Chords in the Key of A Major — Guitar Chord Chart

Guitar Chords in the Key of A Major

The key of A major has 3 sharps, and its seven chords are A, Bm, C♯m, D, E, F♯m, G♯dim. Start with A, D, E: they are the three a song in A major cannot do without. Every diagram below plays when you press it.

The seven chords of A major

One chord on each note of the scale, built from the scale’s own notes. Capital numerals are major chords, small ones minor, and ° is diminished.

IAx02220the home chord
iiBmx24432leads to V
iiiC♯mx46654a softer stand-in for I
IVDxx0232the step away from home
VE022100pulls back to I
viF♯m244222the relative minor
vii°G♯dim420104rare — a passing chord

The three to learn first

A is home — the chord the song starts from and ends on. D is the step away, and E is the one that pulls back home. On guitar they are x02220, xx0232 and 022100: A with three fingers, D with three fingers and E with three fingers.

Progressions in A major

The orders these chords are most often played in. Press play to hear each one strummed, a bar to a chord.

I – IV – VA – D – E

Three chords, and thousands of folk, blues, country and rock songs.

I – V – vi – IVA – E – F♯m – D

The four-chord pop progression.

I – vi – IV – VA – F♯m – D – E

The 1950s doo-wop turnaround.

ii – V – IBm – E7 – A

The jazz cadence: two steps toward home, then home.

The sevenths

Four-note versions of the same chords. E7 is the one worth learning first: it is E with one note added, and it pulls toward A harder than the plain chord does.

V7E7020100the dominant with its seventh — the strongest pull home
Imaj7Amaj7x02120home, softened
ii7Bm7x20202the jazz player’s way into V7

The scale behind the chords

A major is the notes A – B – C♯ – D – E – F♯ – G♯. Every chord above uses only those seven notes, which is why they sound as if they belong together — and why a melody in A major fits over any of them. Its relative minor is F♯ minor, which has the same notes and the same chords with a different home.

The nearest keys are a fifth either side: E major and D major. Each shares six of this key’s seven notes, which is why songs change key to them so often.

Frequently asked questions

What chords are in the key of A major?

A (I), Bm (ii), C♯m (iii), D (IV), E (V), F♯m (vi), G♯dim (vii°). They are the seven chords you get by stacking thirds on each note of the A major scale — A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G♯ — using only notes of that scale.

What are the three main chords in A major?

A, D and E — the chords on the first, fourth and fifth notes of the scale. A is home, D moves away from it and E pulls back. A great many songs use only these three.

What is the relative minor of A major?

F♯ minor. The two keys share all seven notes and all seven chords, in a different order: what is vi in A major is the home chord of F♯ minor. A song can move between them without any chord sounding out of place.

Is A major an easy key on guitar?

3 of its six everyday chords — Bm, C♯m and F♯m — need a barre or four fingers on guitar.

Strum them yourself

The playable guitar puts the chords of a key in a row: tap one to hold it, and drag across the strings.

Play the Virtual Guitar