A major (A) chord on mandolin

Looking for the A chord on mandolin? It is a major triad, made of three notes: A – C♯ – E.

Dots show:

Basic shapeeasy

Position 5medium

Position 7easy

Position 9medium

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 A chord sounds like

A major triad sounds stable and bright: root, major third and perfect fifth. Most songs are built on major chords – in a major key, chords I, IV and V are all major.

Notes of the A chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	A	root
3	C♯	major third (4 semitones)
5	E	perfect fifth (7 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape, barre at fret 2

String 1 (E): open (E5)
String 2 (A): fret 4, ring finger (C♯5)
String 3 (D): fret 2, index finger (E4)
String 4 (G): fret 2, index finger (A3)

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

Position 5

String 1 (E): fret 5, index finger (A5)
String 2 (A): fret 7, little finger (E5)
String 3 (D): fret 7, ring finger (A4)
String 4 (G): fret 6, middle finger (C♯4)

Position 7, barre at fret 7

String 1 (E): fret 9, little finger (C♯6)
String 2 (A): fret 7, index finger (E5)
String 3 (D): fret 7, index finger (A4)
String 4 (G): fret 9, ring finger (E4)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 7; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Tuning: G D A E, like a violin; every note is a pair of strings that you fret together. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Which keys is it in?

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

A major: I (tonic)
D major: V (dominant)
E major: IV (subdominant)
D minor: V (dominant)
B minor: VII
F♯ minor: III
C♯ minor: VI

Similar chords and substitutes

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

Substitutes (by function)

F♯m – relative minor: two shared notes, a common stand-in for the tonic
C♯m – mediant minor (iii): two shared notes
Amaj7 – a softer, jazzier tonic colour
Asus4 – suspended version that resolves back to this chord

Richer versions

A7 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
Amaj7 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
A6 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
Aadd9 – the same chord plus 1 colour note

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the A chord?

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

What is the easiest way to play A on mandolin?

The easiest shape above is “Basic shape”, rated easy. We show 4 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck.

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.

How is the A chord written?

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