major or minor?
Gm7 is a minor 7th chord: a minor triad (G, A#, D) plus the flattened 7th F. It sounds mellow and jazzy, and it is the ii chord in major keys. On the ukulele, the voicings above put that note under your fingers.
What is the difference between Gm7 and Gm?
Gm7 adds the flattened 7th F to the Gm triad. That extra note softens the chord and makes it flow more easily into the next chord, especially in ii–V–I progressions. On the ukulele, the voicings above put that note under your fingers.
Which progression uses Gm7 most?
ii–V–I. In that progression Gm7 is the ii chord, and it sets up the dominant chord that resolves to the tonic. It is the single most practised progression in jazz. On the ukulele, the voicings above put that note under your fingers.
How do you play Gm7 on the ukulele?
The first voicing is the barre chord: frets 0–2–1–1, fingers 0–2–1–1, on the ukulele. That voicing uses the notes G, A#, D, F, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for Gm7, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.
Is Gm7 hard to play on the ukulele?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of Gm7 on the ukulele is the easiest starting point, and the movable voicings further up the neck are harder because they need a barre or a wider stretch. Practise the first voicing cleanly at a slow tempo before you try the others, and the harder shapes will come more easily.