Also written Am or Amin
A minor contains A, C, and E. The open G string adds a fifth above the bass, so this voicing sounds full without any barre.
The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.
A minor is built from the formula 1, ♭3, 5. The minor 3rd between A and C gives the chord its dark color. Raise that C to C♯ and you get A major.
A minor is the vi chord in C major, so it anchors the I–V–vi–IV progression: C–G–Am–F. It also works as the i chord in A natural minor, suiting folk, rock, and ballads. Try it with C major and F major.
The default Amin/C inversion puts C in the bass, which softens the chord. For a root-position sound, use the 7th fret voicing with A in the bass.
A minor is played in open position as 2 0 0 0: index finger on the G string at fret 2. The C, E and A strings ring open.
Tip — The index finger must fret the G string cleanly without touching the open C string next to it.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 2 | 1 | A (1) |
| 3 (C) | open | — | C (♭3) |
| 2 (E) | open | — | E (5) |
| 1 (A) | open | — | A (1) |
A minor is played at the 3rd fret as 5 4 5 3: ring finger on the G string at fret 5, middle finger on the C string at fret 4, pinky finger on the E string at fret 5 and index finger on the A string at fret 3.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 5 | 3 | C (♭3) |
| 3 (C) | 4 | 2 | E (5) |
| 2 (E) | 5 | 4 | A (1) |
| 1 (A) | 3 | 1 | C (♭3) |
A minor is played at the 2nd fret as 2 4 5 3: index finger on the G string at fret 2, ring finger on the C string at fret 4, pinky finger on the E string at fret 5 and middle finger on the A string at fret 3.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 2 | 1 | A (1) |
| 3 (C) | 4 | 3 | E (5) |
| 2 (E) | 5 | 4 | A (1) |
| 1 (A) | 3 | 2 | C (♭3) |
A minor is played at the 4th fret as 5 4 5 7: middle finger on the G string at fret 5, index finger on the C string at fret 4, ring finger on the E string at fret 5 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 7.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 5 | 2 | C (♭3) |
| 3 (C) | 4 | 1 | E (5) |
| 2 (E) | 5 | 3 | A (1) |
| 1 (A) | 7 | 4 | E (5) |
A minor is played at the 7th fret as 9 9 8 7: ring finger on the G string at fret 9, pinky finger on the C string at fret 9, middle finger on the E string at fret 8 and index finger on the A string at fret 7.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 9 | 3 | E (5) |
| 3 (C) | 9 | 4 | A (1) |
| 2 (E) | 8 | 2 | C (♭3) |
| 1 (A) | 7 | 1 | E (5) |
A minor lowers the third from C♯ to C. That one semitone changes the chord from bright to dark. Compare the two shapes to hear the difference.
The open G is the ♭7 of A minor, not a chord tone, but it is a common color tone. It adds a bluesy edge without clashing with the minor 3rd.
Yes, the Amin/E inversion at 5-4-5-3 uses a barre across the 4th fret. That voicing puts E in the bass and sounds higher and tighter.