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A minor 7th chord on guitar (Am7)
Also called or written Am7 or Amin7
A minor 7th contains A, C, E, and G. The open voicing is advanced because the low E must be muted while the other five strings ring.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7
- Root positionA–C–E–GAm7×-0-2-0-1-0
- First inversionC–E–G–AAm7/C8-7-7-9-8-×
- Second inversionE–G–A–CAm7/E0-0-2-0-1-0
- Third inversionG–A–C–EAm7/G3-0-2-0-1-0
How do you play an A minor 7th chord on guitar?
A minor 7th is played in open position as × 0 2 0 1 0: middle finger on the D string at fret 2 and index finger on the B string at fret 1. The A, G and high e strings ring open. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | open | — | A (1) |
| 4 (D) | 2 | 2 | E (5) |
| 3 (G) | open | — | G (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 1 | C (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | open | — | E (5) |
AdvancedThe low E string must be muted while the other five strings ring, which requires precise right-hand control.
Open · ×-0-2-0-1-3
A minor 7th is played in open position as × 0 2 0 1 3: middle finger on the D string at fret 2, index finger on the B string at fret 1 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 3. The A and G strings ring open. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | open | — | A (1) |
| 4 (D) | 2 | 2 | E (5) |
| 3 (G) | open | — | G (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 1 | C (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 3 | G (♭7) |
Open · ×-0-2-2-1-3
A minor 7th is played in open position as × 0 2 2 1 3: middle finger on the D string at fret 2, ring finger on the G string at fret 2, index finger on the B string at fret 1 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 3. The A string rings open. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | open | — | A (1) |
| 4 (D) | 2 | 2 | E (5) |
| 3 (G) | 2 | 3 | A (1) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 1 | C (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 4 | G (♭7) |
5th fret
A minor 7th is played at the 5th fret as 5 7 5 5 5 5: barre your index finger across fret 5 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 7.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 5 | 1 (barre) | A (1) |
| 5 (A) | 7 | 4 | E (5) |
| 4 (D) | 5 | 1 (barre) | G (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 1 (barre) | C (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 5 | 1 (barre) | E (5) |
| 1 (e) | 5 | 1 (barre) | A (1) |
7th fret
A minor 7th is played at the 7th fret as × × 7 9 8 8: index finger on the D string at fret 7, pinky finger on the G string at fret 9, middle finger on the B string at fret 8 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 8. The low E and A strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 7 | 1 | A (1) |
| 3 (G) | 9 | 4 | E (5) |
| 2 (B) | 8 | 2 | G (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 8 | 3 | C (♭3) |
Why it sounds like that
A minor 7th is built from 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7. The ♭7 adds a mellow edge to the minor triad. Compare it with A minor, which has no seventh.
What goes wrong with A minor 7th?
- The low E string rings out, muddying the bass.
- The middle finger collapses and mutes the G string.
- The index finger touches the high E string, killing the open note.
When to use it
A minor 7th works in the I–V–vi–IV progression in C major: C major–G major–A minor–F major. It suits mellow rock, folk, and ballads.
Changing to and from A minor 7th
- Move to <a href="/guitar/c-major-chord">C major</a> by lifting the middle finger and moving the index finger to the B string 1st fret.
Which voicing to use
The open voicing is the easiest to grab. The 5th fret barre is fuller and better for strumming. The 7th fret voicing is brighter and cuts through a mix.
Other A chords
Common questions
How is A minor 7th written?
A minor 7th is written as Amin7 or Am7.
What is the difference between A minor 7th and A minor?
A minor 7th adds the note G to the A minor triad. That G is a minor 7th above A, giving the chord a softer, more colorful sound.
Why is the low E string muted in the open voicing?
The low E is a chord tone, but muting it keeps the bass note on the A string. This preserves the intended voicing and root position.