What notes are in the Am(maj7) chord?

Am(maj7) is made of A, C, E and G# — the 1, b3, 5 and 7 degrees of a minor major seventh chord built on A.

What keys use the Am(maj7) chord?

No major or natural-minor key contains all 4 notes of Am(maj7). Chords like this arrive as borrowed harmony — secondary dominants, harmonic-minor colour, or chromatic passing chords — rather than as one of a key's native chords.

How do you play Am(maj7) on guitar and piano?

This page shows Am(maj7) on guitar, piano, ukulele, mandolin and banjo — 8 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.

Chord · A Minor-Major 7th

Am(maj7) Chord

Am(maj7) is A, C, E and G# — sinister, James Bond-ish. Tonic of harmonic minor.

Hear it

Am(maj7) on every instrument

The same 4 notes, 5 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.

What Am(maj7) is made of

Am(maj7) (A minor major seventh) is built from the notes A, C, E, G#, with the interval pattern 1, b3, 5, 7.

Stack 1, b3, 5 and 7 on a root of A and you get A, C, E and G#. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a minor major seventh chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why Cm(maj7) sounds like a transposed Am(maj7).

Minor-Major 7th: Sinister, James Bond-ish. Tonic of harmonic minor.

Spelling: the notes above are written the way a score would write them, not simplified to the nearest piano key. That is why this chord is spelled with G♯ rather than its enharmonic equivalent.

Keys that contain Am(maj7)

No major or natural-minor key contains all 4 of these notes — this one gets borrowed.

Chords like this one sit outside the diatonic set — they arrive as secondary dominants, borrowed chords or passing harmony. Browse every key to see which progressions pull it in.

Other chords on A

Same root, different colour.

AA Major AmA Minor AdimA Diminished AaugA Augmented Asus2A Suspended 2nd Asus4A Suspended 4th A5A Power Chord A6A Major 6th

The same minor major seventh shape, moved

The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.

Cm(maj7)C Minor-Major 7th Dm(maj7)D Minor-Major 7th Em(maj7)E Minor-Major 7th Fm(maj7)F Minor-Major 7th Gm(maj7)G Minor-Major 7th Bm(maj7)B Minor-Major 7th C♯m(maj7)C# Minor-Major 7th F♯m(maj7)F# Minor-Major 7th

Questions people ask about Am(maj7)

What notes are in the Am(maj7) chord?: Am(maj7) is made of A, C, E and G# — the 1, b3, 5 and 7 degrees of a minor major seventh chord built on A.
What keys use the Am(maj7) chord?: No major or natural-minor key contains all 4 notes of Am(maj7). Chords like this arrive as borrowed harmony — secondary dominants, harmonic-minor colour, or chromatic passing chords — rather than as one of a key's native chords.
How do you play Am(maj7) on guitar and piano?: This page shows Am(maj7) on guitar, piano, ukulele, mandolin and banjo — 8 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.

Learn the theory behind it

Why Am(maj7) behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.

Functional Harmony: Three Roles, One EngineWhat a seventh chord is for — tension, resolution, and the seat it takes in the key.6 min read The 12-Bar Blues — Three Chords, A Century of HitsSeventh chords are the whole sound of the blues. Twelve bars is where to hear it.7 min read Major and Minor Scales — Built from Intervals, Felt in SongsThe flat third under all of this, and the scale it comes from.5 min read