A Major guitar chord
The standard grips this chord is usually shown with.
- Tap a note to hear it
- Arrows change position
- Fingers, notes or intervals
- Play the chord
About A — 2nd inversion
A is A, C# and E.
It sounds plain and completely at rest. The reference every other chord on this page is a modification of.
A notes and formula
| A | C# | E |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 5 |
Tonic — the chord a progression stops on.
Also written Amaj, AM or A major. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.
How to play A
A in 2nd inversion puts E in the bass instead of A, the 5th of the chord. The notes are the same; what changes is what the bass line does, which is most of why you would reach for it — it lets the lowest voice move by step where the root would have jumped.
One of A’s 9 common shapes does this: xx2225.
Start with x-0-7-9-10-9 — no barre and 1 open string. 2 of the 9 shapes here sit in open position. 6 of the 9 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 2nd fret to the 14th.
| Frets | Where | Bass | Top | Hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| x02220 | open position | A, root position | E | barred |
| x02225 | open position | A, root position | A | barred |
| 542225 | 2nd fret | A, root position | A | barred |
| xx2225 | 2nd fret | E, 2nd inversion | A | barred |
| 577655 | 5th fret | A, root position | A | barred |
| x-0-7-9-10-9 | 7th fret | A, root position | C# | 1 open string |
| x-x-7-9-10-9 | 7th fret | A, root position | C# | all fretted |
| x-12-11-9-10-9 | 9th fret | A, root position | C# | all fretted |
| x-12-14-14-14-12 | 12th fret | A, root position | E | barred |
The same notes rebuilt from scratch give 48 triad and 1 open string voicings, each on its own page.
How to use A
How you get to it. The turn that lands on A is Bm7 to E7 — the ii and the V of A — and E7 shares its third and seventh with Bm7, so the hand barely moves between them.
In which keys. Every note of A belongs to C# minor (the ♭VI), D major (the V), E major (the IV), F# minor (the ♭III), A major (the I) and B minor (the ♭VII).
What to play over A
Every note of A is in A major pentatonic, A major, A lydian, A mixolydian and A lydian dominant.
Chords near A
Change one note of A and you have Am (the major third becomes a minor third), Asus2 (the major third becomes a ninth), Asus4 (the major third becomes a fourth), Amaj7 (add the major seventh), Aadd9 (add the ninth) or A5 (drop the major third).
A is a major chord — root, major third, fifth. Major chords on every root.
On A’s sound and use this page follows Edward Aldwell & Carl Schachter, Harmony and Voice Leading (Schirmer / Cengage, 4th ed., 2011). The shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.