Tools / Chords / A minor major 7th

A minor major 7th chord on guitar (AmMaj7)

Also written AmMaj7, Aminmaj7 or Ammaj7

A minor major 7th is built from A, C, E, and G♯. The open voicing keeps the G♯ on the G string, creating a close, tense interval against the open E.

Open×-0-2-1-1-0

Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it’s built

A1Root

C♭3Minor 3rd

E5Perfect 5th

G♯7Major 7th

Formula 1, ♭3, 5, 7

Positions on the neck1 of 5

Inversions

The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.

Root positionA–C–E–G♯AmMaj7Bass A

First inversionC–E–G♯–AAmMaj7/CBass C

Second inversionE–G♯–A–CAmMaj7/EBass E

Third inversionG♯–A–C–EAmMaj7/G♯Bass G♯

Why it sounds like that

A minor major 7th stacks a minor triad (1, ♭3, 5) with a major seventh (7), giving the formula 1, ♭3, 5, 7. The major seventh interval is what gives this chord its unresolved, yearning quality. Compare it to A minor, which stops at the fifth and lacks that leading-tone pull.

What goes wrong with A minor major 7th?

Letting the low E string ring, which adds an unwanted bass note.
Flattening the index finger onto the B string, deadening it.
Pressing the middle finger against the high E, stopping it from ringing.

When to use it

A minor major 7th works as a tonic in A minor, often moving to A minor or A suspended 4th. It suits noir jazz, film-score tension, and minor-key ballads.

Changing to and from A minor major 7th

Move to A minor by lifting the index finger from the G string, leaving the other fingers in place.

Which voicing to use

The open position is the easiest and has the root A in the bass. The 5th fret barre voicing gives a fuller sound with the root on the low E string. The 7th fret voicing omits the low strings for a tighter, higher-register color.

How do you play an A minor major 7th chord on guitar?

Open

Beginner● On the diagram

A minor major 7th is played in open position as × 0 2 1 1 0: ring finger on the D string at fret 2, index finger on the G string at fret 1 and middle finger on the B string at fret 1. The A and high e strings ring open. The low E string stays muted.

Tip — The open voicing requires precise finger placement to avoid muting the open high E while fretting the adjacent G and B strings.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	muted	—	—
5 (A)	open	—	A (1)
4 (D)	2	3	E (5)
3 (G)	1	1	G♯ (7)
2 (B)	1	2	C (♭3)
1 (e)	open	—	E (5)

5th fret

Barre

A minor major 7th is played at the 5th fret as 5 7 6 5 5 5: barre your index finger across fret 5, pinky finger on the A string at fret 7 and ring finger on the D string at fret 6.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	5	1 (barre)	A (1)
5 (A)	7	4	E (5)
4 (D)	6	3	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

Intermediate

A minor major 7th is played at the 7th fret as × × 7 9 9 8: index finger on the D string at fret 7, ring finger on the G string at fret 9, pinky finger on the B string at fret 9 and middle finger on the high e string at fret 8. The low E and A strings stay muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	muted	—	—
5 (A)	muted	—	—
4 (D)	7	1	A (1)
3 (G)	9	3	E (5)
2 (B)	9	4	G♯ (7)
1 (e)	8	2	C (♭3)

12th fret

Barre

A minor major 7th is played at the 12th fret as × 12 14 13 13 12: barre your index finger across fret 12, pinky finger on the D string at fret 14, middle finger on the G string at fret 13 and ring finger on the B string at fret 13. The low E string stays muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	muted	—	—
5 (A)	12	1 (barre)	A (1)
4 (D)	14	4	E (5)
3 (G)	13	2	G♯ (7)
2 (B)	13	3	C (♭3)
1 (e)	12	1 (barre)	E (5)

Aminmaj7/C inversion

Barre

A minor major 7th is played at the 7th fret as 8 7 7 9 9 ×: barre your index finger across fret 7, middle finger on the low E string at fret 8, ring finger on the G string at fret 9 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 9. The high e string stays muted.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	8	2	C (♭3)
5 (A)	7	1 (barre)	E (5)
4 (D)	7	1 (barre)	A (1)
3 (G)	9	3	E (5)
2 (B)	9	4	G♯ (7)
1 (e)	muted	—	—

Common questions

How is A minor major 7th written?

A minor major 7th is written Ammaj7, Aminmaj7, or AmM7. The symbol mmaj7 is also used.

Why does the open voicing mute the low E string?

The low E is a chord tone, but muting it keeps the bass note as A, preserving the root position. Letting it ring would create a second-inversion sound with E in the bass.

How does A minor major 7th differ from A minor 7th?

A minor 7th has a minor seventh (G) while A minor major 7th has a major seventh (G♯). The major seventh creates a sharper, more dissonant pull toward the root.

What scale does A minor major 7th come from?

A minor major 7th appears in A harmonic minor and A melodic minor scales. The raised seventh degree of those scales is the G♯ in this chord.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

muted

—

5 (A)

open

—

A (1)

4 (D)

E (5)

3 (G)

G♯ (7)

2 (B)

C (♭3)

1 (e)

open

—

E (5)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

1 (barre)

A (1)

5 (A)

E (5)

4 (D)

G♯ (7)

3 (G)

1 (barre)

C (♭3)

2 (B)

1 (barre)

E (5)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

A (1)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

muted

—

5 (A)

muted

—

4 (D)

A (1)

3 (G)

E (5)

2 (B)

G♯ (7)

1 (e)

C (♭3)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

muted

—

5 (A)

1 (barre)

A (1)

4 (D)

E (5)

3 (G)

G♯ (7)

2 (B)

C (♭3)

1 (e)

1 (barre)

E (5)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

6 (E)

C (♭3)

5 (A)

1 (barre)

E (5)

4 (D)

1 (barre)

A (1)

3 (G)

E (5)

2 (B)

G♯ (7)

1 (e)

muted

—