Chord · A Major 7th
Amaj7 Chord
Amaj7 is A, C#, E and G# — dreamy, sophisticated. Tonic of jazz ballads.
Amaj7 on every instrument
The same 4 notes, 6 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What Amaj7 is made of
Amaj7 (A major seventh) is built from the notes A, C#, E, G#, with the interval pattern 1, 3, 5, 7.
Stack 1, 3, 5 and 7 on a root of A and you get A, C#, E and G#. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a major seventh chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why Cmaj7 sounds like a transposed Amaj7.
Major 7th: Dreamy, sophisticated. Tonic of jazz ballads.
Spelling: the notes above are written the way a score would write them, not simplified to the nearest piano key. That is why this chord is spelled with C♯ rather than its enharmonic equivalent.
Keys that contain Amaj7
All 4 notes sit inside the scale of 4 keys. The roman numeral marks the degree the chord is rooted on.
Other chords on A
Same root, different colour.
The same major seventh shape, moved
The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.
Questions people ask about Amaj7
- What notes are in the Amaj7 chord?
- Amaj7 is made of A, C#, E and G# — the 1, 3, 5 and 7 degrees of a major seventh chord built on A.
- What keys use the Amaj7 chord?
- Every note of Amaj7 belongs to 4 keys: A Major (I), E Major (IV), F# Minor (III), C# Minor (VI). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.
- How do you play Amaj7 on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Amaj7 on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin and banjo — 10 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
Learn the theory behind it
Why Amaj7 behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.