Am(maj7): A Minor Major 7th Piano Chord

Root position: either hand, fingers low note to high
Hand	Notes	Fingers
Right	A, C, E, G♯	1-2-3-5
Left	A, C, E, G♯	5-3-2-1

Scale degree, note, and interval measured from the root.
Degree	Note	Interval from root	Semitones
1	A	Perfect unison	0
♭3	C	Minor third	3
5	E	Perfect fifth	7
7	G♯	Major seventh	11

Construction

A Minor Major 7th = Root + Minor 3rd + Perfect 5th + Major 7th = A, C, E, G♯

Note	Interval	Degree
A	Root	1
C	Minor 3rd	♭3
E	Perfect 5th	5
G♯	Major 7th	7

Fingering

Note	Key color	Right hand	Left hand
A	white	thumb (1)	little finger (5)
C	white	index finger (2)	middle finger (3)
E	white	middle finger (3)	index finger (2)
G♯	black	little finger (5)	thumb (1)

Right hand: thumb (1) on A, index finger (2) on C, middle finger (3) on E, little finger (5) on G♯.

Left hand: little finger (5) on A, middle finger (3) on C, index finger (2) on E, thumb (1) on G♯.

A Minor Major 7th Inversions

Root position
A – C – E – G♯
1st inversion (Am(maj7)/C)
C – E – G♯ – A
2nd inversion (Am(maj7)/E)
E – G♯ – A – C
3rd inversion (Am(maj7)/G♯)
G♯ – A – C – E

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the A Minor Major 7th is the tonic (i) chord of A Minor, which shares the signature of its relative major, C Major: no sharps or flats.

Chords in the Key of A Minor

These are the triads built on each degree of A Minor:

i — A Minor (minor)

Degree	Numeral	Chord	Quality
1	i	A Minor	Minor
2	ii°	B Diminished	Diminished
3	III	C Major	Major
4	iv	D Minor	Minor
5	v	E Minor	Minor
6	VI	F Major	Major
7	VII	G Major	Major

Looking for Am7? See the A minor 7th piano chord.

A Minor Major 7th : Frequently Asked Questions

What notes are in AmMaj7?

AmMaj7 contains A, C, E and G♯. The formula is 1, ♭3, 5, 7.

How do you play AmMaj7 on piano?

Play A, C, E and G♯ together. Right hand fingers 1, 2, 3, 5; left hand 5, 3, 2, 1. G♯ is a black key; A, C and E are white.

What are the inversions of AmMaj7?

4 positions: root position A C E G♯, AmMaj7/C, AmMaj7/E, AmMaj7/G♯.

What is the difference between AmMaj7 and Am?

Drops G♯. 3 of the notes are shared.

What is an easy AmMaj7 for small hands?

The close, second inversion voicing, E4 G♯4 A4 C5, spans 8 semitones or about 110 mm.

What are the frequencies of AmMaj7?

From A3 at A440 in 12-TET: 220.00, 261.63, 329.63, 415.30 Hz.

What is the set class of AmMaj7?

Prime form (0148), Forte 4-19, interval vector <101310>.

How do I transpose AmMaj7 to another key?

Keep the 1, ♭3, 5, 7 formula on the new root. CmMaj7 is C, E♭, G, B; C♯mMaj7 is C♯, E, G♯, B♯.

A Minor Major 7th in detail

Exact

Every pitch class is present and nothing outside the chord is added.

Type	Notes	Semitones	Span	Omissions and additions	Set relation
Close, root position	A3 C4 E4 G♯4	11	151 mm	none	identical
Close, first inversion	C4 E4 G♯4 A4	9	124 mm	none	identical
Close, second inversion	E4 G♯4 A4 C5	8	110 mm	none	identical
Close, third inversion	G♯4 A4 C5 E5	8	110 mm	none	identical
Drop 2	E3 A3 C4 G♯4	16	220 mm	none	identical
Drop 3	C3 A3 E4 G♯4	20	275 mm	none	identical
Drop 2 and 4	A2 E3 C4 G♯4	23	316 mm	none	identical

Reduced

A subset of the pitch classes: the identity is incomplete rather than altered.

Type	Notes	Semitones	Span	Omissions and additions	Set relation
Shell, root 7 ♭3	A2 G♯3 C4	15	206 mm	omits E	subset
Guide tones, ♭3 and 7	C4 G♯4	8	110 mm	omits A and E	subset
Rootless close	C4 E4 G♯4	8	110 mm	omits A	subset

Spans are measured centre to centre at a 165 mm octave (standard keyboard geometry).

Position	Bass note	Notes in order	Figured bass	Semitones	Span
Root position	A	A3, C4, E4, G♯4	7	11	151 mm
First inversion: AmMaj7/C	C	C4, E4, G♯4, A4	6/5	9	124 mm
Second inversion: AmMaj7/E	E	E4, G♯4, A4, C5	4/3	8	110 mm
Third inversion: AmMaj7/G♯	G♯	G♯4, A4, C5, E5	4/2	8	110 mm

One position per chord tone in the bass. Spans are for close position: voiced inversions appear under Voicings.

Change one note

Chords a single note away, and what moving that note does.

Chord	Change	Formula	Common tones
Am	drops G♯	1 ♭3 5	3
Amaj7	C becomes C♯	1 3 5 7	3
Am7	G♯ becomes G	1 ♭3 5 ♭7	3
Am6	G♯ becomes F♯	1 ♭3 5 6	3
Amaj9	C becomes C♯, B	1 3 5 7 9	3
Am9	G♯ becomes G, B	1 ♭3 5 ♭7 9	3
A	C, G♯ becomes C♯	1 3 5	2
Adim	E, G♯ becomes E♭	1 ♭3 ♭5	2
Asus2	C, G♯ becomes B	1 2 5	2
Asus4	C, G♯ becomes D	1 4 5	2
A7	C, G♯ becomes C♯, G	1 3 5 ♭7	2
Am7♭5	E, G♯ becomes E♭, G	1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7	2

Frequencies

Note	MIDI	Frequency
A3	57	220.00 Hz
C4	60	261.63 Hz
E4	64	329.63 Hz
G♯4	68	415.30 Hz

Reference pitch A440, 12-TET, close root position.

Set theory: prime form, Forte number, interval vector

Absolute pitch class set: {9, 0, 4, 8}
Normal order: [8, 9, 0, 4]
Prime form: (0148)
Forte number: 4-19
Interval vector: <101310>

Pair	Interval	Semitones	Interval class
A to C	Minor third	3	3
A to E	Perfect fifth	7	5
A to G♯	Major seventh	11	1
C to E	Major third	4	4
C to G♯	Minor sixth	8	4
E to G♯	Major third	4	4

Where these facts come from

Every value on this page is derived from the note formula for a minor major 7th applied to the root A, using standard music theory. Nothing here is hand-entered per chord, so the notes, intervals, inversions and frequencies cannot drift out of agreement with each other. Pitches assume 12-TET at A440.

A Minor Major 7th

Fingerings

A Minor Major 7th: notes and degrees