A minor seventh (Am7) chord on guitar

Looking for the Am7 chord on guitar? It is a minor seventh chord (a minor triad plus a minor seventh), made of four notes: A – C – E – G.

Dots show:

Open positioneasy

Position 3medium

E shape, fret 5medium

Position 5easy

D shape, fret 7medium

A shape, fret 12medium

Tap a string on a diagram to hear just that string. The sound is generated in your browser with a physical string model.

Chord finder Transposer Tuner

What the Am7 chord sounds like

A minor seventh chord is softer than a plain minor chord – the minor seventh fills out the sound. In jazz it is the ii of the ii–V–I, in pop and soul a common colour chord.

Notes of the Am7 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	A	root
3	C	minor third (3 semitones)
5	E	perfect fifth (7 semitones) – often omitted on fretted instruments
7	G	minor seventh (10 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Open position

String 1 (e): open (E4)
String 2 (B): fret 1, index finger (C4)
String 3 (G): open (G3)
String 4 (D): fret 2, middle finger (E3)
String 5 (A): open (A2)
String 6 (E): not played

Position 3

String 1 (e): fret 3, index finger (G4)
String 2 (B): fret 5, ring finger (E4)
String 3 (G): fret 5, ring finger (C4)
String 4 (D): fret 5, ring finger (G3)
String 5 (A): open (A2)
String 6 (E): not played

E shape, fret 5, barre at fret 5

String 1 (e): fret 5, index finger (A4)
String 2 (B): fret 5, index finger (E4)
String 3 (G): fret 5, index finger (C4)
String 4 (D): fret 5, index finger (G3)
String 5 (A): fret 7, ring finger (E3)
String 6 (E): fret 5, index finger (A2)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 5; your other fingers press the higher frets.

The “C, A, G, E and D shapes” are the CAGED system: you slide the shape of the open C, A, G, E or D chord up the neck and your index finger (a barre) takes over the job of the nut. That way the same chord can be played in five places, anywhere on the fretboard.

Tuning: E A D G B E (low to high). String 6 is the thickest, the low E. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Playing Am7 with a capo

A capo clamps all the strings at one fret, so a familiar open shape sounds higher. You can also get a Am7 chord with these open shapes:

Capo: fret 5
shape: Em7

Capo: fret 7
shape: Dm7

Rework a whole song for a capo: chord transposer →

Which keys is it in?

The Am7 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

A minor: i7 (tonic)
D minor: v7 (dominant)
E minor: iv7 (subdominant)
F major: iii7
C major: vi7
G major: ii7

Similar chords and substitutes

If Am7 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

Cmaj7 – relative major seventh: three shared notes
D7 – in a ii–V, this is the dominant that follows

Same notes

C6 – the same notes with a different root

Simpler versions

Am – all 3 of its notes are in this chord
A5 – all 2 of its notes are in this chord

Richer versions

Am9 – the same chord plus 1 colour note

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Am7 chord?

A, C, E, G. The root is A; the intervals of the other notes from the root: minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh.

What is the easiest way to play Am7 on guitar?

The easiest shape above is “Open position”, rated easy. We show 6 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck. With a capo you can also play it as a Em7 shape at fret 5 or a Dm7 shape at fret 7.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

Why is a note missing from some Am7 shapes?

On a fretted instrument you can't always play every note of a 4-note chord. The fifth (E) may be dropped – the chord keeps its character without it.

How is the Am7 chord written?

The chord symbol is Am7, and its full name is A minor seventh.