Piano chord · Minor triad · Beginner
A minor piano chord (Am)
A, C and E, played together. Root position is highlighted on the keyboard below — press play to hear it.
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: R · b3 · 5 (0 · 3 · 7 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.
1st inversion — C in the bass
C–E–A — the same three notes, reordered so C is lowest.
2nd inversion — E in the bass
E–A–C — the same three notes, reordered so E is lowest.
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.
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.