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.

More pages that might help:

Gospel Chords - Chord Types You Need To Know
Learning gospel chords? Learn which are the important chords for playing gospel and then how to play them well.
What Are Piano Chords?
Answering the question: what are piano chords? Find the basics here.
Learning Piano Chords
A step by step approach for learning piano chords. Find out where to start and how to improve your playing of piano chords.
How to Play Piano by Chords
Learning to play piano by chords is a great approach and a fast approach to learning the piano. Here's a list of the steps you need to take to do that.
m7 Chord: What is it & How Do You Play It? (Formula included)
What the m7 chord means, how it's formed, how to write it and how to play it on piano. Also known as the minor seven chord.
Easily Make a Melody from A Chord Progression
Want to easily make a melody from a chord progression? You can. Step by step process here.
Major Vs Minor Chords in Piano: What to Learn & What's Different
Wondering what the difference is between major vs minor chords in piano? Learn what's different, what to learn first & how they sound.
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.
Suspended Chord Charts on Piano + Theory
Suspended chords on piano explained with all suspended chords, theory and a piano chord chart.
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.
Chart of Piano Chords
A chart of piano chords - what notes go with which chord.
Chord Progression Practice for Piano | 10 Steps
Chord progression practice is important & can take you far. Here are my top 10 tips plus progressions to practice on piano
Understanding Piano Chords
Help for understanding piano chords and a basic overview of what chords are.
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.
Learn How to Make Chords (How To)
Learn how to make chords. A step by step approach for learning how to build chords.