The A Major chord is a fundamental guitar chord widely used across many music genres including rock, pop, country, and blues. It has a bright and vibrant sound that adds energy to your playing.
How to Play A Major on Guitar:
- Place your index finger on the 2nd fret of the 4th string (D).
- Place your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the 3rd string (G).
- Place your ring finger on the 2nd fret of the 2nd string (B).
- Strum from the 5th string (A) down to the 1st string (high E), avoiding the 6th string (low E).
Tips for Clean Sound:
- Keep your fingers curved and press close to the frets to avoid muted or buzzing strings.
- Make sure your fingers don’t accidentally touch the 5th string, so it rings clearly.
- Practice switching to and from the A Major chord slowly to build muscle memory.
HOW TO PLAY
A Major
STEP BY STEP
How to play a A Major chord on the guitar
- Put your first finger on the second fret of the fourth string.
- Put your second finger on the second fret of the third string.
- Put your third finger on the second fret of the second string.
- Strum only the highest five strings.
HOW IT’S USED
The most common progression you’ll likely see with A Major is going from A, to D, to E, or I, IV, V.
A
D
E
See Stir It Up, by Bob Marley, for example:
AStir it up, Dlittle Edarlin’, Astir it up
Adding in the minor six chord (F#m), you have the classic I-V-iv-IV pattern:
A
E
F#m
D
John Denver’s Country Roads is a good example:
