A Major Chord on Guitar
The A Major chord contains A, D♭ and E — 3 notes. Every position is marked across the whole fretboard below, labelled with note names and with interval numbers, and the tuning of each string can be changed.
- Root
- Major 3rd
- Perfect 5th
| Degree | 1 | 3 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Note | A | D♭ | E |
| Interval | Root | Major 3rd | Perfect 5th |
Note names
Interval numbers
Scales containing A
| Major (Ionian) | D E A |
| Natural Minor (Aeolian) | D♭ F# B |
| Dorian | E F# B |
| Phrygian | D♭ F# A♭ |
| Lydian | D G A |
| Mixolydian | E A B |
| Locrian | D♭ E♭ A♭ |
| Harmonic Lydian (Lydian ♭6) | D F A |
| Harmonic Minor | D♭ D |
| Melodic Minor | D E |
| Melodic Minor ♯4 | D G B♭ |
| Gypsy Minor (Hungarian Minor) | D♭ D B♭ |
| Major Pentatonic | A |
| Minor Pentatonic | F# |
| Dominant Pentatonic (Mixolydian Pentatonic) | A |
| Minor Sixth Pentatonic | E |
| Blues | F# |
| Dominant Diminished (M2) | C E♭ F# A |
| Tcherepnin (M3) | C E♭ E G A♭ B |
Circle of fifths
Chords inside A
| Power (5) | A |
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in the A Major chord?
A, D♭ and E. That is 3 notes.
How is the A Major chord built?
From a root of A: D♭ is the major 3rd and E is the perfect 5th.
Which scales contain the A Major chord?
D Major (Ionian), D♭ Natural Minor (Aeolian), E Dorian and D♭ Phrygian, among others. Every note of the A Major chord is in those, so they can be played over it.
Which smaller chords are inside the A Major chord?
A Power (5). Each uses only notes the A Major chord already contains.
Practice this on your own guitar
Fretonomy listens to your instrument and drills triads, scales and chords.