Am guitar chord

A minor · Amin · A-

The Am guitar chord is played x02210 in open position. Its notes are A, C and E.

Am open chord (x02210)

Fingering: x02210
Fingers: – – 2 3 1 –
Difficulty: Easy
Position: open position

Am open chord (x02555)

Fingering: x02555
Fingers: – – 1 4 4 4
Difficulty: Medium
Position: open position

Am barre chord, 5th fret (577555)

Fingering: 577555
Fingers: 1 3 4 1 1 1
Difficulty: Medium
Position: barre chord, 5th fret

Am chord at the 7th fret (x-0-7-9-10-8)

Fingering: x-0-7-9-10-8
Fingers: – – 1 3 4 2
Difficulty: Medium
Position: 7th fret

PNG PDF

Notes in the A minor chord

The Am chord is made of A · C · E. Its formula is 1–♭3–5.

Note	Degree	Interval from A
A	1	root
C	♭3	minor third
E	5	perfect fifth

How to play the Am guitar chord

First finger on the 1st fret of the B string, second finger on the 2nd fret of the D string, third finger on the 2nd fret of the G string. The A and high E strings ring open.

Strum from the A string. It is the same hand shape as E major, moved one string toward the floor.

Why your Am chord buzzes or sounds muted

The first finger often touches the open high E string. Pick that string alone to check it.

The low E string is in the chord but makes it bottom-heavy. Rest the tip of your thumb against it, or start the strum one string later.

Am barre chord

Am has 1 barre shape here: 577555 (barre at the 5th fret).

A barre shape has no open strings, so it moves. Slide it up one fret and you are playing A#m (Bbm).

Am open chord

The open Am chord is x02210 and x02555. The first one uses the open A and high E strings, which is why it rings longer than the shapes higher up the neck.

Songs that use Am

Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan): G D Am C
Let It Be (The Beatles): C G Am F
House of the Rising Sun (The Animals): Am C D F E
Riptide (Vance Joy): Am G C F
Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen): C Am F G E7
Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd): Em7 G A7sus4 C D Am
Ain't No Sunshine (Bill Withers): Am Em G Dm
Losing My Religion (R.E.M.): Am Em Dm G F C
Nothing Else Matters (Metallica): Em D C G B7 Am
Have You Ever Seen the Rain (Creedence Clearwater Revival): C G Am F
Californication (Red Hot Chili Peppers): Am F C G Dm
Black Magic Woman (Santana): Dm Am Gm
All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan): Am G F
Hit the Road Jack (Ray Charles): Am G F E7
No Woman, No Cry (Bob Marley): C G Am F
Redemption Song (Bob Marley): G Em C Am D
Minor Swing (Django Reinhardt): Am Dm E7
Imagine (John Lennon): C Cmaj7 F Am Dm G E7

Chord names only, as the songs are usually charted for guitar. Recordings may use a capo or another key.

Keys with the Am chord

Am is the vi chord in C major, iii chord in F major and ii chord in G major. In minor keys it is the i chord in A minor, v chord in D minor and iv chord in E minor.

All minor guitar chords

Am guitar chord questions

How do you play an Am chord on guitar?

Play x02210, reading from the low E string to the high E string. An x means the string is not played and a 0 means it rings open. The fingers used are - - 2 3 1 -.

What notes are in the Am chord?

The A minor chord has 3 notes: A, C and E. Its formula is 1–♭3–5, counted from the A major scale.

What keys is the Am chord in?