Am Guitar Chord
Welcome to our tutorial on the A minor (A m) chord, a foundational piece of the Minor Chords family. Composed of the notes A, C, and E, this chord is built from the intervals 1 (Root), b3 (Minor Third), and 5 (Perfect Fifth). These intervals create a rich and soulful sound that is characteristic of minor chords, adding depth and emotion to your music.
Understanding the intervals that make up the A m chord is crucial for mastering its structure and sound. If you need a refresher on what these intervals mean, check out our tutorial on fretboard intervals. You can also learn more about how these intervals stack up to build chords in our guitar music theory tutorial.
Once you've got a handle on the theory behind the A m chord, you'll be ready to dive into our chord diagrams and fretboard patterns. These visual aids will show you exactly where to place your fingers to play the A m chord, and highlight the tones that make up this chord. If you're unsure about how to read these diagrams, our tutorial on chord notation can help clarify things.
Mastering the A m chord is an essential step on your guitar playing journey. Whether you're a beginner just starting out, or an intermediate player looking to expand your chord vocabulary, understanding and being able to play the A m chord opens up a world of musical possibilities. For more advanced chords, don't forget to check our intermediate guitar chord tutorial.
Happy playing!
A m chord Notes:
ACE
Tones of the Minor chord:
The A Minor Guitar Chords | Keys and Songs
The A minor chord is one first chords you should learn.
It pairs well with the C major chord, for two reasons: they are both parts of the key of C major, one of the most used key, and you can switch from one chord to the other by just moving the ring finger from the 3rd fret of the A string (C major) to the 2nd fret of the G string (A minor), back and forth.
As you can see in the following table, the A minor chord is the Submediant chord of the key of C, which is located at the 6th degree of the scale:
| Key | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | C | Dm | Em | F | G | Am | B dim |
The key of A minor is relative to C major, so it has the same chords but in different order:
| Key | i | ii | III | iv | v | VI | VII |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Am | B dim | C | Dm | Em | F | G |
A Minor Chord Progression
The A minor chord is present in the Axis of Awesome progression: C G Am F, probably the most used and over-abused chord sequence in the history of western world.
Also the Doo Wop progression (C Am F G) show an A minor chord.
There are many other progressions that use the A minor chord, check my ebook 52 Chord Progressions | Learn How To Connect Chords and Create Great Songs for a complete reference.
Other Keys That Contains The A Minor Chord
The A minor chord is present in many other keys, here below you find the most used keys:
G Major Key
Here the A minor chord is the Supertonic, because is located on the 2nd degree
| Key | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | G | Am | Bm | C | D | Em | F# dim |
E Minor Key
In the E minor key, the A minor chord works as Subdominant.
| Key | i | ii | III | iv | v | VI | VII |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | Em | F# dim | G | Am | Bm | C | D |
D Minor Key
In D minor Key, the A Minor Key has the role of dominant, notice how it well resolves to the root (D)
| Key | i | ii | III | iv | v | VI | VII |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | Dm | E dim | F | Gm | Am | Bb | C |
Songs with the A minor chord
On guitar, probably it is impossible to find a song that does not have an A minor chord somewhere.
Here's a quick list of songs that begins with an A minor chord:
- Stairway to Heaven
- House of the Rising Sun
- Californication
- The Unforgiven
- Losing my Religion
- Still got the Blues
- Breaking the Law
- Angie
This easy guitar songs list will show you more tunes.
Ok, be sure to master this chord really well because you'll encounter it many times in your guitar life. To learn anything you need about guitar chords, check my Chords Domination | Play Any Chord You Want Across All The Fretboard.
Guitar Patterns for the Am chord
Chord boxes are sorted from the easiest to the hardest. Learn how to read chord diagrams.
If you have difficulties with bar chord shapes, check the Bar Chords Tips tutorial.
You can also use this accessible chords page with written diagrams instruction.
Position 1
Movable
Position 2
Open
Position 3
Open
Position 4
Open
Position 5
Movable
Position 6
Open
Position 7
Open
Position 8
Open
Position 9
Open
Position 10
Movable
Position 11
Open
Position 12
Open
Position 13
BarreMovable
Position 14
BarreOpen
Position 15
BarreOpen
Position 16
BarreMovable
Position 17
BarreMovable
Position 18
BarreOpen
Position 19
BarreMovable
Position 20
BarreMovable
You can find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you prefer a printable pdf, download
the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf
Play This Chord With Other Roots
C m | D m | E m | F m | G m | A m | B m | C#m | D#m | F#m | G#m | A#m | Abm | Bbm | Dbm | Ebm | Gbm
Fretboard map of A m chord tones
You can create any fingering you like on any part of the fretboard, just play some of the chord tones shown in the map below.