Chord · Am/C
Am/C Chord
Am/C is C, E and A — minor triad with the third in the bass.
Am/C on every instrument
The same 3 notes, 2 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What Am/C is made of
Am/C (A minor first inversion) is built from the notes C, E, A, with the interval pattern b3, 5, 1.
Stack b3, 5 and 1 on a root of A and you get C, E and A. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a minor first inversion chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why Cm/♭3 sounds like a transposed Am/C.
Minor (1st Inversion): Minor triad with the third in the bass.
Spelling: the notes above are written the way a score would write them, not simplified to the nearest piano key. Every tone here lands on its own letter — no accidentals needed.
Keys that contain Am/C
All 3 notes sit inside the scale of 6 keys. The roman numeral marks the degree the chord is rooted on.
Other chords on A
Same root, different colour.
The same minor first inversion shape, moved
The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.
Questions people ask about Am/C
- What notes are in the Am/C chord?
- Am/C is made of C, E and A — the b3, 5 and 1 degrees of a minor first inversion chord built on A.
- What keys use the Am/C chord?
- Every note of Am/C belongs to 6 keys: C Major (vi), F Major (iii), G Major (ii), A Minor (i), D Minor (v), E Minor (iv). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.
- How do you play Am/C on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Am/C on guitar and piano — 2 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
- Is Am/C the same as Am/b3?
- Yes. Am/C and Am/b3 are enharmonic — identical pitches written two different ways. Which spelling you use depends on the key you are in; Am/C is the spelling this site treats as canonical.
Learn the theory behind it
Why Am/C behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.