Am A minor chord
- Notes
- A C E
- Formula
- 1 b3 5
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 above the root
- Other symbols
- Amin, A−
A to C is a minor third (3 semitones), C to E is a major third (4 semitones). It differs from A major by one note: the third, C, is a half step lower than in A major.
Am on the piano
Root position from A4: A4, C5, E5. Middle C is C4.
Am on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has A as its lowest note.
x 0 2 2 1 0 (low E to high e)
Sounds A2 E3 A3 C4 E4
5 7 7 5 5 5 (low E to high e)
Sounds A2 E3 A3 C4 E4 A4
The E-shape and A-shape grips are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play minor chords on other roots.
Am on the ukulele
Standard ukulele tuning is G C E A, drawn with the G string on the left and frets downwards, as ukulele chord charts show it. The G string is tuned higher than the C string (G4 above middle C, a fifth over C4), so the lowest note you hear is usually on the C or E string, not on the G string, and a shape can sound as an inversion even when its root is on the G string. All four strings are strummed, so every string plays a chord tone; the root is in blue-green.
2000 (G C E A)
Sounds A4 C4 E4 A4
Lowest note C4, so the chord finder reads it as Am/C (first inversion).
2403 (G C E A)
Sounds A4 E4 E4 C5
Lowest note E4, so the chord finder reads it as Am/E (second inversion).
Inversions of Am
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | A C E | Am | |
| 1st inversion | C E A | Am/C | |
| 2nd inversion | E A C | Am/E |
Where Am fits
Am is ii in G major, iii in F major, vi in C major, i in A minor, iv in E minor, v in D minor.