A minor (Am) chord on banjo

The A minor chord (Am) is a minor triad, made of three notes: A – C – E.

Dots show:

Basic shapemedium

Position 5easy

Position 7medium

Position 9medium

Tap a string on a diagram to hear just that string. The sound is generated in your browser with a physical string model.

Chord finder Transposer Tuner

What the Am chord sounds like

A minor triad differs from a major one only in the third: it has a minor third, which gives it a darker, sadder colour. In a major key, chords ii, iii and vi are minor.

Notes of the Am chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	A	root
3	C	minor third (3 semitones)
5	E	perfect fifth (7 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape

String 1 (D): fret 2, little finger (E4)
String 2 (B): fret 1, index finger (C4)
String 3 (G): fret 2, ring finger (A3)
String 4 (D): fret 2, middle finger (E3)

Position 5, barre at fret 5

String 1 (D): fret 7, little finger (A4)
String 2 (B): fret 5, index finger (E4)
String 3 (G): fret 5, index finger (C4)
String 4 (D): fret 7, ring finger (A3)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 5; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Position 7

String 1 (D): fret 10, little finger (C5)
String 2 (B): fret 10, little finger (A4)
String 3 (G): fret 9, ring finger (E4)
String 4 (D): fret 7, index finger (A3)

Five-string banjo in open G tuning (g D G B D). The diagram shows the four long strings; the short 5th string (g) rings open – avoid it when G is not in the chord. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Which keys is it in?

The Am chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

A minor: i (tonic)
D minor: v (dominant)
E minor: iv (subdominant)
F major: iii
C major: vi
G major: ii

Similar chords and substitutes

If Am is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

C – relative major: two shared notes
F – the major chord a major third below: two shared notes
Am7 – a fuller, softer minor colour

Richer versions

Am7 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
Am6 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
Am9 – the same chord plus 2 colour notes

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Am chord?

A, C, E. The root is A; the intervals of the other notes from the root: minor third, perfect fifth.

What is the easiest way to play Am on banjo?

The easiest shape above is “Position 5”, rated easy. We show 4 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

How is the Am chord written?

The chord symbol is Am, and its full name is A minor.