Guitar chord · Triads
A minor chord on guitar
x02210 · Open position
All 6 shapes, tab & fingering ↓
6 ways to play Am on guitar, with finger positions, tabs and step-by-step instructions.
Darker and more melancholy than major, but just as stable.
Am is the ii chord in G major, iii in F major and vi in C major. In minor keys: i in A minor and iv in E minor.
- Notes
- ACE
- Formula
- 1♭35
- Built from
- root · minor 3rd · perfect 5th
Guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E) · 6 voicings · E string on the left · Other tunings →
How to play it · Open position
- 6th string (low E): don’t play — mute it
- 5th string (A): play open A
- 4th string (D): 2nd fret, middle finger (2) E
- 3rd string (G): 2nd fret, ring finger (3) A
- 2nd string (B): 1st fret, index finger (1) C
- 1st string (high E): play open E
Tablature
e|--0---| B|--1---| G|--2---| D|--2---| A|--0---| E|--x---|
Top line is the high E string. x = don’t play, 0 = open string.
Every Am note on the guitar neck
Bright dots are the selected voicing — the rest are other places you can find the same chord tones.
Tips for playing Am on guitar
x02210 is the E-major shape moved over one string. Switching from C, only your ring finger moves.
You’ll find Am in common progressions such as Am–F–C–G (the minor-feel pop progression in C major), Am–Dm–E–Am (the minor cadence in A minor) and Am–G–F–E (the Andalusian cadence in A minor).
Learning guitar? Am is part of stage 1 (“E minor and A minor”) of our first guitar chords path.
