A Major Chord
Like any major chord, the A major chord is formed by playing the root, the major third and the perfect fifth. That equals to playing the 1st, 3rd and 5th degree of the A major scale.
Notation
Listen to A Major
How To Play A Major On The Piano
You can play the A major chord by playing in any order the following notes: A, C#, E.
The inversions of the A Major chord
- Root position: A, C#, E
- Inversion 1: C#, E, A
- Inversion 2: E, A, C#
Video: A Major Chord On The Piano
Video coming soon.
Fingering for the Left and Right Hand
Typically the ideal fingering for the A major chord is as follows:
Left hand: 5 3 1
Right hand: 1 3 5
This allows your second and fourth finger, in both hands, to freely play the second and fourth degree of the scale of A major, namely the B and the D notes.
There are, however, many cases in which you may opt for a different fingering. For example, think of playing the same chord with an added A an octave above. Then the right handed fingering would be 1 2 3 5.
Scales in which the A major chord occurs
- D major
- E major
- A major
- D melodic minor
- E melodic minor