Chords with roots on the E string: G Major 7 and A Minor 7

Here are 2 very commonly used chord shapes.

The Am7 shape can be a little tricky. Notice the ellipse around the 3rd finger in the chord diagram. It should be laying flat on the neck playing those 3 notes as a bar. If you move this chord down 2 frets (towards the tuning pegs) , it becomes a Gm7. Practice shifting from the GMaj7 shape to the Gm7 shape. Do this slowly remembering that clean tones are what you want to hear.

Click on the diagrams for an MP3 audio example.

Click here if you’re not sure how to read the chord blocks.

This chord progression has a nice jazzy sound to it and is a great way to learn these chord shapes. Use the chord diagrams above to play this progression.

For the BbMaj7, play the shape on the 6th fret.

For the AbMaj7, play the shape on the 4th fret.

For the Bm7, play the shape on the 7th fret.

Click on the chord chart for an MP3 audio example.

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