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Chords in the key of A Major

The seven chords of A Major and the 7th chord on each, with the key signature and the keys closest to it.

Short answer

The key of A Major contains seven diatonic chords: A, Bm, C♯m, D, E, F♯m, G♯°. They're built on each degree of the A Major scale.

Tonic
A
Key signature
3 sharps
Scale
A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯
Relative key
F♯ Natural Minor
Dominant
E
Parallel key
A Natural Minor

Diatonic chords in A Major

Build a triad on each note of the A Major scale and you get these seven chords. Add one more scale note on top and you get the 7th chord beside it.

DegreeTriad7th chordHear
IAAmaj7
iiBmBm7
iiiC♯mC♯m7
IVDDmaj7
VEE7
viF♯mF♯m7
vii°G♯°G♯m7♭5

Key signature of A Major

A Major has 3 sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯. The signature at the start of each staff line makes those notes sharp all the way through, unless an accidental says otherwise.

Practise reading key signatures

A Major on the piano

Show:
A Major on the pianoDEABDEABC♯F♯G♯C♯F♯G♯A Major - A · B · C♯ · D · E · F♯ · G♯

Common progressions in A Major

The most popular chord progressions written in this key. Click any progression to hear it.

I–V–vi–IV in A major
AEF♯mD
I–IV–V in A major
ADE
ii–V–I in A major
Bm7E7Amaj7
I–vi–IV–V in A major
AF♯mDE
I–IV–V–I in A major
ADEA
I7–IV7–I7–V7 in A major
A7D7A7E7
vi–IV–I–V in A major
F♯mDAE
I7–I7–I7–I7–IV7–IV7–I7–I7–V7–IV7–I7–V7 in A major
A7A7A7A7D7D7A7A7E7D7A7E7

Related keys

The keys a song in A Major most often borrows chords from or moves to.

CGDAEBC♭F♯G♭D♭C♯A♭E♭B♭FAmEmBmF♯mC♯mG♯mA♭mD♯mE♭mB♭mA♯mFmCmGmDmMajorMinor
A Major is lit, with its relative key and the keys a fifth either side.

Questions people ask

What chords are in the key of A Major?
The key of A Major contains seven diatonic chords: A, Bm, C♯m, D, E, F♯m, G♯°. They're built on each degree of the A Major scale.
How many sharps or flats are in A Major?
A Major has 3 sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯. The signature at the start of each staff line makes those notes sharp all the way through, unless an accidental says otherwise.
What are the 7th chords in A Major?
Adding a seventh to each chord of A Major gives Amaj7, Bm7, C♯m7, Dmaj7, E7, F♯m7, G♯m7♭5.
What is the relative key of A Major?
It's F♯ Natural Minor. It uses exactly the same notes and key signature as A Major, but its music centres on F♯.
What are the most common progressions in A Major?
Pop and rock songs in A Major usually rely on I-V-vi-IV, I-IV-V and ii-V-I. Each appears in our progression library with audio.
Why do these chords sound good together?
Every chord in A Major is built using only notes from the A Major scale, so they share the same tonal center and naturally resolve to the I chord.
How do I transpose a song to A Major?
Use our free Chord Transposer, paste the original chords and shift them to A Major. The tool keeps the relationships between chords intact.

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