Which notes are in the A chord?

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

How many ways can you play A?

Minory lists 3 guitar fingerings for A, 2 of which are barre shapes. They all produce the same chord — what changes is the voicing and where it sits on the neck.

Is the A chord hard to play?

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

A major · Guitar

A Chord on Guitar

The A chord (A major) is built from the notes A, C# and E. 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 2 — ring finger
string 2 (B): fret 2 — little finger
string 1 (E): played open

Position 2barre shape · starts at fret 5

Fingering

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

Position 3barre shape · starts at fret 9

Fingering

string 6 (E): muted
string 5 (A): fret 12 — little finger
string 4 (D): fret 11 — ring finger
string 3 (G): fret 9 — index finger
string 2 (B): fret 10 — middle finger
string 1 (E): fret 9 — index finger

Notes in this chord

A
C♯
E

Degrees: 1 – 3 – 5

How to play

A has 1 open position and 2 barre shapes. 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 chords sound bright and settled. They are built from a root, a major third and a perfect fifth, and they carry most of the resolution points in pop, rock and folk. On A this structure sits on the root A, so the degrees 1 – 3 – 5 map onto A, C# and E. A is the I chord in the key of A major, the V chord in E major and the IV chord in D major. Its relative minor is F#m, which shares the same set of notes. The most common progression it appears in is A – F#m – D – E.

Frequently asked questions

Which notes are in the A chord?: A contains the notes A, C# and E. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – 3 – 5.
How many ways can you play A?: Minory lists 3 guitar fingerings for A, 2 of which are barre shapes. They all produce the same chord — what changes is the voicing and where it sits on the neck.
Is the A chord hard to play?: Not really. The open position of A uses open strings and needs no barre, which makes it approachable for beginners.

Practise A on your phone

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