Piano chord · Minor triad · Beginner
A minor piano chord (Am)
A minor is A – C – E. Right hand fingers 1-3-5.
A – C – E
Built from the root, minor 3rd, perfect 5th. Keys show right-hand fingers: 1 = thumb.
Next moves
A, C and E, played together. Root position is lit on the keyboard above — press Play chord to hear it, or switch to an inversion.
Notes in Am: A, C and E
| Note | Interval from the root | Key around middle C |
|---|---|---|
| A | Root | A4 · white key |
| C | Minor 3rd | C5 · white key |
| E | Perfect 5th | E5 · white key |
- Chord symbol: Am — A minor
- Formula: root, minor 3rd, perfect 5th (0 · 3 · 7 half steps (semitones) from the root)
- Right hand fingering: 1-3-5 — thumb, middle finger and little finger
- Left hand fingering: 5-3-1, little finger on the root
How Am works
A minor is the relative minor of C major: all white keys, no accidentals, and one finger away from A major. Because it shares C major's key signature, Am–F–C–G is usually the first progression anyone learns to loop.
Am inversions
An inversion keeps the same notes and changes which one is at the bottom. That matters because it lets you move between chords without jumping: the closer the notes of the next chord are to the ones your hand is already holding, the smoother it sounds and the easier it is to play. Root position first, then two inversions.
Root position
A–C–E — the root, A, is at the bottom.
Right hand1-3-5Left hand5-3-1
1st inversion — C in the bass
C–E–A — the same three notes, reordered so C is lowest.
Right hand1-2-5Left hand5-3-1
2nd inversion — E in the bass
E–A–C — the same three notes, reordered so E is lowest.
Right hand1-3-5Left hand5-2-1
| Position | Notes, lowest first | Right hand | Left hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | A – C – E | 1 – 3 – 5 | 5 – 3 – 1 |
| 1st inversion | C – E – A | 1 – 2 – 5 | 5 – 3 – 1 |
| 2nd inversion | E – A – C | 1 – 3 – 5 | 5 – 2 – 1 |
1 = thumb, 5 = little finger. Notes listed from the lowest key up.
Common mistakes on Am
- Leaving C♯ in place from A major.
- Putting the thumb on G because the eye reads the gap rather than the letter.
- Pressing the three keys at slightly different moments, which smears the chord.
A minor FAQ
What notes are in A minor?
A, C and E: the root, minor 3rd, perfect 5th.
What fingers do I use for A minor?
In root position, right hand 1-3-5 and left hand 5-3-1 (1 = thumb, 5 = little finger). 1st inversion: right hand 1-2-5, left hand 5-3-1; 2nd inversion: right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-2-1.
What are the inversions of A minor?
1st inversion: C–E–A. 2nd inversion: E–A–C. Same notes, a different one at the bottom.
Piano 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.