What Is a Minor 7th Chord?

Updated · The Acoustic Guitarist

A minor 7th chord is a minor triad plus a flat 7th, 1 ♭3 5 ♭7. Am7 is A C E G, the Am chord with a G added. It sounds softer and less final than a plain minor chord, and in a major key it is the chord on the 2nd, 3rd and 6th degrees.

On this page 7
  1. Am and Am7 on guitar
  2. How a minor 7th is built
  3. Open minor 7th shapes
  4. Movable minor 7th shapes
  5. Minor 7ths in a key
  6. Same notes, two names
  7. When to use a minor 7th instead of a minor

Am and Am7 on guitar

Tap Am, then Am7. The open Am7 is Am with the finger lifted off the G string: the open G is the flat 7th. The second Am7 keeps all three Am fingers and adds the little finger on the high e string, fret 3: G on top, where you hear the 7th most. The last card is the movable barre version at fret 5, the Em7 shape with the root on the low E string.

How a minor 7th is built

ToneInterval from the rootSemitonesIn Am7
1Root0A
♭3Minor 3rd3C
5Perfect 5th7E
♭7Minor 7th10G

Change one note and you get a different 7th chord. The table shows all three common A 7th chords side by side:

ChordFormulaNotes
Am71 ♭3 5 ♭7A C E G
A71 3 5 ♭7A C♯ E G
Amaj71 3 5 7A C♯ E G♯

Am7 and A7 differ only in the 3rd (C or C♯). A7 and Amaj7 differ only in the 7th (G or G♯).

Open minor 7th shapes

Four minor 7ths have open shapes that ring well on acoustic guitar.

  • Em7 (0 2 0 0 0 0): one finger. Em with the D-string finger lifted, so the open D adds the 7th.
  • Em7 (0 2 2 0 3 0): Em with D on the B string, fret 3. Fuller, with the 7th near the top.
  • Dm7 (x x 0 2 1 1): the index finger covers the B and high e strings at fret 1.
  • Bm7 (x 2 0 2 0 2): the open-string Bm7. Lighter than the barre Bm and a common substitute for it.

Movable minor 7th shapes

For any other minor 7th, use one of the two barre shapes. Find the root on the low E string or the A string and barre that fret.

ShapeRoot onGm7Cm7F♯m7Bm7
Em7 shapeLow E stringfret 3fret 8fret 2fret 7
Am7 shapeA stringfret 10fret 3fret 9fret 2

The Em7 shape is the easiest barre shape on guitar: the barre does most of the work, and only one more finger presses, on the A string two frets up.

Minor 7ths in a key

In every major key the ii, iii and vi chords are minor 7ths when you add a 7th:

Keyiiiiivi
G majorAm7Bm7Em7
C majorDm7Em7Am7
D majorEm7F♯m7Bm7
A majorBm7C♯m7F♯m7

This is why minor 7ths turn up so often in pop and jazz. The best-known move is ii–V–I: Am7, D7, Gmaj7 in G major, or Dm7, G7, Cmaj7 in C major. Each chord’s 7th falls a half step to the 3rd of the next chord, so the voices move smoothly.

In a minor key, the home chord can be a minor 7th too. In A minor, Am7 is i7, Dm7 is iv7 and Em7 is v7. The key of A minor and the key of G major pages play these chords in context.

Same notes, two names

Every minor 7th chord has the same notes as a major 6th chord three frets up:

Minor 7thNotesSame notes as
Am7A C E GC6
Em7E G B DG6
Dm7D F A CF6

The lowest note usually decides the name. If A is in the bass and the music centres on A minor, call it Am7. This is also why Am7 and C sound so close: Am7 is a C major chord with A added below.

When to use a minor 7th instead of a minor

  • To soften a minor chord in a ballad or folk song: swap Em for Em7 or Am for Am7. The notes of the minor chord are all still there.
  • On the ii chord before a V or V7: Am7 to D, Dm7 to G.
  • Not when the music needs the raised 7th: in A minor, a melody note G♯ clashes with the G in Am7.

For the full 7th-chord family, including dominant and half-diminished chords, see what are 7th chords.

FAQ

What is the difference between Am and Am7?

Am is A C E. Am7 adds G, the flat 7th, which makes it softer and more open. On guitar the open Am7 is the Am shape with the finger lifted off the G string.

Can I play Am7 instead of Am?

Usually, yes. Am7 contains every note of Am, so it fits wherever Am does unless the melody sits on G♯. It gives a lighter, less final sound.

What does m7 mean in a chord name?

Minor 7th. The m means the triad is minor, the 7 adds a flat 7th. It is also written min7 or -7, so Am7, Amin7 and A-7 are the same chord.

Is Am7 the same as C6?

They share the same four notes, A, C, E and G. The name depends on which note is the root and in the bass. With A in the bass call it Am7; with C in the bass call it C6.

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