Am/E Guitar Chord
Am/E is the second inversion of Am, built from E, A, C with E as the lowest sounding note. It contains the same pitches as Am. The slash notation specifies that E sounds in the bass instead of the root. It places the open low E string as the bass note under A minor, creating a resonant open-string voicing. It is used as a pedal-tone chord maintaining E in the bass, or as a smooth second-inversion passing chord where the E bass connects A minor to adjacent harmonies.
4 ways to play Am/E
Notes
Intervals
E (Bass Note), A (Chord Tone), C (Chord Tone)
Found in keys
Notes in the Am/E Chord
Am/E is the second inversion of Am. It contains 3 notes: E, A, C. These are the same pitches as Am, but with E as the lowest sounding note. Because the notes are identical to Am, Am/E carries the same harmonic colour. The distinction lies in the bass: changing which note sits lowest reshapes the voicing and enables smoother bass-line movement between chords.
What Does Am/E Mean?
In chord notation, a slash chord is written as Chord/Bass — the letter before the slash is the chord to play, and the letter after the slash is the specific note that should sound as the lowest pitch. For Am/E, this means: play Am with E in the bass.
Because E is the fifth of Am, Am/E is specifically called the second inversion of Am. An inversion does not change the notes in the chord. It only changes which note sits at the bottom, which affects how the chord sounds in context and how smoothly it connects to the chords around it.
Guitarists use slash chords primarily for smooth bass-line movement. Instead of the bass jumping from root to root between chords, a well-placed slash chord creates a stepwise (scale-like) bass line that makes a progression feel connected and natural. This technique is borrowed from classical voice leading and is used across every genre of modern music.
Keys That Contain Am/E
Am (the chord above the slash) is a diatonic chord in these keys. Am/E can be used in any context where Am naturally appears:
Common Uses of Am/E in Progressions
Am/E is most often used as a passing chord rather than an opening or closing chord. It appears between root-position chords to create a stepwise bass line:
Use our chords in a key tool to find all the chords that naturally appear alongside Am in any key.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Am/E mean?
Am/E is a slash chord — it means: play Am with E as the lowest note. The letter before the slash (Am) is the chord quality, and the letter after the slash (E) is the bass note. Am/E is the second inversion of Am.
Is Am/E the same as Am?
Am/E and Am contain exactly the same notes: E, A, C. The difference is which note sounds lowest. In Am, the root (A) is in the bass. In Am/E, E is in the bass instead. This creates a different voicing and a smoother bass line in progressions.
How do you play Am/E on guitar?
Place your fingers according to the chord diagram above. The goal is to ensure E sounds as the lowest note — on guitar this typically means either playing E on the lowest string used, or muting any lower strings that don't contribute to the voicing. The "X" symbols in the diagram show which strings to mute.
What key is Am/E in?
Am/E appears in the same keys as Am: C Major, G Major, F Major. It functions as an inversion of Am within those keys rather than as a separate chord — it shares the same harmonic function, just with a different bass note.
Other A Chords
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