Minor Chords Guitar Lesson
Minor Chords
Now that you have an understanding of the basic major chords, it is important to explore other chord types. This lesson is all about the minor chords.
Taught by David Anthony in Basic Guitar with David Anthony seriesLength: 30:05Difficulty: 2.0 of 5
When playing Am, all strings should be strummed with the exception of the low E string. This technique might seem quite difficult at first for beginners. First, practice strumming the chord slowly using all downstrokes. Once you feel comfortable dodging the 6th string, practice strumming the chord using upward strums.
Whenever you learn a new chord, it is a good idea to isolate the functions of each of your hands. To practice the left hand fingering of the Am chord, begin by fretting an individual note within the chord. Start with the note “C” on the 1st fret of the B string. Make sure you are playing that note clearly. Now, play the open E string. Make sure your wrist is arched and your knuckles are bent. This will prevent you from accidentally muting the high E string. Finally, place your 2nd and third fingers on the D and G strings at the 2nd fret. Play each note of the chord individually to ensure that there are no muted strings. Chapter 3: (3:20) B Minor Chord The easiest way to play a Bm chord is to start with a basic power chord shape. Your first finger will fret the 2nd fret of the A string. Then, use your third and fourth fingers to fret the notes on the D and G strings. This forms a basic B5 power chord. Once you have mastered this, you are ready for the full minor version. Simply add your second finger to the 3rd fret of the B string. This note, D, gives the chord its characteristic minor sound. If it were raised a half step, a B major chord would be formed.
Keep in mind that there are many different ways to play a Bm chord. This is the easiest way, so learn it first! Chapter 4: (3:46) C Minor Chord Once you have learned the Bm chord, you can just as easily play Cm! This chord shape is a moveable pattern. By sliding the fingering up and down the neck, different minor chords are formed. The note that is played by the first finger on the 5th string determines the name of the chord. For example in a Bm chord, the first finger plays the note “B” on the 5th string. This note is called the “root” of the chord, and determines its letter name. Chapter 5: (3:33) D Minor Chord Dm brings us back to open chords, or chords that involve one or more open strings. In the case of Dm, the D string will be played open. Make sure that you skip over the low E and A strings when strumming this chord!
The left hand fingering of this chord can be difficult for many beginners. It requires a large stretch between the first and third fingers. Playing simple finger exercises can help reach development immensely. Chapter 6: (3:40) E Minor Chord Out of all the open chords, Em is definitely the easiest to play. This is due to the fact that your left hand only has to fret two strings, and your right hand strums all six strings. This eliminates the number of details that you must focus on. The most important thing to pay attention to is the open G string. Make sure your left hand wrist is arched so you’re third finger doesn’t mute the G string. The G is the most important note, because it gives the chord its minor quality. Chapter 7: (3:37) F Minor Chord Fm is an example of what is called a “barre” chord. When a single left hand finger frets more than one string, a barre chord is formed. In the case of Fm, the first finger performs the barre. Lay your first finger across the treble strings at the first fret. Make sure that even pressure is distributed across these three notes. Then, play each of these three strings individually to make sure that none of them are muted. Now here comes the tricky part! Once you’ve got the barre down, stretch your third finger over to the third fret of the D string. This is the chord’s root, “F”. Make sure the barre doesn’t move at all when you do this. Otherwise, the whole chord will fall apart. Chapter 8: (2:39) G Minor Chord Like Bm, the Fm chord is another example of a moveable chord shape. If you slide the Fm pattern up two frets, you get the Gm chord. Chapter 9: (2:42) Final Thoughts There are many different ways to play a single chord. This lesson presents the most basic way to play the seven minor chords. From this point, more difficult chord voicings must be learned. Most of these chord shapes involve more complicated barres that span five or six strings. Don’t forget these basic chords though! You will need them for the rest of your guitar career.
Supplemental Learning Material
Basic Guitar with David Anthony
Found in our Beginner Lesson SetsDavid Anthony is an acoustic guitar aficionado. In this series you will learn basic concepts that are essential to playing any style of guitar music.
About David Anthony
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David Anthony was born on November 9th, 1982, in the small town of Mount Hope, NY. As a child he absorbed the church flavored musical environment that his parents provided. With this influence he realized at a young age that music would not simply be a passive experience for him. It was not until the age of 15 that he decided to string up his first guitar. Relying solely on his father for his foundational chord knowledge, he quickly became enamored with the possibility of endless melodic structures, and the goal of becoming a fantastic player himself.
His early shredder influences came from Kirk Hammet of Metallica. During his first few years of guitar playing, he developed a very workable knowledge of pentatonic, major and minor scales.
Over the years his musical interests swayed from rock to standards, from jazz to classical, and a strong love of the art of flamenco guitar; Spanish finger style. It was not until the age of 18
that he decided to surround himself entirely with the music of Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. This influential exclusivity enabled him to learn more about thinking outside of the musical box. In
one year he had learned than in the prior 3 years. Picking up multiple ways to structure melodies, create chords and use different modes, his writing and improvisational abilities grew exponentially.
In his senior year of high school, he was responsible for the development of the first Musical Appreciation class in the schools history, and had aided the instructor in the teaching of those classes.
After high school, his focus started to rest mainly in writing. With this he realized that he would need additional, abstract influences to develop a unique style of writing. After a couple more
years of playing in a small band, and writing some decent material, he greeted 2004 with a move to Nashville, TN. There he found the exact influence that would change his opinion of the guitar forever.
Attempting to weed out a strong foundation in shredding and solo techniques, he began learning finger style guitar, and quickly realized the options that his door would open for him.
As he picked up more complex chord structures and jazz scales, his style became a passion for him that continues to drive him and push him to learn more. He feels strongly about the connection
between musical input and the music you write. He notes that his subconscious pool of influence, developed from the music he listens to, is almost directly responsible for the type of music that
he writes. He adamantly believes that in order to create a unique, soulful style, the pool must remain unpolluted by substandard music. What's that mean? As David puts it, "If you don't want to play
crap, don't listen to crap."
David currently teaches Jazz guitar in Fort Collins, Colorado, with plans to move back to Nashville in the spring to pursue a career in writing.
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.Jeff, Thanks for the minor lesson, although I feel like my fingers are strong enough, I"m still having issues with the barre cords. I bought one of those tools to give each each finger more power. I use it a lot, I guess I'm just not there yet. Time will tell.
hes gay
On the Gm chord, why isn't the root of the chord a G? Or am I looking at it wrong? I can't seem to understand it, Ive got all the basic major and minor cords down, but if Im not mistaken isn't the root of the chord usually the first note in the chord?
gay
i think onebob forgot to tell you that the a major is a,e and c sharp# so if you drop c# down one half step you get the a minor.just thought it should read correctly.
Hi, Can you please explain what makes a Minor chord? I understand for example that for Am you take the 2nd fret on the 2nd string (this is the difference between Major A and Am) and set it back a half a tone.But how do you make this rule with the other chords?Is there a special chord that you always set a half a tone back to get the minor chord? thanks, -ldanny
Any major cord is the 1st, 3rd, and 5th note of that scale. An A major cord is the notes A, C, and E. A C cord is C, E, and G. To make a minor cord the first note is flated.
My mistake. after reading my response I saw my mistake. It is the second note that is flated
i want david back but i under stand this lesson very much and this lesson is so easy t olearn
Thanks Jeff - you are good in front of the camera. I thought this lesson was very clear. Shame I can't do the barre chords yet but I will perservere
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