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♯
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.