Am7

A1C♭3E5G♭7

Minor triad with a minor seventh. The same four notes as a major sixth chord a third above.

on guitar on piano the scale

Every fingering that fits a hand

Fig. 2

2030

open · no 5

Fig. 3

2033

open · no 5

Fig. 4

203x

open · no 5

Fig. 5

2433

moderate

Fig. 6

x98a

easy · no 5

What is true of it

Am7 is A, C, E and G — 1, b3, 5 and b7 counted from A.

These are also the notes of C6/A. Which name is right depends on what is underneath and what came before — the notes alone do not decide.

On an instrument that cannot reach all 4, the 5 goes first, in that order.

The easiest of the 5 fingerings below is 2030: 2 fingers, held at the 2nd fret.

3 of them use open strings, which is what makes a shape quiet to change to.

It leaves out the 5. 4 strings cannot carry 4 notes, and the 5 is the one this chord can lose without changing what it is.

Where its notes are on the neck

Fig. 7 — first 12 frets

The brass dots are A, the root. Everything else is a chord tone with its degree printed in it.

With a different note underneath

first inversion

Am7/C

x030

second inversion

Am7/E

998a

third inversion

Am7/G

0000

An inversion is the same chord with a different note lowest. The name changes to a slash name because the bass is what a listener hears as the foundation.

A in other shapes

A7dominant seventh Amaj7major seventh Am(maj7)minor major seventh Amajor Amminor Adimdiminished

Cm7 C♯m7 D♭m7 Dm7 D♯m7 E♭m7 Em7 Fm7 all 374