A Major Chord on Guitar
A A C♯ E 2 shapes Open chord
Chord diagrams
How to play A Major on guitar
The A Major chord (A) is made of A, C♯, E - 1 3 5. On a guitar in standard tuning the easiest way to play it is the open shape x02220, with no barre. Below are 2 shapes in all, from the lowest on the neck to the highest; the same chord sounds brighter the higher you play it.
E-shape barre, fret 5 577655
Strings from the low E (left) to the high E (right). Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little. x = do not play the string, o = open string, a bar = one finger across several strings.
Notes
What notes are in A Major?
The A Major chord has 3 different notes: A, C♯, E. Root, major third (4 half steps up), perfect fifth (7). A guitar chord rarely has as many strings as notes, so shapes double some of them: the e-shape barre, fret 5 sounds all six strings.
| Note | Interval from the root | Half steps |
|---|---|---|
| A | Root | 0 |
| C♯ | Major 3rd | 4 |
| E | Perfect 5th | 7 |
Chords that go with it
Chords in the key of A major
The seven chords built on the A major scale, with the easiest shape of each. I, IV and V are the three major chords that carry most songs in this key; vi is its relative minor.
A progression to strum
- I - V - vi - IVA - E - F♯m - D
Songs
Songs with the A chord
Easy songs on this site that use A, with the chords over the lyrics and a guitar that plays along.
Questions
Frequently asked
How do you play A on guitar?
The open shape x02220: D string fret 2 (finger 1), G string fret 2 (finger 2), B string fret 2 (finger 3); let A and high E ring open, do not play low E.
What notes are in the A Major chord?
The A Major chord (A) is made of A, C♯, E. Its formula is 1 3 5. On the guitar, some of those notes are played twice on different strings.
Is there a barre version of A?
Yes: e-shape barre, fret 5 (577655). Barre shapes have no open strings, so you can cut the sound short with your fretting hand.
Keep playing
Strum A, then build a song around it
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