Minor Chords on Guitar: Every Shape You Need, From Am to G#m

Minor chords give music its shadows: the sadness in a ballad, the tension in a rock riff, the mystery in a film score. On guitar, you only need to know three open minor chords and two movable shapes to play every minor chord there is.

This guide covers all of them: the open minor chords, the two barre shapes, a fret chart for all twelve minor chords, easy versions of the hard ones, and minor seventh chords.

What makes a chord minor

A minor chord has three notes: the root, a minor third (three frets above the root) and a fifth (seven frets above the root). The minor third is what gives it its darker sound. Raise that note by one fret and the chord becomes major. Our guide to major vs minor chords explains this in detail.

Minor chords are written with a lowercase m: Am, Em, F#m. A letter on its own (A, E, F#) is always major.

The three open minor chords

These need no barre and are the place to start.

• Em: two fingers on the 2nd fret of the A and D strings. Strum all six. The easiest chord on guitar. See the E minor chord page.
• Am: strum from the A string. See the A minor chord page.
• Dm: strum the top four strings. See the D minor chord page.

With just these three, plus a few major chords, you can play songs in A minor, E minor and many major keys. Our ranked list of the easiest guitar chords puts Em and Am near the top.

Movable shape 1: the E minor barre (root on the 6th string)

Take the open Em shape, move it up the neck and put your index finger across all six strings behind it. The barre acts as a new nut. The note under your index finger on the low E string names the chord.

1. Barre all six strings with your index finger.
2. Ring finger on the A string, two frets above the barre.
3. Pinky on the D string, two frets above the barre.
4. Strum all six strings.

At the 1st fret it's Fm, at the 2nd F#m, at the 3rd Gm, at the 5th Am and at the 7th Bm. See our guides to F#m and G minor for more on two of the most common.

Movable shape 2: the A minor barre (root on the 5th string)

Do the same with the open Am shape. Your index finger barres the A to high e strings, and the note under it on the A string names the chord.

1. Barre from the A string to the high e with your index finger.
2. Middle finger on the B string, one fret above the barre.
3. Ring finger on the D string, two frets above the barre.
4. Pinky on the G string, two frets above the barre.
5. Mute the low E and strum from the A string.

At the 2nd fret it's Bm, at the 3rd Cm, at the 4th C#m, at the 5th Dm and at the 7th Em. See our guide to C#m for one of the most common.

All 12 minor chords: where to play them

This chart shows where to put the barre for each minor chord, using either shape. "Open" means there's an open-chord version.

To use the chart, you need to know the notes on the low E and A strings. Our guide to guitar fretboard notes shows the quickest way to learn them.

Easy versions of the barre minors

Barre chords take practice. In the meantime, these partial shapes work in most songs:

Each plays only the top four strings. Our guide to easy versions of hard chords covers these and more, including Cm and Bbm.

Minor 7 chords

A minor 7 chord (m7) adds one more note to a minor chord, the minor seventh. The result is softer, smoother and jazzier. They're often easier to play than the plain minor chord, too.

• Am7: lift your ring finger from Am.
• Em7: Em with the 3rd fret of the B string added (or just one finger on the A string).
• Dm7: a small barre on the top two strings, middle finger on the G string.
• Bm7: an open shape with no barre, great as a stand-in for Bm.

The movable versions work like the minor barres: for the E-shape, lift your pinky; for the A-shape, lift your pinky so the G string is played by the barre. See our guide to seventh chords for more.

Where minor chords appear in songs

In a major key, three of the seven chords are minor: the ii, iii and vi. In C major, that's Dm, Em and Am. The vi chord is the most important: it's the relative minor, and it appears in progressions like C – G – Am – F.

In a minor key, the home chord itself is minor, and so are the iv and (often) v chords. In A minor, that's Am, Dm and Em. See our key guides: A minor and E minor.

A practice plan for minor chords

1. Week 1: Em, Am and Dm. Practice Am ↔ Dm and Em ↔ Am for a minute each.
2. Week 2: the easy four-string Bm and F#m. Practice D – Bm and A – F#m.
3. Week 3: the E-minor barre at the 5th fret (Am), where it's easiest, then move it down to the 3rd (Gm) and 2nd (F#m).
4. Week 4: the A-minor barre at the 2nd fret (Bm), then slide it to the 3rd (Cm) and 4th (C#m).
5. Ongoing: pick any minor chord and play it in both shapes. This builds fretboard knowledge fast.

If your barre chords buzz, our guide to barre chords for beginners and why guitar chords buzz will help.

Quick reference

• Open minor chords: Em, Am, Dm.
• E-minor barre: root on the low E string. Fm (1), F#m (2), Gm (3), G#m (4), Am (5), Bm (7).
• A-minor barre: root on the A string. Bbm (1), Bm (2), Cm (3), C#m (4), Dm (5), Em (7).
• Easy versions: top-four-string shapes for Bm, F#m, C#m and Gm.
• Minor 7: Am7, Em7, Dm7 and Bm7 are all easy open shapes.

Minor or minor 7: which should you play?

When a chart says Am, you can usually play Am7 instead, and vice versa, but they don't sound identical:

• Plain minor sounds clearer and more direct. It suits rock, folk and anything with a strong, simple feel.
• Minor 7 sounds softer, smoother and more relaxed. It suits soul, R&B, jazz, acoustic pop and ballads.
• When the minor chord is the home chord of a minor-key song, plain minor usually sounds more settled.
• When it's passing through (like Am7 on its way to D7 in the key of G), the minor 7 often flows better.

Let your ear decide. Try both versions in the song and pick the one that fits the mood.

Common minor chord mistakes

• Strumming the low E on Am or Dm. Start on the A string for Am and the D string for Dm.
• Using the wrong barre shape. Check the root: E-minor shape roots are on the low E string, A-minor shape roots are on the A string.
• A buzzing barre on the G string in the E-minor shape. The barre alone plays that string, so roll your index finger slightly and press near the fret.
• Playing major by accident. If a "minor" chord sounds bright, one finger is a fret too high on the third.

Fretwork's path introduces minor chords the same way: open shapes first, barre shapes once your hand is ready, with short daily practice. The first two stages are free, no card required.

Frequently asked questions