A major seventh (Amaj7) chord on guitar

Looking for the Amaj7 chord on guitar? It is a major seventh chord (a major triad plus a major seventh), made of four notes: A – C♯ – E – G♯.

Dots show:

Open positioneasy

Barre, fret 2medium

E shape, fret 5hard

D shape, fret 7medium

C shape, fret 9medium

A shape, fret 12hard

Tap a string on a diagram to hear just that string. The sound is generated in your browser with a physical string model.

Chord finder Transposer Tuner

What the Amaj7 chord sounds like

The major seventh chord sounds soft, dreamy and a little jazzy. The major seventh sits a half step below the root, so it rubs gently against it without needing to resolve.

Notes of the Amaj7 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	A	root
3	C♯	major third (4 semitones)
5	E	perfect fifth (7 semitones) – often omitted on fretted instruments
7	G♯	major seventh (11 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Open position

String 1 (e): open (E4)
String 2 (B): fret 2, ring finger (C♯4)
String 3 (G): fret 1, index finger (G♯3)
String 4 (D): fret 2, middle finger (E3)
String 5 (A): open (A2)
String 6 (E): not played

Barre, fret 2, barre at fret 2

String 1 (e): fret 4, ring finger (G♯4)
String 2 (B): fret 2, index finger (C♯4)
String 3 (G): fret 2, index finger (A3)
String 4 (D): fret 2, index finger (E3)
String 5 (A): open (A2)
String 6 (E): fret 5, little finger (A2)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 2; your other fingers press the higher frets.

E shape, fret 5, barre at fret 5

String 1 (e): fret 5, index finger (A4)
String 2 (B): fret 5, index finger (E4)
String 3 (G): fret 6, ring finger (C♯4)
String 4 (D): fret 6, middle finger (G♯3)
String 5 (A): fret 7, little finger (E3)
String 6 (E): fret 5, index finger (A2)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 5; your other fingers press the higher frets.

The “C, A, G, E and D shapes” are the CAGED system: you slide the shape of the open C, A, G, E or D chord up the neck and your index finger (a barre) takes over the job of the nut. That way the same chord can be played in five places, anywhere on the fretboard.

Tuning: E A D G B E (low to high). String 6 is the thickest, the low E. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Playing Amaj7 with a capo

A capo clamps all the strings at one fret, so a familiar open shape sounds higher. You can also get a Amaj7 chord with these open shapes:

Capo: fret 2
shape: Gmaj7

Capo: fret 4
shape: Fmaj7

Capo: fret 5
shape: Emaj7

Capo: fret 7
shape: Dmaj7

Rework a whole song for a capo: chord transposer →

Which keys is it in?

The Amaj7 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

A major: Imaj7 (tonic)
E major: IVmaj7 (subdominant)
F♯ minor: IIImaj7
C♯ minor: VImaj7

Similar chords and substitutes

If Amaj7 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

F♯m7 – relative minor seventh: three shared notes
C♯m7 – mediant minor seventh: three shared notes
A6 – another tonic colour, more vintage and swingy

Simpler versions

A – all 3 of its notes are in this chord
A5 – all 2 of its notes are in this chord

Richer versions

Amaj9 – the same chord plus 1 colour note

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Amaj7 chord?

A, C♯, E, G♯. The root is A; the intervals of the other notes from the root: major third, perfect fifth, major seventh.

What is the easiest way to play Amaj7 on guitar?

The easiest shape above is “Open position”, rated easy. We show 6 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck. With a capo you can also play it as a Gmaj7 shape at fret 2 or a Fmaj7 shape at fret 4.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

Why is a note missing from some Amaj7 shapes?

On a fretted instrument you can't always play every note of a 4-note chord. The fifth (E) may be dropped – the chord keeps its character without it.

How is the Amaj7 chord written?

The chord symbol is Amaj7, and its full name is A major seventh.