Root position
A# – C# – E#The root A# is the lowest note. This is the shape most people learn first.
3 notes · 1 · ♭3 · 5
A# Minor Piano Chord (A#m)
A# minor is built from A#, C# and E# — the formula 1 · ♭3 · 5, or 3 and 7 semitones above A#. The shape uses 1 white and 2 black keys, and you can hear it, invert it and compare it below.
Chord
A# Minor
Notes
A# · C# · FFormula
1 · ♭3 · 5Right hand
1 · 3 · 5C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
C#
D#
F#
G#
A#
Choose a chord, then play it. Finger numbers run from thumb (1) to little finger (5).
The finder above already holds A#m. 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.
| Note | Interval | Degree | Semitones | Right hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A#black key | Root | 1 | 0 | 1 · thumb |
| C#black key | Minor third | ♭3 | 3 | 3 · middle finger |
| E#white key | Perfect fifth | 5 | 7 | 5 · little finger |
Step by step
How to play A# minor on piano
- Find A#: it is the third black key in 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.
- Move your hand a little further in towards the fallboard so the black keys sit comfortably under your fingers.
- 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.
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 D♭ 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.
- D♭ majorvi
- F♯ majoriii
- A♭ majorii
- E♭ minorv
- F minoriv
- B♭ 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 D♭ major (vi), F♯ major (iii), A♭ major (ii), E♭ minor (v), F minor (iv) and B♭ 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.
Is A# minor the same as the B♭ chord?
On an equal-tempered piano A# and B♭ are the same key, so the chords sound identical. Written music chooses between them according to the key signature: pages here are named after the sharp spelling of the root, and the chord tones are then spelled by the degree each one occupies, which is why a double sharp occasionally appears.