Also written A, Amaj or AM
A major is built from A, C♯, and E. Its open shape needs only two fingers, making it one of the first ukulele chords to learn.
The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.
A major uses the 1, 3, 5 formula from the A major scale. The major third between A and C♯ gives the chord its bright quality. Lower that third by a semitone and you get A minor.
A major is the tonic in A major, heard in A–D–E, the I–IV–V–I progression. It also anchors D major and E major keys. Use it for bright folk, pop, and rock strumming.
The open Amaj/C♯ inversion keeps C♯ in the bass, which sounds tight and bright. The 7th fret voicing puts A in the bass for a fuller root-position sound.
A major is played in open position as 2 1 0 0: middle finger on the G string at fret 2 and index finger on the C string at fret 1. The E and A strings ring open.
Tip — The index and middle fingers must fret adjacent strings without touching the open E string.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 2 | 2 | A (1) |
| 3 (C) | 1 | 1 | C♯ (3) |
| 2 (E) | open | — | E (5) |
| 1 (A) | open | — | A (1) |
A major is played at the 2nd fret as 2 4 5 4: index finger on the G string at fret 2, middle finger on the C string at fret 4, pinky finger on the E string at fret 5 and ring finger on the A string at fret 4.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 2 | 1 | A (1) |
| 3 (C) | 4 | 2 | E (5) |
| 2 (E) | 5 | 4 | A (1) |
| 1 (A) | 4 | 3 | C♯ (3) |
A major is played at the 4th fret as 6 4 5 4: pinky finger on the G string at fret 6, index finger on the C string at fret 4, ring finger on the E string at fret 5 and middle finger on the A string at fret 4.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 6 | 4 | C♯ (3) |
| 3 (C) | 4 | 1 | E (5) |
| 2 (E) | 5 | 3 | A (1) |
| 1 (A) | 4 | 2 | C♯ (3) |
A major is played at the 7th fret as 9 9 9 7: middle finger on the G string at fret 9, ring finger on the C string at fret 9, pinky finger on the E string at fret 9 and index finger on the A string at fret 7.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 9 | 2 | E (5) |
| 3 (C) | 9 | 3 | A (1) |
| 2 (E) | 9 | 4 | C♯ (3) |
| 1 (A) | 7 | 1 | E (5) |
A major is played in open position as 2 4 0 4: index finger on the G string at fret 2, middle finger on the C string at fret 4 and ring finger on the A string at fret 4. The E string rings open.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 2 | 1 | A (1) |
| 3 (C) | 4 | 2 | E (5) |
| 2 (E) | open | — | E (5) |
| 1 (A) | 4 | 3 | C♯ (3) |
A major is written A, Amaj, or AM.
A major has C♯, a major third above A. A minor lowers that to C, a minor third, which darkens the sound.
The lowest sounding note is the C string at the 1st fret, which is C♯. That makes it a first inversion, not root position.