What notes are in an Fmaj7 chord?

Fmaj7 contains four notes: F (root), A (major third), C (perfect fifth), and E (major seventh).

How do you play Fmaj7 on guitar?

The most common partial voicing is xx3210: mute strings 6-5, then F (3rd fret 4th string), A (2nd fret 3rd string), C (1st fret 2nd string), and E (open 1st string). This voicing avoids the F barre entirely.

How is Fmaj7 different from F7?

Only the seventh changes. Fmaj7 has E natural; F7 has E♭. Fmaj7 sounds smooth and stable; F7 sounds tense and pulls toward B♭.

What jazz standards use Fmaj7?

"Girl from Ipanema" (in F major), "All The Things You Are" (which passes through F major), countless bossa-nova tunes. Fmaj7 is one of the most-played beginner jazz chords because of its all-natural spelling.

F major 7 chord — notes, intervals, and practice

F major 7 (Fmaj7) — F, A, C, E — is F major with a major 7th on top. The chord is a beginner-jazz favourite because its notes are all naturals; many introductory jazz primers use Fmaj7 as the first 7th chord students learn. On guitar, the partial Fmaj7 voicing (xx3210) avoids the dreaded F barre while still capturing the chord's full character.

Intervals

The F major 7 chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:

F→Amajor 3rd4 semitones
A→Cminor 3rd3 semitones
C→Emajor 3rd4 semitones

On the keyboard

Each note of the F major 7 chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.

On the guitar

One voicing of the F major 7 chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.

Common mistakes

Fmaj7 has E natural as its 7th. Replacing E with E♭ produces F7 (dominant), which has a "needs to resolve" character. The most common beginner error is reading the chord as F minor 7 (which would be F-A♭-C-E♭). On guitar, the partial voicing xx3210 lets you play Fmaj7 with one open string and avoids the barre entirely.

In context

Fmaj7 is the I chord in F major. The ii–V–I runs Gm7 → C7 → Fmaj7 — the cadence in countless F-major jazz standards. The chord also serves as the IV of C major (where its lydian colour gives a slight float to the tonic-IV relationship) and the bVI of A minor.

Drill it

The F major 7 chord is one of 48 in the Chord Trainer. Open the full trainer to practice it alongside related chords with timing and best-time tracking.

Open the Chord Trainer →Or try today's Etudle puzzle

Frequently asked

What notes are in an Fmaj7 chord?: Fmaj7 contains four notes: F (root), A (major third), C (perfect fifth), and E (major seventh).
How do you play Fmaj7 on guitar?: The most common partial voicing is xx3210: mute strings 6-5, then F (3rd fret 4th string), A (2nd fret 3rd string), C (1st fret 2nd string), and E (open 1st string). This voicing avoids the F barre entirely.
How is Fmaj7 different from F7?: Only the seventh changes. Fmaj7 has E natural; F7 has E♭. Fmaj7 sounds smooth and stable; F7 sounds tense and pulls toward B♭.
What jazz standards use Fmaj7?: "Girl from Ipanema" (in F major), "All The Things You Are" (which passes through F major), countless bossa-nova tunes. Fmaj7 is one of the most-played beginner jazz chords because of its all-natural spelling.