Am7

Am7 is A, C, E and G, a minor seventh. The shape this page opens on is written x02010, lowest string first.

Also written Amin7, A-7 or A minor 7. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 9 common shapes for Am7 on the guitar, and 38 derived voicings in 4 families.

In which keys. Every note of Am7 belongs to C major (the vi), D minor (the v), E minor (the iv), F major (the iii), G major (the ii) and A minor (the i).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x02010, x02213, xx2213, 575555, xx7988, x-12-10-12-10-x, x-12-10-12-13-x, x-12-14-12-13-12, x-x-14-14-13-15.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Am7 has 535xxx, x055xx, x-12-10-12-x-x, x0x01x, 5x55xx, x-12-x-12-13-x, 5-10-10-x-x-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Am7 has xx2213, x0201x, 3322xx, xx5555, 5755xx, xx7988, x-10-10-9-10-x, 12-12-10-12-x-x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Am7 has 3x221x, x0x010, x3x253, x7x585, 5x555x, 8x798x, x-10-x-9-10-8, 12-x-10-12-10-x.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. Am7 has 535000, 57550x, 5x5500, 33220x, 030253, 530000.

Tensions. A shell of Am7, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 9 (B), the 11 (D) and the 13 (F#).

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.