Guitar chord vocab: A minor variations

A minor

Everybody knows good ol’ A minor, but why not spice it up with a handful of inversions to add some interest? Remember, he who knows chords, knows life…

Am7(6)

This tight-sounding little Am7 works well for funk.

If the musical context allows, you can move the G down to F#, giving Am6. Why not alternate between the two?

Amadd9

Alternatively, two of the notes in the A minor chord (A and E) can be played as open strings.Add the ninth (B) and you have this chord, as found in the Metallica song Call Of Ktulu.

Amadd9add11

Similar to the last chord, this one has been used by Allan Holdsworth. It has three stacked fifths, giving an open sound.