Guitar tuning

Open A Minor Tuning

E·A·E·A·C·E

Tonal centre A minor Also called Cross-note A, EAEACE Difficulty Easy — three strings up, none by much

Open on the Canvas → Explore chords in the app

Open A minor tunes the open strings to an A minor chord: E, A, E, A, C, E from low to high. From standard you raise the 4th string a whole step to E, the 3rd string a whole step to A, and the 2nd string a semitone to C — the 6th, 5th and 1st strings stay put.

Strummed open it is Am, and a barre at any fret is another minor chord. It is the minor counterpart to Open A, and a close cousin of Open E minor a fourth higher. The doubled E and A strings give it a strong drone, and because only three strings move — none of them far — it is one of the easier open minor tunings to reach and to leave.

How to tune to Open A Minor

From standard tuning:

6th (lowest) E — unchanged
5th A — unchanged
4th D → E (up a whole step)
3rd G → A (up a whole step)
2nd B → C (up a semitone)
1st (highest) E — unchanged

Open—Shape’s tuner listens for one string at a time and tells you which string it is and how far off — including in alternate tunings like this one.

What Open A Minor does well

A minor chord, open. The open strings are Am, so a minor key needs no fingers to get going; barre any fret for the next minor chord.
A doubled drone. Two E strings and two A strings ring as pedal tones under fretted notes and slides.
The cross-note move. Raise the C a semitone to C# for A major, and slide between the two for the cross-note bend.
A small retune. Three strings go up — two by a whole step, one by a semitone — so it is quick to reach and the neck barely notices.

Common chords in Open A Minor

Open A minor keeps the outer strings at standard pitch, so some shapes still read. The grid shows the easiest voicing the engine finds for each chord; tap to browse the rest.

Am x 0 0 0 0 0 1 of 958 → Am7 x 0 0 0 0 3 1 of 668 → Dm x 5 5 0 5 5 1 of 135 → Em 0 2 0 2 x 3 1 of 310 → E7 0 2 0 2 2 4 1 of 400 → C x 3 0 3 0 3 1 of 469 → F 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 of 449 → G 3 2 3 2 2 3 1 of 154 →

Numbers read low string to high; 0 is open, × is muted.

A progression to try

An Am–Dm–Em loop, the minor mirror of an Open A progression:

Am→Dm→Em→Am

Songs in Open A Minor

Blues and folk slide repertoire in a minor key
The minor counterpart to Open A, a fourth above Open E minor
Used for droning, open-string minor writing

Where you’ll hear it

Slide and fingerstyle players who want an open minor chord centred on A — the same circle that uses Open D minor and Open E minor. Less common than those two, but the retune is smaller.

Open a Open A Minor canvas — a tuning module already set, wired to a starter progression, every shape recalculated for you.

Open on the Canvas → Explore chords in the app

Open A Minor tuning FAQ

What are the notes in Open A minor tuning?

From lowest to highest: E, A, E, A, C, E. From standard, the 4th string goes up a whole step to E, the 3rd up a whole step to A, and the 2nd up a semitone to C. The 6th, 5th and 1st strings do not change.

How is Open A minor different from Open A?

Open A is a major chord open; Open A minor keeps the 2nd string at C rather than raising it to C#, so the open chord is minor. Barre chords follow — minor, not major.

Is Open A minor good for slide?

Yes — every fret barred straight across gives a minor chord, and the doubled strings drone under a slide. It is the cross-note minor tuning centred on A.

Does Open A minor strain the neck?

Only slightly — three strings go up, and none by more than a whole step, so the added tension is modest. Retune gradually.

Can I use a capo in Open A minor?

Yes — a capo raises the whole minor tuning to a higher key while keeping the shapes. Open—Shape recalculates every voicing for the capo position.

Related tunings

Open D Minor Open E Minor Open G Minor Open C Minor Open E Minor 7 Open A Minor 7 Open E7 Open G Major 7