Which notes are in the Amaj7 chord?

Amaj7 contains the notes A, C#, E and G#. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – 3 – 5 – 7.

How many ways can you play Amaj7?

Minory lists 3 guitar fingerings for Amaj7, 1 of which is a barre shape. They all produce the same chord — what changes is the voicing and where it sits on the neck.

Is the Amaj7 chord hard to play?

Not really. The open position of Amaj7 uses open strings and needs no barre, which makes it approachable for beginners.

A major 7th · Guitar

Amaj7 Chord on Guitar

The Amaj7 chord (A major 7th) is built from the notes A, C#, E and G#. 3 different guitar fingerings for it are shown below.

Chord diagrams

Position 1open position

Fingering

string 6 (E): muted
string 5 (A): played open
string 4 (D): fret 2 — middle finger
string 3 (G): fret 1 — index finger
string 2 (B): fret 2 — ring finger
string 1 (E): played open

Position 2starts at fret 4

Fingering

string 6 (E): muted
string 5 (A): muted
string 4 (D): fret 7 — little finger
string 3 (G): fret 6 — ring finger
string 2 (B): fret 5 — middle finger
string 1 (E): fret 4 — index finger

Position 3barre shape · starts at fret 5

Fingering

string 6 (E): fret 5 — index finger
string 5 (A): fret 7 — little finger
string 4 (D): fret 6 — middle finger
string 3 (G): fret 6 — ring finger
string 2 (B): fret 5 — index finger
string 1 (E): fret 5 — index finger

Notes in this chord

A
C♯
E
G♯

Degrees: 1 – 3 – 5 – 7

How to play

Amaj7 has 1 open position and 1 barre shape. Start with the open voicing if you are new to it; the barre shapes exist to move the same chord further up the neck without changing the key.

Theory behind the chord

Major seventh chords keep the bright major triad but add the leading tone a semitone below the root. The result is the soft, floating sound heard throughout bossa nova, soul and neo-soul. On Amaj7 this structure sits on the root A, so the degrees 1 – 3 – 5 – 7 map onto A, C#, E and G#.

Frequently asked questions

Which notes are in the Amaj7 chord?: Amaj7 contains the notes A, C#, E and G#. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – 3 – 5 – 7.
How many ways can you play Amaj7?: Minory lists 3 guitar fingerings for Amaj7, 1 of which is a barre shape. They all produce the same chord — what changes is the voicing and where it sits on the neck.
Is the Amaj7 chord hard to play?: Not really. The open position of Amaj7 uses open strings and needs no barre, which makes it approachable for beginners.

Practise Amaj7 on your phone

Minory bundles the full chord library with a tuner, metronome and repertoire notebook — and it all works offline.