A guitar chord

A major · Amaj · AM

The A guitar chord is played x02220 in open position. Its notes are A, C# and E.

A open chord (x02220)

Fingering: x02220
Fingers: – – 1 2 3 –
Difficulty: Easy
Position: open position

A open chord (x02225)

Fingering: x02225
Fingers: – – 1 1 1 4
Difficulty: Medium
Position: open position

A barre chord, 5th fret (577655)

Fingering: 577655
Fingers: 1 3 4 2 1 1
Difficulty: Hard
Position: barre chord, 5th fret

A chord at the 7th fret (x-0-7-9-10-9)

Fingering: x-0-7-9-10-9
Fingers: – – 1 2 4 3
Difficulty: Medium
Position: 7th fret

PNG PDF

Notes in the A major chord

The A chord is made of A · C♯ · E. Its formula is 1–3–5.

Note	Degree	Interval from A
A	1	root
C♯	3	major third
E	5	perfect fifth

How to play the A guitar chord

First, second and third fingers on the 2nd fret of the D, G and B strings. The A and high E strings ring open.

Strum from the A string. Three fingers share one fret, so angle them in a slight diagonal. Some players use fingers two, three and four, or lay one finger flat across all three strings.

Why your A chord buzzes or sounds muted

The finger on the B string usually ends up furthest from the fret wire and buzzes. Push the whole group toward the wire.

That same finger also tends to mute the open high E string. The chord survives without it, but it sounds brighter with it.

A barre chord

A has 1 barre shape here: 577655 (barre at the 5th fret).

A barre shape has no open strings, so it moves. Slide it up one fret and you are playing A# (Bb).

A open chord

The open A chord is x02220 and x02225. The first one uses the open A and high E strings, which is why it rings longer than the shapes higher up the neck.

Songs that use A

Stand by Me (Ben E. King): A F#m D E
Hotel California (Eagles): Bm F# A E G D Em
Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival): D A G
Three Little Birds (Bob Marley): A D E
Hey Joe (Jimi Hendrix): C G D A E
Sultans of Swing (Dire Straits): Dm C Bb A F
Wicked Game (Chris Isaak): Bm A E
Hey There Delilah (Plain White T's): D F#m Bm G A
(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding): G B C A E
Under the Bridge (Red Hot Chili Peppers): E B C#m G#m A
Wild Thing (The Troggs): A D E
With or Without You (U2): D A Bm G
Take Me Home, Country Roads (John Denver): A F#m E D
Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash): E A B7

Chord names only, as the songs are usually charted for guitar. Recordings may use a capo or another key.

Keys with the A chord

A is the V chord in D major, IV chord in E major and I chord in A major. In minor keys it is the VII chord in B minor, VI chord in C# minor and III chord in F# minor.

All major guitar chords

Every A chord on guitar

A guitar chord questions

How do you play an A chord on guitar?

Play x02220, reading from the low E string to the high E string. An x means the string is not played and a 0 means it rings open. The fingers used are - - 1 2 3 -.

What notes are in the A chord?

The A major chord has 3 notes: A, C# and E. Its formula is 1–3–5, counted from the A major scale.

What keys is the A chord in?