What A major is built from
Counting up in semitones from A:
| Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|
| A | root | 0 |
| C♯ | major third | 4 |
| E | perfect fifth | 7 |
Move all three of those the same distance and you get the same chord on another root — that is what the major triad formula 0 – 4 – 7 means.
How to play A major
Leave the low E string out. The A and top E strings ring open. Nothing is higher than fret 2, so it sits in first position.
All four strings are played. The E and A strings ring open. Nothing is higher than fret 2, so it sits in first position.
Play A, C♯ and E together. That is two white keys and one black.
Numbers in the grids are frets. Where a number is printed beside a grid, that is the fret the top row stands for; otherwise the thick bar at the top is the nut. A circle above a string means play it open, a cross means leave it out.
Guitar, string by string
| Guitar string | Stopped at | Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| low E | not played | — |
| A | open | A |
| D | fret 2 | E |
| G | fret 2 | A |
| B | fret 2 | C♯ |
| top E | open | E |
Ukulele, string by string
| Ukulele string | Stopped at | Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| G | fret 2 | A |
| C | fret 1 | C♯ |
| E | open | E |
| A | open | A |
A major on the stave
The same three notes written on a treble stave, spelled the way a major triad is spelled — one letter for every other step, with whichever accidental reaches the pitch. That is why it reads A, C♯ and E, and not the same sounds written some other way.
Which keys A major belongs to
| Key | Relative minor | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| D major | B minor | V |
| E major | C♯ minor | IV |
| A major | F♯ minor | I |
Each row is a key whose scale contains every note of A major. A major key and its relative minor use the same seven notes, so the chord belongs to both.
Chords that sit next to A major
The seven triads built on the scale of A major. These are the chords A major is most often played alongside, because they are made from the same seven notes. The small numeral is the degree each one stands on.
Other chords on A
Same root, different notes above it.
A minor is its parallel: same root, same fifth, and only the third between them.
Chords straight off a recording
Upload a track and the studio marks its chords, key and tempo against the beat, with these same shapes and the stave underneath.
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