A Minor Chord: Learn How to Play it on the Piano!

Learn which notes are part of the A minor chord and how to play this chord in root position, 1st inversion, and 2nd inversion on the piano.

Table of Contents

What Does the A minor Chord Look Like on the Piano?

The symbol for the A minor chord is Am.

The notes of the Am chord are A – C – E.

The Am chord is a triad because it has three notes: root (A), minor third (C), and perfect fifth (E).

The picture below shows how to play the notes of the A minor chord on the piano in root position:

The first note from the left is A (the root), the second note is C (the minor third), and the third note is E (the perfect fifth).

Making the assumption that you are playing the Am chord in root position the lowest note is A.

Here is how to remember the notes of the A minor chord:

Start from the first note of the chord (the root) that for the A minor chord is A.
To find the second note of the chord calculate a minor third from the root (C).
Then to find the third note calculate the perfect fifth from the root (E).

This applies if you are playing the A minor chord in root position.

The 1st inversion of the Am chord starts with the note C.

Below you can see how to play the notes of the A minor chord on the piano using the first inversion:

In the 1st inversion, you shift the root of the Am chord (A) is at the top of the chord compared to the root position.

The notes of the Am chord in the 1st inversion are C – E – A.

The 2nd inversion of the Am chord starts with the note E.

Here is how to play the notes of the second inversion of the A minor chord on the piano:

In the 2nd inversion, you shift the third of the Am chord (C) up one octave.

The notes of the 2nd inversion of the Am chord are E – A – C.

Considering that the Am chord is a triad (it has three notes) there is no 3rd inversion because it would be the same as the root position.

The following articles show you how to play other A chords: