Piano chord

    A major 7 chord

    Amaj7 is a major seventh chord: the root A, a major 3rd up to C♯, a perfect 5th up to E and a major 7th up to G♯.

    Symbol
    Amaj7
    Notes
    A – C♯ – E – G♯

    Play it yourself

    Tap A, C♯, E and G♯ on the keys below, in any order.

    • A
    • C♯
    • E
    • G♯
    0 of 4 notes

    Major seventh chords add a major seventh to a major triad. They sound soft and warm, and are everywhere in jazz, soul, bossa nova and lo-fi.

    Inversions of Amaj7

    An inversion keeps the same notes but puts a different one at the bottom. Pianists use them to move between chords with less jumping.

    • Root position

      A – C♯ – E – G♯

    • 1st inversion · Amaj7/C♯

      C♯ – E – G♯ – A

    • 2nd inversion · Amaj7/E

      E – G♯ – A – C♯

    • 3rd inversion · Amaj7/G♯

      G♯ – A – C♯ – E

    Keys with Amaj7

    Amaj7 occurs naturally in these keys. The Roman numeral shows which step of the scale it is built on.

    Questions