Guitar chord Amaj - diagrams and theory
Welcome to our tutorial on the A Major (A maj) chord, a fundamental chord belonging to the Major Chords family. This chord is composed of the notes A, C#, and E, and is built using the intervals 1, 3, and 5.
The A maj chord is a beautiful, uplifting chord that's a staple in many genres of music. It's built from the root note (1), the major third (3), and the perfect fifth (5). If you're new to the concept of musical intervals, we recommend checking out our tutorial about fretboard intervals and our tutorial on how to build chords by stacking intervals.
Understanding the intervals that make up the A maj chord and how they relate to each other on the fretboard is key to mastering this chord. This knowledge will also help you understand how to denote chords depending on the intervals that compose it, a topic we cover in our tutorial on chord notation.
In this tutorial, we will provide detailed chord diagrams and fretboard patterns to show you exactly how to play the A maj chord. If you're interested in exploring more advanced chords, our intermediate guitar chord tutorial can help you expand your chord vocabulary.
Mastering the A maj chord will open up a world of musical possibilities. It's a key component in many common chord progressions, and understanding how to play it will greatly enhance your ability to create songs and play along with your favorite music.
Ready to dive in? Let's start exploring the A maj chord!
Notes in the A maj chord:
AC#E
Chord formula for the Major chord:
How To Play The A Major chord on guitar
Chord boxes are sorted from the easiest to the hardest. Learn how to read chord diagrams.
If you have difficulties with bar chord shapes, check the Bar Chords Tips tutorial.
You can also use this accessible chords page with written diagrams instruction.
Position 1
Movable
Position 2
Open
Position 3
Movable
Position 4
Movable
Position 5
Movable
Position 6
Movable
Position 7
Open
Position 8
Open
Position 9
Open
Position 10
Open
Position 11
BarreOpen
Position 12
BarreMovable
Position 13
BarreOpen
Position 14
BarreOpen
Position 15
BarreMovable
Position 16
BarreMovable
Position 17
BarreMovable
Position 18
BarreMovable
You can find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you prefer a printable pdf, download
the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf
Play This Chord With Other Roots
C maj | D maj | E maj | F maj | G maj | A maj | B maj | C#maj | D#maj | F#maj | G#maj | A#maj | Abmaj | Bbmaj | Dbmaj | Ebmaj | Gbmaj
Create your A maj chord shapes
You can create any fingering you like on any part of the fretboard, just play some of the chord tones shown in the map below.