A guitar chord
A (A major) is built from A, C# and E, the degrees 1–3–5. On guitar, the main shape is x 0 2 2 2 0, the first diagram, marked with the star.
Remember the first chord you ever learned? It was probably one of these. A major is the sound of "we made it": the song lands on it and your shoulders drop on their own. Tap the player below and notice — nothing missing, nothing extra.
Hear A before you play
Why A sounds this way
Go back to the audio and catch the arpeggio note by note. There are only three: A, C# and E. The middle one is the one that matters. That's the major third, and it's what gives this chord its wide-open-day face — file that name away, because in a minute we'll move exactly that note and you'll hear the weather change.
How to play A on guitar
On the guitar, six strings give the chord room to breathe — some positions use them all, others ask you to mute the lowest ones. So start with the first position below — it uses 2 open strings, so the guitar does half the work for you — it's the main shape — that's why it carries the ⭐. Before you get discouraged for nothing: play the notes one by one before strumming. If one sounds muffled, a finger is touching the next string. Adjust, try again. Everyone goes through it; it doesn't last.
In the app: 28 A shapes on guitar
With the fingering and audio of each one, free. In the app, the arpeggio of each shape is part of Pro.
Precision Tuner: Get in tune before you play: chromatic tuner and reference tones, free in standard tuning · try it in Chord and Fret
The other positions are the same chord living on different floors of the neck. You don't need them today. But when a song asks for it higher and tighter, you'll know where it lives.
Left-handed? Mirror's right here
A notes and degrees
A stacks the root A, the major third C# and the perfect fifth E.
Where A shows up
So where does this chord show up in real life? Almost always as VI in C# minor, III in F# minor, VII in B minor. Don't memorize that — just notice that the same shape plays different roles in different songs, the way a word changes meaning with the sentence.
Transpose & Capo: Need it in another key? Transpose the progression for free; finding the best capo is part of Pro · see it in Chord and Fret
Identify Chord: Found a shape on your fretboard? Mark it on the screen and the app names the chord, 5 times a day for free · use it in Chord and Fret
Real songs pass through here: Rock · classic Mixolydian · Rock · blues frame · Reggae · major vamp · Forró · Brazilian Northeast vamp · Forró · simple I-IV-V · Blues · 12-bar blues
Where A usually goes
Treating A as the home chord (I) of its key, it tends to go toward the pre-dominant (Bm / D) or the dominant (E / G#°), and the dominant pulls back home. Typically, not a rule.
Going beyond A
When it's time to improvise over it, A Ionian (A B C# D E F# G# · 1 2 3 4 5 6 7: the plain major scale, where everything starts); A Lydian (A B C# D# E F# G# · 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7: the major scale with a raised fourth — one extra step of daydream) fit entirely. The swaps below are for when your ear gets bored of the obvious.
A Ionian
In the app: the 7 positions of A Ionian on guitar
With degree, note and finger labels on each one, free. Playing the whole scale is part of Pro.
The same A Ionian in its main shapes along the neck — pick whichever position sits under your hand. The rings mark the guide notes (the 3rd and 7th) that carry this chord's color.
Scale: The scale's positions across the neck, with degree, note and finger labels, free; playing the scale and the tempo-ramp exercise are part of Pro · open in Chord and Fret
Scales to improvise over A
To improvise over A as home, the A Ionian scale covers it whole: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want. And when the dominant (E) pulls back, the leading tone Ab is the note that wants to resolve home.
Swaps that work:
- F#m7F#m7F#m7F#m7 — Relative minor (vi) — same tonic function
- C#m7C#m7C#m7C#m7 — Mediant (iii) — tonic function
Reharmonize: Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize's Subtle and Medium levels are free; Bold and Jazz are part of Pro · open in Chord and Fret
One last test: play A and let it ring. Comfortable, right? Exactly. Now come see what happens when we add one note and take that comfort away: A7.
A chord questions
What notes are in the A chord?
The A chord is made of the notes A, C# and E.
How do you play A on guitar?
Form the shape from string 6 to string 1: x 0 2 2 2 0. “x” means that string does not sound. “0” means play it open. The shape starts at fret 2.
What chord comes after A?
Treating A as the home chord (I) of its key, it tends to go toward the pre-dominant (Bm / D) or the dominant (E / G#°), and the dominant pulls back home. Typically, not a rule.
What scale works over A?
To improvise over A as home, the A Ionian scale covers it whole: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want.