Am7 is what you get when you take A minor and lift a finger. One open string adds a G, the minor seventh, and the chord loosens up: still minor, but less heavy. It is one of the most natural seventh chords on the guitar, and the one you will meet first in the keys of G and C.
Am7 chord: notes and shapes at a glance
- Name: A minor seventh
- Symbol: Am7
- Notes: A, C, E, G
- Where it belongs: vi7 in C major, iii7 in F major, ii7 in G major, ivm7 in E minor, im7 in A minor
Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a
number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you
do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.
| Shape | Frets, low E to high E | Notes, low to high | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Am7, open | x02010 | A E G C E | Two fingers. The open G string supplies G, the minor seventh. The easiest Am7 there is. |
| Am7, G on top | x02213 | A E A C G | The full A minor grip plus the fourth finger on the high E at fret 3. Same notes, with the seventh as the melody note. |
| Am7, root on the low E | 5x555x | A G C E | Four strings, A string muted by the second finger. Tight and clean: the soul and funk voicing. |
| Am7, barre at fret 5 | 575555 | A E G C E A | The E minor seventh shape barred at fret 5. All six strings, one finger fewer than the Am barre. |
Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.
Am7 on the neck: every A, C, E, G
Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of Am7: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still Am7.
Two open shapes, one extra note
Every Am7 is A minor plus G. The open position gives you two places to put that G.
x02010: lift the third finger
Start from Am (x02210) and take the third finger off the G string. The open G rings, and that is your seventh. Second finger on the D string at fret 2, first finger on the B string at fret 1, and that is all. Strum from the A string.
x02213: add the fourth finger
Keep the full Am grip and add the fourth finger on the high E at fret 3. The G now sits at the top of the chord, where the ear hears it most. It sounds brighter and more singing than x02010.
Am7, A7 and Amaj7: not the same chord
The three names look alike and the open shapes differ by a single fret, but they do different jobs.
| Chord | Notes | Open shape | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Am7 | A, C, E, G | x02010 | Minor, soft, relaxed |
| A7 | A, C#, E, G | x02020 | Dominant, restless, wants to move to D |
| Amaj7 | A, C#, E, G# | x02120 | Major, bright, dreamy |
Am7 and A7 share the G; what separates them is C against C#. The full story of each is on the A7 chord and Amaj7 chord pages.
Progressions that use Am7
Am7 is the ii chord of G major and the vi chord of C major, and it behaves accordingly: in G it leads to D7, in C it sits between C and the chords that bring you home.
| Progression | Shapes | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Am7, D7, Gmaj7 | x02010, xx0212, 3x0002 | A ii V I in G. The jazz cadence in its simplest open form. |
| C, G, Am7, F | x32010, 320003, x02010, 133211 | The pop progression with a softer vi chord. |
| Cmaj7, Am7, Dm7, G7 | x32000, x02010, xx0211, 320001 | A soul turnaround in C. Notice how little the hand moves between Cmaj7 and Am7. |
To hear it: Bob Dylan's Knockin' on Heaven's Door turns on G, D and Am7, and Cat Stevens' Father and Son passes through Am7 in the verse. Related pages: D7, Dm7, Cmaj7 and the plain A minor chord.
Common mistakes
- Letting the low E ring. E belongs to the chord, but as the lowest note it muddies the open shapes. Start the strum on the A string.
- Muting the open G in x02010. The second finger leans back onto it. Arch the finger: the G string is the whole point of the shape.
- Mixing up Am7 and A7. If the chord sounds bluesy and restless, check the B string: fret 1, not fret 2.
- Swapping Am for Am7 everywhere. It is a color, not an upgrade. Try it, listen to the melody, and keep plain Am where the G clashes.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Am7 on guitar?
What notes are in Am7?
What is the difference between Am7 and A7?
Can I play Am7 instead of Am?
Which Am7 should I use, x02010 or x02213?
Who made this
Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris who teaches adults. Every shape on this page is written string by string and checked against standard tuning, and the diagrams are drawn from those same fret numbers. The rest of our free guitar tools, including the chord finder, work the same way.
More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.