Guitar scale · Ionian mode
A Major Scale
Bright, balanced major scale forming the foundation of Western music and pop/rock.
Tap any note to hear it.
A Major Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-----------------------------5-7-9-| B|-------------------------7-9-------| G|-------------------6-7-9-----------| D|-------------6-7-9-----------------| A|-------5-7-9-----------------------| E|-5-7-9-----------------------------|
e|----------------------------------7-9-10-| B|-----------------------------9-10--------| G|----------------------7-9-11-------------| D|---------------7-9-11--------------------| A|--------7-9-11---------------------------| E|-7-9-10----------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------------9-10-12-| B|---------------------------------10-12---------| G|-------------------------9-11-13---------------| D|-----------------9-11-12-----------------------| A|---------9-11-12-------------------------------| E|-9-10-12---------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-16-| B|-------------------------------------14-15----------| G|----------------------------13-14-16----------------| D|-------------------12-14-16-------------------------| A|----------12-14-16----------------------------------| E|-12-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-17-| B|-------------------------------------15-17----------| G|----------------------------14-16-18----------------| D|-------------------14-16-18-------------------------| A|----------14-16-17----------------------------------| E|-14-16-17-------------------------------------------|
How to play A Major on guitar
Find the root first: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every A on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5, 7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 5–9. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
A major shares all its notes with F# minor, its relative minor. See the F# Minor Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | A |
| 2 | B |
| 3 | C# |
| 4 | D |
| 5 | E |
| 6 | F# |
| 7 | G# |
Chords in A Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in A Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | A | Amaj7 | Tonic |
| ii | Bm | Bm7 | Supertonic |
| iii | C#m | C#m7 | Mediant |
| IV | D | Dmaj7 | Subdominant |
| V | E | E7 | Dominant |
| vi | F#m | F#m7 | Submediant |
| vii° | G#dim | G#m7b5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise A Major anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
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- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
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Questions
- What notes are in the A Major Scale?
- The A Major Scale has 7 notes: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#.
- What chords are in the A Major Scale?
- The chords of A Major are A (I), Bm (ii), C#m (iii), D (IV), E (V), F#m (vi), G#dim (vii°).
- What is the formula of the major scale?
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern W W H W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play A Major on the guitar?
- The root A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 5–9, and four more positions connect it up the neck.