3 notes · 1 · ♭3 · 5

A Minor Piano Chord (Am)

A minor is built from A, C and E — the formula 1 · ♭3 · 5, or 3 and 7 semitones above A. The shape uses white keys only, and you can hear it, invert it and compare it below.

Root noteChord type

Chord

A Minor

Notes

A · C · E

Formula

1 · ♭3 · 5

Right hand

1 · 3 · 5

Choose a chord, then play it. Finger numbers run from thumb (1) to little finger (5).

The finder above already holds Am. Press P or the Play chord button to hear A, C, E sounded together, then change the root or the chord type to compare it with something else.

Chord tones

The notes in A minor

A minor triad reverses the major arrangement: a minor third first, then a major third. Only the middle note moves, yet the chord sounds noticeably darker and more inward. Minor triads sit on the second, third and sixth degrees of a major scale, and on the first degree of a minor key.

Each tone of A minor with its interval, scale degree, distance in semitones from A and a suggested right-hand finger.
Note	Interval	Degree	Semitones	Right hand
Awhite key	Root	1	0	1 · thumb
Cwhite key	Minor third	♭3	3	3 · middle finger
Ewhite key	Perfect fifth	5	7	5 · little finger

Step by step

How to play A minor on piano

Find A: it is the white key between the second and third black keys of a group of three.
Build upwards from A using 3 and 7 semitones to reach C and E.
With the right hand, place finger 1 on A, finger 3 on C and finger 5 on E. Keep the wrist level and the knuckles rounded.
Every note here is a white key, so you can sit your hand slightly further out from the fallboard.
Play the notes together, then one at a time from the bottom up, and listen to how A minor settles.
Try first inversion as well: C – E – A. Inversions let you change chords without jumping around the keyboard.

Inversions

A minor in 3 positions

An inversion keeps the same 3 notes and simply moves the lowest one up an octave. Learning them means you can change chords with small hand movements instead of jumping to a new part of the keyboard.

Root position

A – C – E

The root A is the lowest note. This is the shape most people learn first.

First inversion

C – E – A

C is the lowest note, so the minor third sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.

Second inversion

E – A – C

E is the lowest note, so the perfect fifth sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.

In context

Which keys contain A minor

In C major the chord functions as vi. Altogether it is produced by the scales of 6 keys, so learning it once pays off in several places.

C majorvi
F majoriii
G majorii
D minorv
E minoriv
A minori

Chord tones are spelled by the degree they occupy, so the third of a minor chord is written as a flat rather than a sharp even though it is the same key on the piano. A double sharp such as F## means the key one whole tone above F.

Compare

A minor against A major

A minor and A major share A and E. Moving the major third C# down 1 semitone to the minor third C turns A major into A minor.

Practise the pair together: hold the shared notes A, E still and move only the one finger. Hearing that single change is the quickest way to recognise the two chords by ear.

Open A major →

Good questions

A minor questions

What notes are in the A minor chord?

A minor contains A, C and E. Counted from the root, that is the formula 1 · ♭3 · 5, or 3 and 7 semitones above A.

What is the right-hand fingering for A minor?

A comfortable beginner fingering is 1 (thumb) on A, 3 (middle finger) on C and 5 (little finger) on E. Finger numbers run from the thumb (1) to the little finger (5), and they change once you start using inversions.

How is A minor different from A major?

A minor and A major share A and E. Moving the major third C# down 1 semitone to the minor third C turns A major into A minor.

Which keys use the A minor chord?

It occurs naturally in C major (vi), F major (iii), G major (ii), D minor (v), E minor (iv) and A minor (i). The roman numeral shows which degree of the key the chord is built on.

What are the inversions of A minor?

root position is A – C – E, first inversion is C – E – A and second inversion is E – A – C. Every inversion holds the same notes; only the lowest one changes.