The Am7b5 Guitar Chord Is A Half-Diminished Seventh Chord. You Can Look At It As A Minor Seventh Chord With A Diminished Fifth (m7b5). And It Appears Naturally In The Key Of B-Major/ G-Minor.
Good News Are That Most Of The 11 Shapes I Will Show You Here Are Not That Hard To Play. But Just In Case That You Are A Complete Guitar Beginner, Make Sure That You Know How To Read Chord Diagrams And Make Sure You Go Through My Ultimate Guide On How To Play Guitar Chords Right. There You’ll Get Many Great Tips And Tricks If You Just Start Out With Playing Chords.
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Chord Info Box: Am7b5
Chord Type: Half-Diminished Seventh (m7b5)
Can Be Found In The Following Key: B-Major
Note Structure:
Root Note A
Minor Third C
Diminished-Fifth Eb
Flat Seventh G
No. 1 – The Open String Shape Of The Am7b5 Guitar Chord
Guitar Chord Diagram
This shape is probably the easiest Am7b5 guitar chord shape because you only need to fret two strings with your gripping hand. The only thing that you need to keep in mind is to avoid both open e strings from ringing.
No. 2
Guitar Chord Diagram
As you can see and feel, this one here is not very comfortable to play because you need to stretch your fingers from the 1st fret on the d string to the 4th on the b string. But Who knows, maybe you need exactly this chord shape for some reason. Make sure to keep the low e string from ringing.
No. 3
Guitar Chord Diagram
This shape is great for jazz style comping guitar playing. All you need to do in order to make it work is to mute the low e string with your thumb. The d string should be muted as a consequence of fretting the c on the a string with your middle finger.
No. 4
Guitar Chord Diagram
The high e string is a little bit tricky to mute. Try to use your index finger or just try to touch it with any part of your gripping hand that is comfortable for you.
No. 5
Guitar Chord Diagram
This shape is very similar to the previous one but you are using the thumb to fret the low a on the low e string. I find this shape more comfortable than the previous, especially while standing.
No. 6
Guitar Chord Diagram
This shape is rather uncommon because you need to stretch your pinky finger between the 5th and the 7th fret and this makes this chord shape relatively hard and unpractical. But for the sake of completeness, here it is.
No. 7
Guitar Chord Diagram
This chord shape is more comfortable to play. If you find it hard to play the barre with the ring finger then try the middle finger. Maybe that’s easier for you.
No. 8
Guitar Chord Diagram
This chord shape is also a great one for using it in jazz style comping scenarios. Make sure to mute the high e string and the a string. Although the a string is not a wrong note but sounds weird anyway. Just try and decide for yourself.
No. 9
Guitar Chord Diagram
A rather unpleasant chord shape. It’s hard to play because of the stretch. Don’t beat yourself up if find this one hard to play. It is hard to play. So it’s okay to avoid that one here. But maybe you need this one here for a strange fusion tune or some progressive rock….
No. 10
Guitar Chord Diagram
This one here is a good one because it’s comfortable to play. Even the muting of the high e & b string is relatively easy.
No. 11
Guitar Chord Diagram
Maybe a little high on the fretboard but anyway still an easy m7b5 shape.
So What’s Next?
Great! So many Chords…
I Hope You’ve Gained Many Worthwhile Insights
And Learned One Or Two New Things! That Would Be Great!
Let Me Know Where You Need More Guidance Or Help With In The Comments Or Just Share Your Thoughts.
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If You Wanna Discover More Useful & Chord Related Content Then Check Out The Following Tutorials:
- Wanna Learn The Barre Chords Faster? Go Here.
- Or Maybe You Just Want To Discover The Easiest Chords Of All Time? They Sound Pretty Pretty Nice & And Pro Level!
- You Wanna Learn The Standard Chords And Some Beginner Friendly Versions? Great! Go Here!
- How About Some Great Finger Exercises For Absolute Guitar Beginners?
- This One Here Is A Must. Learn How To Practice Difficult Chords So That You Can Master Them Quicker.
- And If You Wanna Learn More About The Music Theory Of A Half-Diminished Seventh Chord Then You Can Do This Here.
Stay Tuned, Have Fun Playing Guitar And Be Your Own Teacher.