Am7♭5 chord
Am7♭5 is A, C, E♭ and G: 1–♭3–♭5–♭7 built on A. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele. Tap Play on any of them.
On guitar
x-0-1-0-1-3 · open · easy
- Notes
- A · C · E♭ · G
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
- First shape
- x-0-1-0-1-3
Am7♭5 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · A–C–E♭–G · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- A · C · E♭ · G
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
Am7♭5 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
2-3-3-3 · movable · medium
- Notes
- A · C · E♭ · G
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
- First shape
- 2-3-3-3
Am7♭5 and the chords around it
Here's what the hand does on the most common changes, on guitar and on piano.
- Am7♭5 → D7 (the iiø7 of a minor key heads to V7)
Guitar: Am7♭5 (x-0-1-0-1-3) to D7 (x-x-0-2-1-2): your index finger lands on the B string, 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 2nd fret, move the ring finger to the high E string, 2nd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. A and C carry over from one chord to the other.
Piano: Am7♭5 to D7: play D7 in 2nd inversion (A–C–D–F♯) and A and C stay under the same fingers, while E♭ moves down to D and G down to F♯. D7 - Am7♭5 → B♭maj7 (I in B♭ major)
Guitar: Am7♭5 (x-0-1-0-1-3) to B♭maj7 (x-1-3-2-3-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 2nd fret, move the ring finger to the D string, 3rd fret, the pinky finger comes down on the B string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. A carries over from one chord to the other.
Piano: Am7♭5 to B♭maj7: play B♭maj7 in 3rd inversion (A–B♭–D–F) and A stays under the same finger, while C moves down to B♭, E♭ down to D and G down to F. B♭maj7 - Am7♭5 → Dm7 (iii in B♭ major)
Guitar: Am7♭5 (x-0-1-0-1-3) to Dm7 (x-x-0-2-1-1): your index finger lands on the B string, 1st fret, the middle finger slides across to the high E string at the same fret, the ring finger goes to the G string, 2nd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share A and C, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: Am7♭5 to Dm7: play Dm7 in 2nd inversion (A–C–D–F) and A and C stay under the same fingers, while E♭ moves down to D and G down to F. Dm7
How Am7♭5 is built
Am7♭5 is a half-diminished chord (minor seventh flat five). It is the natural ii chord of a minor key: Am7♭5 is ii in G minor, where it leads to D7 and then home.
Start on A, count 3 half steps up to C, 3 half steps up to E♭ then 4 half steps up to G.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | root | 0 | |
| C | minor third | 3 | |
| E♭ | diminished fifth | 6 | |
| G | minor seventh | 10 |
Keys and progressions with Am7♭5
In major keys, Am7♭5 is viiø7 in B♭ major. In minor keys it is iiø7 in G minor.
Chords close to Am7♭5
- Am7♭5 and Am7 differ by one note: E♭ in Am7♭5, E in Am7. They share A, C and G. Am7
Chords that share most of their notes with Am7♭5: Cm6, F9, Cm, Adim, Cm7, C6.
Every A chord
Am7♭5 chord: questions
What notes are in the Am7♭5 chord?
A, C, E♭ and G. Am7♭5 is built 1–♭3–♭5–♭7 from A: C is the minor third, E♭ is the diminished fifth and G is the minor seventh.
How do you play Am7♭5 on guitar?
The usual shape is x-0-1-0-1-3 (open). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play Am7♭5 on piano?
Play A, C, E♭ and G with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-5. A sits between the last two black keys of the three. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play Am7♭5 on ukulele?
2-3-3-3 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is Am7♭5 in?
In major keys, Am7♭5 is viiø7 in B♭ major. In minor keys it is iiø7 in G minor.
What's the difference between Am7♭5 and Am7?
Am7♭5 and Am7 differ by one note: E♭ in Am7♭5, E in Am7. They share A, C and G.
Diagrams and sound come from the same data, tested so they match. Updated September 2026.