Guitar chord · Open shape · Standard tuning
A minor guitar chord (Am)
Place finger 2 on the 2nd fret of the D, finger 3 on the 2nd fret of the G, finger 1 on the 1st fret of the B. Don't play the low E string.
A – C – E
Loop strum: down, down-up, up-down-up on 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.
Next moves
3 fingers, 5 strings, chart notation x02210. Tap the chord box to hear it strummed, then play it string by string to check every note is ringing cleanly.
How to play Am
Finger numbers run 1 for the index to 4 for the little finger. String names are given as players say them — the low E is the thickest string (the 6th) and the high E is the thinnest (the 1st).
- 1st finger (index) — 1st fret, B string
- 2nd finger (middle) — 2nd fret, D string
- 3rd finger (ring) — 2nd fret, G string
- Play open: A (5th) and high E (1st) — strum them without fretting anything.
- Leave out: low E (6th) — start the strum below it, or damp it with the side of the thumb.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note it sounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th — low E | Not played | — | × |
| 5th — A | Open | — | A |
| 4th — D | 2nd fret | 2 (middle) | E |
| 3rd — G | 2nd fret | 3 (ring) | A |
| 2nd — B | 1st fret | 1 (index) | C |
| 1st — high E | Open | — | E |
Notes and intervals in Am
Am is built from 3 notes: A, C and E.
- A — the root
- C — the minor 3rd
- E — the perfect 5th
Across the six strings the shape sounds A · E · A · C · E from low to high, so some notes are doubled in different octaves — that is what gives an open guitar chord its width compared with the same chord on a keyboard.
What Am is used for
Am is the vi chord in C major and the i chord in A minor: the shape that makes a bright progression turn wistful. It is also the parent of every minor barre chord — put a barre behind this pattern and slide it up the neck and you have all the others.
Common mistakes with Am
- The index finger lying flat. It has to sit on the 1st fret of the B string only; flattened, it deadens the open high E right next to it.
- Strumming the 6th string. The root is the open A, so the low E stays out of the sweep.
- Muddling Am with E major. They are the same finger pattern moved across one string — check that your lowest fretted note is on the D string, not the A string.
A first strum pattern
Count “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &” — eighth notes (quavers). Strum down, down-up, up-down-up: down on 1, down on 2, up on the “&” of 2, up on the “&” of 3, down on 4, up on the “&” of 4. Keep your hand moving down and up all the time, and only touch the strings on the marked counts.
Start the strum loop above at 60–70 BPM and change chords on beat 1.
A minor FAQ
How do you play A minor on guitar?
Place finger 2 on the 2nd fret of the D, finger 3 on the 2nd fret of the G, finger 1 on the 1st fret of the B. Don't play the low E string. In chart notation it is x02210, low E string first.
What notes are in A minor?
A, C and E: the root, the minor 3rd and the perfect 5th.
What chord comes after A minor?
Common changes from A minor: C major, E major and D minor. Practice the switch slowly with the strum loop, then speed it up.
Guitar chord data last updated . Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.