Woodwinds and brass instruments are limited to playing one note at a time; guitars provide you with the opportunity to form chords consisting of multiple notes simultaneously. Chord shapes (or forms) simply refer to where your fingers land on the fretboard while intervals determine whether a particular chord sounds good or bad.
A Minor (Am)
As our first minor chord, A minor is an A minor triad; meaning its notes match those found in major chords but its third note has been flattened out.
The chord itself is very straightforward, differing only from a traditional major chord in that it uses an open triad instead of closed triad; thus enabling all strings to be played simultaneously.
For creating the chord, place your index finger at the second fret of the fourth string and curve your finger nicely upward and over the first three strings so that only its tip presses down on the fourth string.
B Minor (Bm)
A B minor guitar chord can be challenging to achieve an optimal sound; it requires many fingers but few open strings. Uberchord app provides the perfect solution!
Barre chords on the second fret are often used to form B minor chords, making this chord form difficult for musicians to master but necessary in many chord progressions.
One way of playing a B minor chord more like Johnny Marr or Cure can be found by placing it higher up (shape 2). This produces an indistinguishable sound while being easier for you to hold in place.
C Minor (Cm)
This chord can be found in many popular songs and provides a good starting point to explore minor guitar chords. Additionally, variations such as E flat major (the relative major of C minor), such as Cm9, Cm11 or Cm6 can add depth and emotion to this shape.
Beginners may need to build up strength in their index finger by practicing strengthening it over time. Furthermore, this version of the chord is harder to play barre-style and it’s beneficial to strengthen both hands simultaneously.
D Minor (Dm)
D minor chord is a versatile component of many songs and a favorite among composers. This dark yet melancholic sounding chord works well across genres of music.
One effective way to learn this chord is to relate it to another shape you already know: for instance, open D major is on the left while open D minor can be found on its opposite end.
This version employs an index finger bar, allowing you to avoid playing the low E string (indicated with an “X” on the chord diagram) when strumming, thus helping prevent accidental hits on it while strumming.
E Minor (Em)
E minor chord is one of the most iconic in music. It’s straightforward and adds a note of melancholy to any track.
A standard open E minor chord shape requires only two fingers for formation. Your second finger must rest on the second fret of fifth string while third finger places on fourth string second fret of each string ringing chord shape should remain open and free ringing.
E minor is the key of brief sadness; its notes sigh and speak of pain but never descend into despair. As such, E minor has long been popular among both classical guitar composers and heavy metal guitarists!
F Minor (Fm)
F minor (Fm) chord is a standard feature of many songs, being both easy and enjoyable to play on an acoustic guitar. It may even help those newer to barre chords become familiar with them more quickly.
There are multiple ways to play this chord, with the most popular way being as a root 6 bar chord on the 1st fret and another way being an Am-shaped barre chord at 2nd fret for a lighter sound.
Add bass note to an Fm chord by playing the F natural minor scale – it has four flats and serves as the relative minor key of Ab Major.
G Minor (Gm)
G Minor Chord Notes The G minor chord, also known as B flat major’s relative minor, contains three notes – G, Bb, and D. While you can play this chord openly or barre three strings at third fret and strum open all low E and high D strings openly for optimal sound.
This simplified G minor chord is easier to learn, though its simplicity will come at the cost of fuller sound. As your fingers dexterity improves and barre chord skills grow stronger, you may eventually move up to playing fuller voicings such as those shown above.