Minor Seventh Chord Guitar

What makes it a minor seventh?

The formula is 1 ♭3 5 ♭7: a minor triad plus a minor seventh. The four pitch classes in Am7 are A–C–E–G. A guitar voicing may repeat one of those notes in another octave. Read m7, min7 or −7 as minor seventh; a plain 7 means a different chord quality.

The selector above changes the root while preserving this formula. Its diagrams are candidate voicings, not a complete catalog or a guarantee that every shape suits your hand. Pick each intended string slowly before joining the notes.

The five seventh types for one root are lined up on 7th chords guitar, and the family view across all five kinds is on seventh chords.

Major seventh chord guitar: compare Am7 with Amaj7

Amaj7 uses 1 3 5 7, or A–C♯–E–G♯. Compared with Am7, both the third and seventh rise by a semitone. For a compact open comparison, play X 0 2 1 2 0: index on string 3 fret 1, middle on string 4 fret 2, ring on string 2 fret 2. Strum from string 5.

Do not confuse Amaj7 with Am(maj7). The latter retains C natural and raises only the seventh to G♯. A different suffix changes which notes belong in the chord, even when the root stays A.

Dominant seventh chord guitar: the plain 7 symbol

A7 contains 1 3 5 ♭7: A–C♯–E–G. Relative to Am7, only C changes to C♯. The open shape X 0 2 0 2 0 keeps the G string open; place two fingers on string 4 fret 2 and string 2 fret 2.

In an A7 → D example, C♯ can move up to D while G moves down to F♯. That is one reason the change feels directed. A dominant seventh is not an automatic substitute for a minor seventh: check the melody and the intended harmony.

Diminished seventh chord guitar: read the double flat

A diminished seventh uses 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭♭7. For Cdim7, the spelling is C–E♭–G♭–B♭♭; B♭♭ sounds like A in equal temperament. The double flat names the seventh correctly rather than turning it into a sixth.

One Bdim7 example is X 2 3 1 3 X: B–F–A♭–D from strings 5 to 2. Keep the outside strings silent. All four pitch classes form a repeating minor-third cycle, so moving a fully fretted complete shape by three frets preserves its pitch-class set, though voicing and register change.

For the three-note triad and the half-diminished variant, use the diminished chord guitar comparison. The three-fret property does not apply unchanged to those two qualities.

Read a shape without mixing up numbers

Strings in the table run from 6, the thick low E, to 1, the thin high E. X means leave a string silent; 0 means an open string. The circles mark fret positions, not finger numbers. Green marks a root. The table adds the sounded note and its role in the chord so that you can check a confusing string individually.

These positions assume standard E–A–D–G–B–E tuning and no capo. Open strings stay fixed when a hand moves, so an open Am7 shape cannot simply slide up the neck unchanged. For finger numbering and basic chart reading, review guitar chords for beginners.

Questions about minor seventh shapes

Do I need four fingers?

No. Four chord tones describe notes, not fingers. The open Am7 example uses two fretting fingers and open strings. Other voicings need a barre or additional fingers.

Can I replace every minor chord with m7?

No. The added seventh can conflict with a melody note or change the intended harmony. Use it when the arrangement calls for that sound, and compare the plain minor chord before choosing.