Ammaj7

AmMaj7 is A, C, E and G#, a minor major seventh. The shape this page opens on is written x02110, lowest string first.

Also written AmM7, Am(maj7), A-Δ7 or AminMaj7. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 7 common shapes for AmMaj7 on the guitar, and 34 derived voicings in 4 families.

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x02110, x32254, xx7554, 576555, xx7998, x-12-10-9-9-x, x-12-14-13-13-12.

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. AmMaj7 has x065xx, x0x11x, 536xxx, 5x65xx, x-12-10-13-x-x, x-12-x-13-13-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. AmMaj7 has x0211x, 4322xx, xx6555, 5765xx, xx7998, x-11-10-9-10-x, x-12-14-13-13-x, xx2214.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. AmMaj7 has 4x221x, x0x110, x3x254, x7x595, 5x655x, 8x799x, x-11-x-9-10-8, 12-x-10-13-10-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. AmMaj7 has 57650x, 5x6500, 43220x, 030254, 000504, 4x0500.

Tensions. A shell of AmMaj7, 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.