A minor chord
Am
- AR
- C♭3
- E5
Open
What each note does
- A is the root. It names the chord and is the note your ear hears as home.
- C is the minor third, a half step below the major third (C♯). That one note is the whole difference between sad and happy.
- E is the fifth. It adds weight without changing the character, so it is the first note to drop when a voicing gets crowded.
More voicings
Barre · Em shape · 5th fret
Triad · top 3 strings · 5th fret
Triad · middle strings · 1st fret
Progressions that use Am
- Open in builder →
I–V–vi–IV · C major · Pop
CGAmF
- Open in builder →
I–vi–IV–V · C major · 50s
CAmFG
- Open in builder →
I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V · C major · Canon
CGAmEmFCFG