Guitar chord

A Minor 7 Open Chord

A common open Am7 chord shape used in folk, rock, pop, and blues progressions.

Symbol
Am7
Chord tones
A, C, E, G
Formula
1 b3 5 b7
Tuning
Standard
Frets, low to high
X 0 2 0 1 0
Fingers, low to high
- - 2 - 1 -

Chord fingering diagram

Read the chart vertically with the nut at the top. X means mute the string, markers above the nut are played open, and numbered markers show fretting-hand fingers.

A Minor 7 Open Chord chord fingering diagram
A Minor 7 Open Chord guitar chord fingering chart in standard tuning.

How to play Am7

Fretting hand

Place finger 2 on the 4th string at fret 2 and finger 1 on the 2nd string at fret 1. Fret each note close behind the fret wire without resting directly on it.

Clean sound check

Let the 5th string, 3rd string, and 1st string ring open. Keep the 6th string muted. Arch the fretting fingers so their sides do not silence neighboring strings, then pick every sounding string separately.

Sound and use

Am7 adds the flat seventh to a minor triad. This softer minor color is common in jazz, funk, soul, blues, and diatonic major-key progressions.

More A chords

Keep the root fixed and compare how the third, seventh, suspended tones, or added tones change the sound.

More Minor 7 chord shapes

Practice the same chord quality from other roots to reinforce its interval sound and common fingering patterns.