Minor guitar chords
A minor chord is a major chord with the third lowered by one fret. That single note is the whole difference between G and Gm, and it is why minor chords sound darker.
How minor chords are built
The formula is 1–♭3–5: the root, the minor third and the perfect fifth, counted from the root’s major scale. In Cm that gives C · E♭ · G.
All 12 minor chords on guitar
Fingerings read from the low E string to the high E string. x = not played, 0 = open. 3 of the twelve main shapes are easy, 6 medium and 3 hard.
| Chord | Notes | Fingering | Position | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cm | C E♭ G | 335543 | barre chord, 3rd fret | Hard |
| Dbm | D♭ F♭ A♭ | x4212x | 1st fret | Medium |
| Dm | D F A | xx0231 | open position | Easy |
| Ebm | E♭ G♭ B♭ | xx1342 | 1st fret | Medium |
| Em | E G B | 022000 | open position | Easy |
| Fm | F A♭ C | 133111 | barre chord, 1st fret | Medium |
| Gbm | G♭ A D♭ | 244222 | barre chord, 2nd fret | Medium |
| Gm | G B♭ D | 355333 | barre chord, 3rd fret | Medium |
| Abm | A♭ C♭ E♭ | 466444 | barre chord, 4th fret | Medium |
| Am | A C E | x02210 | open position | Easy |
| Bbm | B♭ D♭ F | x13321 | barre chord, 1st fret | Hard |
| Bm | B D F♯ | 224432 | barre chord, 2nd fret | Hard |
Minor chord diagrams
- Cm3355434 fingerings · hard
- Dmxx02314 fingerings · easy
- Ebmxx13424 fingerings · medium
- Em0220004 fingerings · easy
- Fm1331114 fingerings · medium
- Gm3553334 fingerings · medium
- Amx022104 fingerings · easy
- Bbmx133214 fingerings · hard
- Bm2244324 fingerings · hard
Where minor chords appear in a key
In a major key, a minor chord fits on the vi, iii and ii degrees of the scale. For example, Cm is the vi chord in Eb major, iii chord in Ab major and ii chord in Bb major.