About the A minor chord
The minor chord lowers the third by a semitone, which gives it a darker, sadder colour than the major. It appears in almost every style, from folk to metal. The symbol for it is Am.
How to play Am
- Put your index finger on the B string at fret 1.
- Put your middle finger on the D string at fret 2.
- Put your ring finger on the G string at fret 2.
- Strum and let the A and high E strings ring open, and don't play the low E string.
1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring · 4 little
Chords in the key of A minor
These are the chords built on each note of the A minor scale, so they all sound good together with Am. The Roman numeral under each one is its position in the key.
Other A chords
Am chord questions
What notes are in a A minor chord?
A minor is made of A, C and E. In intervals that is 1, ♭3, 5 above the root, A.
What is the easiest way to play Am?
The first shape above is the most common one: x 0 2 2 1 0 from the low E string to the high E, where x means don't play that string and 0 means play it open. Start there, and try the other shapes once it feels comfortable.
Is Am a barre chord?
The main shape above is an open chord with no barre. Some of the other shapes further up the neck do use a barre, which lets you move the same shape to any key.