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Easy Minor Chord Shapes everyone should learn on Guitar (simple, easy and fun)

By Mike Hayes | May 31, 2010

Learning minor chords on guitar can be quite a difficult task as
many of the chord shapes are presented as bar chords and for the
beginner guitarist bar chords can be physically challenging;
other minor chords shapes often involve large stretches so where
do we start with minor chords?

The best place to start learning minor chords is actually right
under our musical nose (or fingers), why not convert the major
chords that you already know into minor chords that way we will
be learning our new chords in a connected manner not as random
new shapes that will be difficult to recall quickly.

In earlier articles I presented a number of ways to play easy
major chords today I’ll convert these major shapes into easy
minor chord shapes.

Let’s begin today’s discussion with the standard “Am” chord
shape.

The notes in the “Am” chord are A-C-E

Am
–0—
–1—
–2—
–2—
–0—
–x—

Here is a simple shape that you can play on the first three
strings.

Am
–5—
–5—
–5—
–x—
–x—
–x—

The “Am” chord is pretty easy to play the main thing to watch
here is to remember to play this chord is a five string chord,
most chord books present “Am” as a six string chord, if you
already play this chord as a six string chord I encourage you to
try playing “Am” as I have presented it here and you will
immediately hear the chord with a new clarity and definition.

The next chord to learn is “Bm”; this is a chord that is usually
presented as a bar chord, let’s look for some alternatives.

The notes in the “Bm” chord are B-D-F#

Bm (three string shape)

–2—
–3—
–4—
–x—
–x—
–x—

Bm (four string shape)

–2—
–3—
–4—
–4—
–x—
–x—

A three string version played higher up the guitar fretboard
would look like this

Bm
–7—
–7—
–7—
–x—
–x—
–x—

Now for a Bm7, this chord is often substituted for the standard
“Bm”

Bm7

–2—
–0—
–2—
–0—
–x—
–x—

Let’s take a look at “Cm”

The notes in the “Cm” chord are C-Eb-G

Cm (three string shape)

–3—
–4—
–5—
–x—
–x—
–x—

Cm (four string shape)

–3—
–4—
–5—
–5—
–x—
–x—

Cm
–8—
–8—
–8—
–x—
–x—
–x—

A very popular minor chord that pops up regularly in heaps of
songs is “Em” since this chord is not very difficult to play I
thought I’d offer a few other options for you to try.

The notes in the “Em” chord are E-G-B

Em (very easy version)

–0—
–0—
–0—
–x—
–x—
–x—

Em (standard shape)

–0—
–0—
–0—
–2—
–2—
–0—

“Em7″ is often used as a substitute for “Em” let’s try a couple
and see what you think.

Em7

–0—
–0—
–0—
–0—
–2—
–0—

Em7

–0—
–3—
–0—
–0—
–2—
–0—

Em7

–3—
–3—
–0—
–2—
–2—
–0—

A great way to learn and appreciate the sound of minor chords is
to play then after a major chord of the same name then go back
and play the major chord again to finish the sequence. Like this
E major => Em => E major

Strum each chord once and let the chord ring for four
beats, paying close attention to how very chord sounds on your
guitar.

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