Am(maj7) A minor-major seventh chord
- Notes
- A C E G#
- Formula
- 1 b3 5 7
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 11 above the root
- Other symbols
- AmM7, Am(Δ7), Amin(maj7)
A to C is a minor third (3 semitones), C to E is a major third (4 semitones), E to G# is a major third (4 semitones). A minor triad with a major seventh, G#, a half step below the root. The minor third C and the major seventh make an augmented triad (C E G#) inside the chord, which gives it its tense, suspenseful sound.
Am(maj7) on the piano
Root position from A4: A4, C5, E5, G#5. Middle C is C4.
Am(maj7) on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has A as its lowest note.
x 0 2 1 1 0 (low E to high e)
Sounds A2 E3 G#3 C4 E4
5 x 6 5 5 x (low E to high e)
Sounds A2 G#3 C4 E4
The E-shape and A-shape grips are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play minor-major seventh chords on other roots.
Inversions of Am(maj7)
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | A C E G# | Am(maj7) | |
| 1st inversion | C E G# A | Am(maj7)/C | |
| 2nd inversion | E G# A C | Am(maj7)/E | |
| 3rd inversion | G# A C E | Am/G# (also read as Am(maj7)/G#) |
Where Am(maj7) fits
Am(maj7) is i(maj7) in A minor. Most often it is a passing chord in the descending line Am → Am(maj7) → Am7 → Am6, where one voice falls a half step at a time from A. The first four bars of the jazz standard "My Funny Valentine" (Cm, Cm(maj7), Cm7, Cm6 in C minor) are exactly that line.