A Major Seventh Sharp Fifth Guitar Chord Charts & Variations
A major seventh sharp five (written Amaj7#5) takes its name from its interval stack, the root, major third, raised fifth and major seventh, which gives the notes A, C#, E# and G#.
The stack runs major third, major third, minor third, so it is an augmented triad with one minor third on top. The A Ionian #5 scale contains all four chord tones, which makes it a reliable scale for soloing over Amaj7#5. The logic of stacking thirds is explained in how chords are built. Notes such as E# are written that way to keep one letter name per chord tone, even though they sound like simpler notes.
Compared with a plain major seventh chord, only the fifth changes: it is raised by a semitone.
A major 7th with sharp 5th guitar chord is also written as Amaj7(#5), Amaj7#5, AM7(#5) or AΔ7(#5).
Notes of the A maj7(#5) chord:
Chord structure of the Major Seventh Sharp Fifth chord:
Formula: 1 3 #5 7
A Maj7(#5) Chord Interactive Fretboard
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Play This Chord With Other Roots
C maj7(#5) | D maj7(#5) | E maj7(#5) | F maj7(#5) | G maj7(#5) | A maj7(#5) | B maj7(#5) | C#maj7(#5) | D#maj7(#5) | F#maj7(#5) | G#maj7(#5) | A#maj7(#5) | Abmaj7(#5) | Bbmaj7(#5) | Dbmaj7(#5) | Ebmaj7(#5) | Gbmaj7(#5)
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
FAQ
How is Amaj7#5 spelled?
Amaj7#5 is spelled A, C#, E# and G#. That is a root, a major third, a raised fifth and a major seventh. The E# sounds like F but is spelled as a raised fifth.
Why is A major seventh sharp five spelled with E#?
The perfect fifth of A is E, and the sharp five raises it to E#. It sounds like F, but the letter E is kept so that the fifth is named correctly.
Which scale fits Amaj7#5?
The A Lydian Augmented Scale (A, B, C#, D#, E#, F#, G#) contains all four chord notes. They are its 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th degrees.
What kind of triad sits inside Amaj7#5?
A, C# and E# form an augmented triad, two major thirds stacked. The G# on top is a major seventh, and it sits a semitone short of the octave A.
