Banjo Am chord (Sawmill)A minor on the 5-string banjo: 2 2 0 2, and 5 more shapes

Am chord chart for 5-string banjo in Sawmill tuning: 2 2 0 2, open position, with the short 5th string marked
Am (A minor) on the 5-string banjo, Sawmill: 2 2 0 2, string 4 to string 1. Fingers are numbered on the dots; copper marks the root; the green ring on the left is the 5th string, solid when it’s in the chord.

Frets, string 4 to string 1: 2 2 0 2 (open position)

  1. String 4 (D): 2nd fret, index finger, E
  2. String 3 (G): 2nd fret, middle finger, A
  3. String 2 (C): open, C
  4. String 1 (D): 2nd fret, ring finger, E
  5. String 5, the short g: open, G, not in the chord

Sounds: E A C E  ·  Am is A, C, E (1 · ♭3 · 5)

Found in: G major (ii), C major (vi), G mixolydian (ii), D mixolydian (v), C mixolydian (vi), G dorian (ii)

The 5th string: the short g adds the ♭7 over Am, a colour rather than a clash.

Sawmill tuning: gDGCD, the short 5th string first, then strings 4 to 1.

Hear it in the app ›

The link can’t set the tuning: the app starts in open G. Choose Sawmill once in its Settings and it remembers.

More Am shapes

  1. 4fr3214gACEA7 5 4 7
    4fr
  2. 7fr132gAECA7 9 0 7
    7fr
  3. 9fr2113gCEAC10 9 9 10
    9fr
  4. 12fr2314gEACE14 14 12 14
    12fr
  5. 14fr123gEACE14 14 0 14
    14fr

Other A chords in Sawmill

AAmA7Am7Amaj7A6Asus4Asus2AdimAaug

Other minor chords

GmAmDmCmBmEmFmB♭mE♭mF♯mC♯mA♭m

Am in other tunings

Open GDouble COpen DC Tuning

All Sawmill banjo chords · Printable chart (PDF) · How to tune · The app