Amaj7b5

Amaj7b5 is A, C#, Eb and G#, a major seven flat five. The shape this page opens on is written x01124, lowest string first.

Also written AM7b5, AΔ7b5 or Amaj7(b5). The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 7 common shapes for Amaj7b5 on the guitar, and 27 derived voicings in 4 families.

In which keys. Every note of Amaj7b5 belongs to C# minor (the ♭VI) and E major (the IV).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x01124, x01224, 546644, 5666x5, xx7899, x-12-11-13-14-11, x-12-13-13-14-x.

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. Amaj7b5 has x0664x, 5x664x, 5468xx, x-12-x-13-14-11, x-x-7-6-9-11.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Amaj7b5 has x0112x, xx6645, 5666xx, xx7899, 11-12-11-13-x-x, x-12-13-13-14-x, xx1224, 4412xx.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Amaj7b5 has 4x122x, x4x244, 5x664x, x6x695, 9x789x, x-11-x-8-10-9, 11-x-11-13-10-x, x-12-x-13-14-11.

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. Amaj7b5 has 56660x.

Tensions. A shell of Amaj7b5, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 9 (B) 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.