A chords on guitar

About the A chords on guitar

The home chord of this page is A major (A–C♯–E). Every other chord here starts on the same root and changes or adds notes; the relative minor key of A major is F sharp minor.

A appears in D major (V), A major (I), E major (IV), D minor (V).

Triads are three-note chords, the backbone of most songs. The A triads are A (A–C♯–E), Am (A–C–E), A5 (A–E), Adim (A–C–E♭), Aaug (A–C♯–E♯).

Seventh chords add a fourth note, a seventh above the root, for a richer or more tense sound: A7 (A–C♯–E–G), Amaj7 (A–C♯–E–G♯), Am7 (A–C–E–G), Adim7 (A–C–E♭–G♭), Am7♭5 (A–C–E♭–G), Am(maj7) (A–C–E–G♯), Aaug7 (A–C♯–E♯–G).

Extended and added-note chords stack a sixth, ninth, eleventh or thirteenth on top. On A: Aadd9 (A–C♯–E–B), Am(add9) (A–C–E–B), A6 (A–C♯–E–F♯), Am6 (A–C–E–F♯), A9 (A–C♯–E–G–B), Am9 (A–C–E–G–B), Amaj9 (A–C♯–E–G♯–B), A11 (A–C♯–E–G–B–D), A13 (A–C♯–E–G–B–F♯), A7♯9 (A–C♯–E–G–B♯), A7♭9 (A–C♯–E–G–B♭), A6/9 (A–C♯–E–F♯–B), Aadd11 (A–C♯–E–D).

Suspended chords replace the third with a second or fourth, so they sound open and unresolved: Asus2 (A–B–E), Asus4 (A–D–E), A7sus4 (A–D–E–G), A9sus4 (A–D–E–G–B).

On guitar, many A chords can be played as an open shape or as a barre chord higher up the neck. The diagrams show the most comfortable shape; each chord page has several more, a capo option and strumming patterns.

Chords marked "diagram only" are less common and do not have their own page yet; the diagram and the notes above are all you need to play them.