Am7 — the A minor 7 guitar chord

Am7 is Am with a finger lifted. Softer, jazzier, and very easy under the hand, it turns up in soul and pop wherever Am feels heavy. Keep the low E string out of the strum, and check that the open G rings between your two fingers.

Am7
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How to play it

  • Index finger on the B string (2nd), 1st fret.
  • Middle finger on the D string (4th), 2nd fret.
  • Let the open A string (5th), G string (3rd) and high E string (1st) ring.
  • Don't strum the low E string (6th). It stays silent in this shape.

Changes to practice

Holding Am7 still is the easy part. Songs need you to arrive at it in rhythm, so in Strumhold you practice Am7 as changes, alongside the rest of the Open Minor 7ths set:

Same root, different color

  • A — A major
  • Am — A minor
  • A7 — A dominant 7
  • Amaj7 — A major 7