CHORD REFERENCE

A Minor

A – C – E1 b3 5

The A Minor chord and everything around it — the notes and how they are built, the shape on piano and guitar, the sound, and the keys it belongs to.

Notes
A1Cb3E5

Am is A, C, E — the 1, b3 and 5 above the root A.

Piano
ACE
Guitar

Ways to play it

Open position
×
E-shape barre — 5th fret
5fr

Guitar — every position (frets 0–12)

357912eEACEBCEAGACEDEACAACEAEEACE

Root notes are red. The shapes above are movable — an E-shape has its root on the low E string, an A-shape on the A string. any group of these notes on the neck sounds the chord.

Ukulele (standard G–C–E–A)

Movable shape
GCEA
357912AACEAEEACECCEACGACE

The shape above is movable up the neck. Every position of the chord tones on the ukulele neck — any group that sounds only A, C, E plays the chord.

In which keys

Am is a diatonic chord in these keys:

viC majoriiiF majoriiG majorvD minorivE minoriA minor
Other A chords

Triads

AMajorA5Power Chord (5)AdimDiminishedAaugAugmentedAsus2Suspended 2ndAsus4Suspended 4th

Sixths & sevenths

A6Major 6thAm6Minor 6thA7Dominant 7thAmaj7Major 7thAm7Minor 7thAm(maj7)Minor–Major 7thAdim7Diminished 7thAm7♭5Half-Diminished (m7♭5)A7sus47sus4

Altered dominants

A7♭57♭5A7♯57♯5 (Augmented 7th)A7♭97♭9A7♯97♯9 (Hendrix Chord)

Extended & added

Aadd9Added 9thA6/96/9A9Dominant 9thAmaj9Major 9thAm9Minor 9thA11Dominant 11thA13Dominant 13th
Minor on another root
CC♯D♭DE♭D♯EFF♯GA♭G♯AB♭A♯B
Keep exploring

Work out the chords of a whole key with the Scale & Chord Finder, name a chord from its notes with the Chord Identifier, or browse every chord tool. The theory behind how chords are built is in the free Cloud Atelier music guides.