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How to Play The A Minor Chord on Bass
The most common way to play the A minor chord on bass is at the 7th position of the fretboard, on the A, D, and G strings. Play it with your ring, pinky, and index fingers. Here’s how to place your fingers:
- Ring finger (3) on fret 7 of the A string
- Pinky finger (4) on fret 7 of the D string
- Index finger (1) on fret 5 of the G string
The root note, A, is on the 7th fret of the D string, which you can see in the chord diagram below.
You can also play A minor as a dyad, which means playing it with only the 2 primary intervals: the root (A) and the minor 3rd (C).
You can use this A minor arpeggio bass diagram to visualize and construct the A minor chord in any position on your fretboard.
Other names for A Minor
The A minor chord can be written in several ways, including:
- A Minor
- Amin
- Am
These notations all represent the same chord, built from the notes A, C, and E.
Practicing the A Minor chord on bass
The A minor chord is the root chord in the A natural minor scale, so use it in a 1-4-5 progression in the key of A minor. This gives you the chords Am – Dm – Em.
The A minor chord also sounds great as the minor vi chord in the C major scale. Use it in a C major chord progression, such as C – Amin – F – G.
