Chords in the Key of A
The key of A major contains seven chords: A, Bm, C#m, D, E, F#m and G#dim. Every F, C and G in the key is sharpened, and most songs in A lean on A, D, E and F#m.
The seven chords on guitar
Each chord below opens its own page, with more shapes up the neck, audio for every voicing and a printable chart. Tap the play button on any card to hear it.
The seven chords on piano
The same seven chords on a keyboard, in root position. Each one opens its own page, with every inversion and the finger numbers for both hands.
IAA C♯ E 
the home chord
iiBmB D F♯ 
the gentle step up from home
iiiC#mC♯ E G♯ 
the darkest of the three minors
IVDD F♯ A 
the lift away from home
VEE G♯ B 
the chord that pulls back home
viF#mF♯ A C♯ 
the relative minor
vii°G#dimA♭ B D 
the tense one, used sparingly, filed as Abdim
The seventh chords in A major
Add one more note to each chord and the key gains its seventh chords, which is where most jazz and a good deal of soul begins.
Common progressions in A major
- I - IV - V
A D E
The three open chords at the heart of blues and early rock. Make them A7, D7 and E7 for the twelve bar.
- I - V - vi - IV
A E F#m D
Only F#m needs a barre. A capo at the second fret with G shapes gives the same key with none.
- vi - IV - I - V
F#m D A E
Starting on the relative minor turns the same four chords sombre.
Why these seven chords
On a stave, A major is written with three sharps, F#, C# and G#, which is how a reader knows the key before playing a note.
A is three steps clockwise from C, so it takes three sharps. Its three major chords, A, D and E, are the same three open shapes most guitarists learn first, which is why the key feels familiar long before anyone learns its name.
The minors are Bm, C#m and F#m. F#m is the relative minor: the same notes and chords as A major, resting somewhere else.
On guitar
A, D and E are the first three chords almost every guitarist learns, so the major side of this key is open and easy. All three minors need barres, which makes A a key that is simple until a song asks for its darker chords.
The blues lives here. A dominant seventh on each of A, D and E gives the standard twelve bar in A, and open strings ring through all three.
On piano
Three black keys appear in the A major scale: F#, C# and G#. The tonic chord itself uses one, C#, sat between two white keys.
Pianists often find A easier than C once the hand settles, because the black keys give the fingers something to locate by touch.
Questions about the key of A
What are the 7 chords in the key of A?
A, Bm, C#m, D, E, F#m and G#dim. A, D and E are major, Bm, C#m and F#m are minor, and G#dim is diminished.
Why is the key of A so common in blues?
Its three major chords, A, D and E, are all open guitar shapes that let the bass strings ring, and turning each into a dominant seventh gives the twelve bar blues without moving out of open position.
What is the relative minor of A major?
F# minor, sharing the same three sharps and the same seven chords.
What do the numbers next to each chord mean?
They are each chord's place in the key, written as Roman numerals. In A major the I is A, the IV is D and the V is E. The numbering holds in every key, so the V of C is G. That is why progressions get written as numerals like I, V, vi, IV: learn one and you have it in all twelve keys.
Why are some numerals capitals and some lowercase?
The case tells you the chord quality. Capitals are major, which in A major means A, D and E. Lowercase are minor: Bm, C#m and F#m. The small circle on vii° means diminished, and here that is G#dim.