Am Guitar Chord (A Minor) | 9 Easy Ways to Play
Am Guitar Chord (9 Easy Chords with Chord Charts)
A Minor is about as essential as it comes for guitar chords, and you'll be playing this one aplenty, regardless of your preferred genre. From old-school jazz to the most saccharine of bubblegum pop, the A Minor chord will be rearing its head again and again, so let's take a look at all the ways you'll want to tackle this chord, along with a few tips for getting the best sound you can while playing.
How to Play the Am Guitar Chord (A Minor)
The most common variation of A Minor is one of the very first chords most guitarists learn, all the way up near the top of the fretboard:
Place your 1st finger on the 2nd string/1st fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 4th string/2nd fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd string/3rd fret
Play strings 1 and 5 open
Mute string 6
And while this is the most common way to play A Minor near the top of the guitar, it's far from the only way.
Am Guitar Chord #1
If you're willing to stretch your fingers and mute a few strings, you can try one of these quirkier combinations on for size:
Place your 1st finger on the 6th string/5th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd string/5th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string/5th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 1st string/5th fret
Mute strings 4 and 5
Am Guitar Chord #2
Place your 1st finger on the 4th string/2nd fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 5th string/3rd fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 6th string/5th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 3rd string/5th fret
Mute strings 1 and 2
Am Guitar Chord #3
Place your 1st finger on the 4th string/2nd fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd string/5th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 2nd string/5th fret
Play string 5 open
Mute strings 1 and 6
A Minor Barre Guitar Chord
Like most chords, you'll have ample opportunities to play A Minor in other positions on the fretboard, with one of the easiest being the A Minor barre chord at the 5th fret:
Use your 1st finger to bar the strings at the 5th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 5th string/7th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 4th string/7th fret
Am Guitar Chord #5
There are two other variations of A Minor you can play near the 5th fret, but they aren't for the faint of heart:
Place your 1st finger on the 2nd string/5th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 1st string/8th fret
Play string 5 open
Mute strings 3, 4, and 6
Am Guitar Chord #6
Use your 1st finger to cover strings 2 and 3 at the 5th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 4th string/7th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 1st string/8th fret
Mute strings 5 and 6
Am Guitar Chord #7
You can take A Minor even higher, to the 8th fret:
Place your 1st finger on the 1st string/8th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd string/9th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 4th string/10th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 2nd string/10th fret
Play string 5 open
Mute string 6
Am Guitar Chord #8
And even the 9th fret for a truly unique sound:
Place your 1st finger on the 3rd string/9th fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 4th string/10th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string/10th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 1st string/12th fret
Remember Your Technique
When playing A Minor, no matter where you are on the fretboard, observing proper chord-playing technique will be critical. When attempting the trickier versions of this chord, remember to start slow so you can better commit them to memory.
Keep working hard to add these to your repertoire, and, as always, happy practicing!