Triads
A♯ major chord
Bright, stable and resolved — the foundation of most songs.
A♯ is the I chord in B♭ major, IV in F major and V in E♭ major. In minor keys: III in G minor, V in E♭ minor, VI in D minor and VII in C minor.
- Notes
- A♯C𝄪E♯
- Formula
- 135
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · perfect 5th
How to play A♯
About the A♯ major chord
Playing it
There’s no open-string way to play A♯ on guitar with the root in the bass, so the standard shape is a barre across the 1st fret (x13331).
On piano, A♯ has one black key (A♯) and two white keys.
On ukulele the usual A♯ shape is 3211, with a small 2-string barre at the 1st fret.
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 A♯m, add G♯ for A♯7, add G𝄪 for A♯maj7 and raise C𝄪 to D♯ for A♯sus4.
Where you’ll hear it
You’ll find A♯ in common progressions such as B♭–F–Gm–E♭ (the pop progression in B♭ major), B♭–E♭–F–E♭ (three-chord rock in B♭ major) and B♭–Gm–E♭–F (the ’50s progression in B♭ major).
Notice the C𝄪 in A♯ (A♯ C𝄪 E♯): each note of the chord takes its own letter (A–C–E), so the major 3rd has to be written C𝄪 rather than D — the same key on a piano, spelled to fit the chord.
