AmMaj7
Minor triad, major seventh — the spy-film chord.
AmMaj7 puts a major 7th on top of a minor triad. It is the sound of the James Bond theme and of every scene where something is about to go wrong.
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Two contradictory notes
AmMaj7 is A C E G#. The ♭3 (C) says minor. The major 7 (G#) says major. Holding both at once is precisely what makes the chord sound unsettled rather than sad.
- ♭3 and natural 7 in the same chord.
- The G# is a half-step below the root — it grinds against it.
- It is the tonic chord of harmonic minor.
Harmonic minor, harmonised
Build a chord on the first degree of A harmonic minor and this is what you get. So the scale to play over it is A harmonic minor — chord and scale are two views of the same seven notes.
- It is the i chord of A harmonic minor.
- A harmonic minor is the scale that fits it exactly.
- This is why it sounds cinematic rather than jazzy.
In a descending line
The classic use is a chromatic descent: Am → AmMaj7 → Am7 → Am6. The top voice walks down A, G#, G, F# while the rest of the chord holds still. Four chords, one moving note.
- Am–AmMaj7–Am7–Am6 walks the 7th downward.
- Only one note changes each time.
- It is the 'Stairway'/'Michelle' descending-line move.
A minor chord with a major 7th does not resolve anything — it just holds two moods at once, which is why film scores love it.
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