How to play Am (A Minor) on Bass
Diagram, notes, and audio for the Am chord on bass. Free in your browser.
About Am on bass
A minor on bass uses the open A string for the root and the 2nd fret of the D string for the fifth (E). Like A major, A minor is one of the easiest chords on the instrument because the root is an open string. The chord notes are A, C, and E; the C natural (minor third) sits on the 3rd fret of the A string when the bass needs to outline the full triad.
Am is the i chord in A minor (no sharps, no flats — the relative minor of C major) and the vi in C major. On bass, Am is one of the most-played minor chords because so many pop and folk songs in C visit Am for their emotional verse or chorus turn. The vi-IV-I-V loop (Am-F-C-G) that dominates pop bass charts begins on this exact root.
A standard Am bass line walks through A-C-E-G (the four notes of Am7) on the way to its tonal centre. This pattern outlines a minor-7th arpeggio and is the foundation of soul, R&B, and jazz minor-key playing. Practising A-C-E-G as a four-note loop builds the bassist's ear for minor harmony and the fingers for movement up and down the A and D strings.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is A on the bass guitar?
- The open A string is the lowest A. There are higher As on the 5th fret of the E string and the 7th fret of the D string.
- Is A minor easy on bass?
- Yes — the open A provides the root, and the fifth (E) is on the 2nd fret of the D string. After E and A major, A minor is one of the first chords most beginner bassists master.
- What's a typical Am bass line?
- Am7 arpeggio: open A (root), 3rd fret A (C, the third), 2nd fret D (E, the fifth), 5th fret D (G, the seventh), then A (5th E or 7th D) for the octave.
Switch instruments
See Am on a different instrument — same chord, new diagram.