Amaj7 chord on piano
Amaj7 is A, C♯, E and G♯. You'll find A between the last two black keys of the three (a white key). Hit Play and watch each key light as it sounds.
root position · A–C♯–E–G♯ · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- A · C♯ · E · G♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7
How to play Amaj7 on piano
From A, go 4 half steps up to C♯, 3 half steps up to E then 4 half steps up to G♯. Press the 4 keys together and that's Amaj7.
- Right hand: 1 on A, 2 on C♯, 3 on E and 5 on G♯.
- Left hand: 5 on A, 3 on C♯, 2 on E and 1 on G♯.
- On the keyboard it's white, black, white and black keys, the same pattern as Dmaj7 and Emaj7, so your hand shape carries over.
Amaj7 inversions
- root position: A–C♯–E–G♯. RH 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: C♯–E–G♯–A, with C♯ at the bottom. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: E–G♯–A–C♯, E lowest. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: G♯–A–C♯–E (G♯ in the bass). Fingers 1-2-3-5.
Nobody plays every chord in root position. The inversions let Amaj7 sit wherever the previous chord left your hand.
Changing from Amaj7 to the chords around it
The chords Amaj7 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.
- Dmaj7 (IV in A major): Amaj7 to Dmaj7: play Dmaj7 in 2nd inversion (A–C♯–D–F♯) and A and C♯ stay under the same fingers, while E moves down to D and G♯ down to F♯. Dmaj7 on piano
- E7 (V in A major): Amaj7 to E7: play E7 in 2nd inversion (B–D–E–G♯) and E and G♯ stay under the same fingers, while A moves up to B and C♯ up to D. E7 on piano
- F♯m7 (vi in A major): Amaj7 to F♯m7: play F♯m7 in 1st inversion (A–C♯–E–F♯) and A, C♯ and E stay under the same fingers, while G♯ moves down to F♯. F♯m7 on piano
Amaj7 is a major seventh chord: a major triad with the note a half step below the octave added. Amaj7 works as a relaxed home chord; swap it in for plain A at the end of a phrase. Play it solid and then broken to hear the difference.
Getting Amaj7 under your fingers
Start with a broken chord, A C♯ E G♯ E C♯ A, then play it solid. Next, walk up through A–C♯–E–G♯ → C♯–E–G♯–A → E–G♯–A–C♯ → G♯–A–C♯–E without lifting your eyes to your hand.
The keys of Amaj7
Amaj7 is a major seventh chord, 1–3–5–7 from A. Root position, from the bottom: how Amaj7 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | white key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| C♯ | black key | RH 2 · LH 3 | major third |
| E | white key | RH 3 · LH 2 | perfect fifth |
| G♯ | black key | RH 5 · LH 1 | major seventh |
Where Amaj7 shows up
In A major, ii–V–I on piano is Bm7 (B–D–F♯–A), E7 (E–G♯–B–D) and Amaj7 (A–C♯–E–G♯). About the jazz cadence.
Amaj7 on guitar and ukulele
The same notes on another instrument: Amaj7 on guitar and Amaj7 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.
Close to Amaj7
Other major seventh chords
Amaj7 on piano: questions
What notes are in Amaj7 on piano?
A, C♯, E and G♯: A (white key), C♯ (black key), E (white key) and G♯ (black key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play Amaj7 on piano?
Press A, C♯, E and G♯ together (2 black, 2 white). Right hand: 1 on A, 2 on C♯, 3 on E and 5 on G♯.
What are the inversions of Amaj7?
1st inversion (C♯–E–G♯–A), 2nd inversion (E–G♯–A–C♯) and 3rd inversion (G♯–A–C♯–E), after root position (A–C♯–E–G♯). Only the lowest note changes.
What does Amaj7 look like on the keyboard?
white, black, white and black keys, the same pattern as Dmaj7 and Emaj7, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Shapes and sound are generated from the notes A, C♯, E and G♯ and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.