Triads
A major chord
Bright, stable and resolved — the foundation of most songs.
A is the I chord in A major, IV in E major and V in D major. In minor keys: III in F♯ minor, V in D minor, VI in C♯ minor and VII in B minor.
- Notes
- AC♯E
- Formula
- 135
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · perfect 5th
How to play A
About the A major chord
A major is one of the brightest-sounding open chords on guitar and a very common key for rock, country and blues. On piano it has three sharps, with C♯ as its 3rd.
Playing it
On guitar, A has an open-position shape, x02220, using three fingers alongside the open strings. Don’t strum the low E string.
On piano, A has one black key (C♯) and two white keys.
On ukulele the usual A shape is 2100, using two fingers.
Related chords
A shares two of its three notes with F♯m (A and C♯), its relative minor, and with C♯m (C♯ and E). That overlap is why these chords sound so natural next to each other — and why they can often stand in for one another.
Move a single note and A becomes a different chord: lower C♯ to C for Am, add G for A7, add G♯ for Amaj7 and raise C♯ to D for Asus4.
