A major seventh
How to play Amaj7 — Major seventh
Amaj7 (Major seventh)A · C♯ · E · G♯
Guitar samples: Acoustic guitar — University of Iowa (via tonejs-instruments, CC-BY 3.0)
A major seventh — notes and structure
The Amaj7 chord is a major triad with a major seventh — smooth, warm and jazzy.
The Amaj7 major seventh consists of the notes A, C♯, E, G♯. Its interval structure is R–3–5–7 — the root, then each chord tone stacked above it. This is the same chord you see in the interactive finder above, drawn on the guitar fretboard with the root circled and every chord tone labelled.
Amaj7 stacks a major third (C♯), a perfect fifth (E) and a major seventh (G♯) above the root A.
The finder shows 2 ways to play Amaj7 — an open-position shape reaching up to the 7th fret. None of them need a barre.
What key is Amaj7 in?
Every note of Amaj7 belongs to the scales below, so the chord sounds at home in each of these keys — the roman numeral is the degree it sits on.
- A major — the I chord
- E major — the IV chord
- F♯ minor — the III chord
- C♯ minor — the VI chord
Chords that go with Amaj7
In A major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put Amaj7 next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the A major seventh chord?
- The Amaj7 chord contains the notes A, C♯, E, G♯. It is a major triad with a major seventh — smooth, warm and jazzy.
- How many ways can you play Amaj7 on guitar?
- 2 voicings are shown on this page — from open position up the neck — each with its own fingering diagram and audio.
- Is Amaj7 a hard chord to play?
- It is fairly beginner-friendly — there is an open-position shape and none of the voicings need a barre.
- What key does Amaj7 belong to?
- Amaj7 fits A major (where it is the I chord), E major (where it is the IV chord), F♯ minor (where it is the III chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.