Build the sound
Play A – C – E♭ – G individually, then choose a shell voicing above. Sing the highest note before playing the chord.
Voicings · Am7♭5 · Guitar
Am7♭5 voicings on guitar
Am7♭5 is spelled A – C – E♭ – G (1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7) — the iiø chord of a minor ii–V–i. Here are 5 ways to voice it on guitar: drop 2, drop 3, shell, rootless a, rootless b. Every diagram is playable — press play to hear the chord, or “roll it” to hear the voices one by one, low to high.
The voicings
5 ways to play Am7♭5.
SoundRoot in gold, other voices in teal. Tap any note.
Drop 2
E♭ · A · C · GTake the close voicing and drop its second-highest voice an octave. The most-used four-note voicing on guitar and in piano left hands. Strings D-G-B-e, frets 1-2-1-3.
Drop 3
C · A · E♭ · GDrop the third-highest voice of the close voicing an octave: a wide, open sound. Strings A-G-B-e, frets 3-2-4-3.
Shell (1–7–3)
A · G · CRoot, seventh and third only. The fifth is dropped — it adds nothing to the chord's identity — leaving a light, clear voicing. Strings E-D-G, frets 5-5-5 (position 1).
Rootless A (3–5–7–9)
C · E♭ · G · BBill Evans-style left-hand voicing: the third on the bottom, the ninth on top, the bass player supplies the root. Strings E-A-D-G, frets 8-6-5-4 (position 4).
Rootless B (7–9–3–5)
G · B · C · E♭The companion rootless voicing with the seventh on the bottom. Alternate A and B so the top voice moves by step through a ii–V–I. Strings E-A-G-B, frets 3-2-5-4 (position 1).
Your next 10 minutes
Make A Half-diminished (m7♭5) part of your playing
Change the top note
Compare the displayed voicings of Am7♭5. Notice which note is highest in each. Repeat the two shapes with the smallest comfortable hand movement, leaving a beat of silence between them.
Comp with space
Play Am7♭5 on beats 2 and 4 at 60 bpm for four bars, then on the “and” of beat 2 for four bars. Keep the same notes while changing the rhythm. Mute unused strings and test each fretted note for buzz.
Listen for this: The chord tones are A, C, E♭, G. the iiø chord of a minor ii–V–i. A fuller voicing is not automatically better: leave room for the melody and bass.
Understand the sound
Am7♭5: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives Am7♭5 its identity?
Compare the flat fifth with a perfect fifth while keeping the other notes fixed. That one change turns a minor seventh into a half-diminished chord.
Here the third is C, and degree ♭7 is G. Play A in the bass and compare these voices individually before combining them.
Choose a useful voicing
Start with the smallest displayed shape you can play cleanly. Move its highest note into a comfortable register and listen for a clear melody above the chord.
Sound the strings separately before playing them together. If a note is muted, adjust the finger angle instead of squeezing harder.
Your guitar checkpoint
Start with A on string 6, fret 5. The next note C is on string 6, fret 8. Name both notes aloud before playing, then find the same two pitches in another octave.
Before moving on, close the diagram and name the notes: A · C · E♭ · G. Then play a two-bar phrase from memory and leave two bars of silence.
Behind the voicings
Every Am7♭5 chord tone on the fretboard.
Reference
Am7♭5 — chord tones & function.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | unison |
| ♭3 | C | minor 3rd |
| ♭5 | E♭ | diminished 5th |
| ♭7 | G | minor 7th |
Arpeggio: Am7♭5 arpeggio on guitar. Scale: A Locrian.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to comp Am7♭5 through all twelve keys, with the chord and scale shown live — plus ear-training and call & response modes.
▶ Open Practice RadioCommon questions
Am7♭5 voicings FAQ.
What notes are in Am7♭5?
A, C, E♭, G — chord tones 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7. Rootless voicings add the 9th, B, and leave the root to the bass.
What is the easiest Am7♭5 voicing on guitar?
The shell voicing (root, seventh, third) on strings E, D, G: three notes, one comfortable shape, and it still sounds unmistakably like Am7♭5.
What is a drop-2 voicing?
Start from the close voicing A C E♭ G and drop the second note from the top an octave: E♭ – A – C – G. It spreads the chord so it fits the hand — and on guitar it fits four adjacent strings.
Where does Am7♭5 appear?
Am7♭5 is the iiø chord of a minor ii–V–i. Its character is dark, unstable, leading.
Keep going
Half-diminished (m7♭5) voicings in every other key.
Same chord on piano · Half-diminished (m7♭5) hub.
Other chords from A