The Key of A Major for Guitar
The key of A major has the notes A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯, 3 sharps (F♯ C♯ G♯), and its relative minor is F♯ minor.
- Chords
- A Bm C♯m D E F♯m G♯dim
- Main three
- A D E
- Key signature of A major
- 3 sharps (F♯ C♯ G♯)
Chords in the key
Chords in A major · moved from A major · · tap to hear1 home chord of the key
35 on the 3rd and 5th
2 other degrees
Now sounding
Key · Capo
Showing: A major (page key)No capo: you play A major shapes as written.
Fretboard · A major scale
Tap a dot to hear it; it lights amber while it sounds. Brightest dot = 1, the root (A). Lighter grey = 3 and 5. High e on top, frets 0 to 12, no capo. Swipe the board sideways for frets 7 to 12.
Progression · I–IV–V–I
Stopped. Four beats per chord, strum D D U D.
Chords in A major, with notes
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I | A | A C♯ E |
| ii | Bm | B D F♯ |
| iii | C♯m | C♯ E G♯ |
| IV | D | D F♯ A |
| V | E | E G♯ B |
| vi | F♯m | F♯ A C♯ |
| vii° | G♯dim | G♯ B D |
Seventh chords in A major
Add the next scale note a third above each triad and you get the four-note seventh chords of the key.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | Amaj7 | A C♯ E G♯ |
| ii7 | Bm7 | B D F♯ A |
| iii7 | C♯m7 | C♯ E G♯ B |
| IVmaj7 | Dmaj7 | D F♯ A C♯ |
| V7 | E7 | E G♯ B D |
| vi7 | F♯m7 | F♯ A C♯ E |
| viiø7 | G♯m7♭5 | G♯ B D F♯ |
Shapes for the 7th chords of A major: E7 chord.
Shapes and voicings for every chord: chord directory.
Why A major has 3 sharps (F♯ C♯ G♯)
Every major scale uses the same step pattern: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Start that pattern on A and the notes land on A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯, so the key needs F♯, C♯ and G♯. On one string a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret, up to the octave at fret 12.
A major scale in first position
Every note of A major in frets 0 to 4. Play one finger per fret: fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3, fret 4 = finger 4, open strings need no finger. Start on the lowest root, A on the 5th string, open, and play up string by string.
Tap a dot to hear it. High e on top; the brightest dot is the root.
Past fret 4: A major scale in every position up the neck, with play-along and a root drone. Pentatonic, blues and the modes work over these chords too: see all guitar scales.
Playing in A on guitar
In A major the open A, D and low E strings are the roots of the three main chords, A, D and E, so a blues or a rock and roll shuffle in A needs only open chords with open bass notes. Five of the six open strings are in the scale; only the open G string is out (the key has G♯).
Blues players usually turn all three into dominant sevenths: A7 (x 0 2 0 2 0), D7 (x x 0 2 1 2) and E7 (0 2 0 1 0 0). The G in A7 and the C in D7 are not in the A major scale; that clash is part of the blues sound.
The A chord puts three fingers side by side on fret 2. If they do not fit, lay one finger flat across the D, G and B strings at fret 2 and keep the high e open. Bm, C♯m and F♯m are barre chords, and G♯dim almost never appears in songs.
Common progressions in A major
| Degrees | Chords | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| I–IV–V–I | A D E A | A D E A: the 12-bar blues and rock and roll in A run on these three open chords, often as A7, D7 and E7. |
| I–V–vi–IV | A E F♯m D | A E F♯m D: the pop loop in A, with F♯m as the one barre (or x x 4 2 2 2 without it). |
| vi–IV–I–V | F♯m D A E | F♯m D A E: the same loop from the relative minor, for a minor-sounding verse in A. |
| I–vi–IV–V | A F♯m D E | A F♯m D E: the 1950s progression, with an open bass string (A, D, E) under every chord but F♯m. |
| ii–V–I | Bm E A A | Bm E A: a ii–V–I that resolves onto the open A string. |
Pick one in the player above and press Play to strum along, four beats per chord.
Capo and A major
Open A is the brightest way to play in A, but capo 2 with G shapes, capo 5 with E shapes and capo 7 with D shapes all sound in A too. G shapes at capo 2 are the easy choice when the song is a G-shape strummer moved up two frets.
| Capo | A shapes sound in |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | B♭ major |
| Fret 2 | B major |
| Fret 3 | C major |
| Fret 4 | D♭ major |
| Fret 5 | D major |
| Fret 6 | E♭ major |
| Fret 7 | E major |
Song in another key? Capo for A major songs: the capo fret and easier shapes, or any other key.
New to the capo? How to use a capo: where to clamp it and why the same shapes sound in a new key.
Relative minor: F♯ minor
F♯ minor uses the same seven notes, starting on F♯, the 6th note of the scale. Its chord is the vi in the row above. Songs often move between the two keys without changing a single chord shape.
Songs in A major
- Here Comes the Sun · The Beatles
- Three Little Birds · Bob Marley & The Wailers
Recorded in A. Play them with open A, D and E, or with capo 7 and D shapes.
Have a recording and no idea what key it is in? Find the key of a song from the audio file or by letting it listen; it also gives the chords to play and the easiest capo.
Related keys
- The key of F♯ minorrelative
- The key of A minorparallel
- The key of D majorcircle, one step left
- The key of E majorcircle, one step right
See how every key connects: interactive circle of fifths.
FAQ about A major
What chords are in the key of A major?
A, Bm, C♯m, D, E, F♯m and G♯dim. A (I), D (IV) and E (V) are the main three and all of them are open chords.
How many sharps are in A major?
Three: F♯, C♯ and G♯. G♯ is the leading note, one fret below the root A.
Why is A a common key for blues on guitar?
The roots of its I, IV and V chords, A, D and E, are open strings. The bass notes ring for free and the hand stays near the nut for riffs.
What is the relative minor of A major?
F♯ minor. It uses the same three sharps; a song in F♯ minor uses the same chords but resolves to F♯m.
Next steps in A major
- Progressions in A majorgenerate, hear and loop chord progressions in this key
- A major pentatonicfive notes for melodies and fills
- Open A (EAEAC♯E)the open strings ring an A chord
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along