A Piano Chord: Notes & How To Play It
The A piano chord is a great one to learn and have under your belt. You need to play this chord in the keys of D, A, E and more.
Here you'll learn the notes of the A major chord, the A chord diagram, fingering, inversions, how to play it and more!
The A Chord
If you see an A chord, it means to play the notes A C# and E.
You can play these in any order but I'd recommend keeping A as the lowest note in the left hand.
How to Play the A Major Chord on the Piano
This super quick video goes over the notes of the A major chord in root position, or it’s home base.
Learn A & Other Chords in the 14 Day Chord Challenge!
I have a very popular chord challenge where you learn 14 very important chords in 14 days. Sign up here for the 14 day chord challenge to join in.
A/C#
If you see an A/C# chord, it means to play the notes of the A chord (A C# E) but play C# as your bass note. This is the lowest note in your left hand.
A/E
If you see A/E, this means to play E as the lowest note or your bass note.
This gives the chord a different tone or emphasis and any time you see a slash chord like A/E, the note that come after the slash is the bass note.
How Is The A Chord Made?
The A chord comes from the A major scale. (Have you tried the scales challenge yet? Scales are a great foundation for learning chords.)
Major chords are made from the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the scale. In this case, that's A C# and E.
Which Fingers Do You Use For A Chord
Use the standard chord fingering for root position when playing any major chord in root position - in this case, that's A C# E.
The standard fingering is:
Right hand: 1 3 5
Left hand: 5 3 1
That's your thumb, middle finger and pinkie.
A Major Chord Inversions
Just because we have the notes A C# and E for the A chord doesn't mean we always have to play them in that order.
There are a few other standard positions to learn to play this chord in.
A major chord notes in root position: A C# E
1st inversion: C# E A
2nd inversion: E A C#
(Not sure what inversions are? Learn more about inversions here.)
Free Download:
Ultimate Chord Cheat Sheet
Subscribe below and get free access to the (printable) Ultimate Chord Cheat Sheet.
Are There More A Chords?
There are quite a few chords that start with A. They are not A major chords but different types.
The following are some of the common ones.
AM7 or A Major 7 chord
The A major seventh chord, generally written as AM7 or Amaj7, has the notes A C# E G#.
A Suspended Chord
The notes of the A4, Asus, or Asus4, a suspended chord, are A D E.
How To Play A Minor (Am) On Piano
The A minor chord, a foundational one you definitely need to learn, has the notes A C E. This is written as Am.
Am7 or A Minor 7 Chord
A minor 7, a personal favourite, has the notes A C E G.
How to Play the A2 Chord on Piano
The A2 chord, a second chord, has the notes A B E.
Free Download:
Ultimate Chord Cheat Sheet
Subscribe below and get free access to the (printable) Ultimate Chord Cheat Sheet.
You might like these Free Piano Chords Lessons
-
Top Tips for Filling In Piano Chords
Start filling in piano chords with these top tips and get your chords sounding fuller and more interesting.
-
How To Play Melody with Chords on Piano - Step by Step
The step by step process you can take to play melody with chords on piano.
-
Capo & Piano Chords: What It Means
Wondering what to do about capos and piano chords? Here's a quick explainer for you.
-
Chart of Piano Chords
A chart of piano chords - what notes go with which chord.
-
Piano Chord Inversions for Beginners + Exercises
What are piano chord inversions and a few different ways you can practice these. They're important!
-
How To Figure Out Chords From Scales
How to figure out chords from scales. We go over a new main types of chords and you'll learn you can figure them out from scales.
-
Piano Chord Chart Book - A Peek Inside
Here's a peek inside my new piano chord chart book. It has piano chord charts for different chord types and different keys.
-
How to Read Piano Chords
Learn to read piano chords and find out what they mean!
-
12 Major Chords
Learn and see what the 12 major chords are and find out how to make them.
You might like these Piano Chords Quizzes
-
Key Signatures Quiz (What Is The Key Signature?)
Do you know which sharps or flats belong to a key? Test yourself with this key signatures quiz and find out!
-
Minor Key Signatures Quiz (Name the Sharps or Flats)
Take the minor key signatures quiz and see if you can correctly guess the sharps or flats in the minor keys. Ready? Let's go!
Free Download:
Ultimate Chord Cheat Sheet
Subscribe below and get free access to the (printable) Ultimate Chord Cheat Sheet.
