AMaj7

AMaj7 is the major 7th chord that occurs naturally in the A Major and E major scales as the I7 and the IV7 chord.

This article will provide you with essential information about playing it on the guitar fretboard and piano keyboard.

Music Theory, Notes & Intervals of the AMaj7 Chord

Let us quickly go through the main aspects of the music theory of the Amaj7 chord:

1. AMaj7 chord is formed by stacking a major 3rd interval over the A major chord.
2. It has note names A, C#, E, and G#, whereby the G# note is stacked over the notes of the A Major triad A, C#, and E.
3. As you can see, the chord is formed by stacking an M3 interval over the root note, followed by m3 and M3 intervals.
4. The intervals of the three notes from the root note are R – M3 – P5 – M7.
5. M7 is the leading tone of the corresponding major scale.

A Major 7 Chord Scales

The AMaj7 chord is formed naturally in the following scales.

1. A Major scale and all its modes.
2. E Major scale and all its modes.
3. C# Harmonic Minor and all its modes.
4. A Harmonic Major and all its modes

How To Play the A Major 7 chord

You will learn to play the AMaj7 chord on guitar and piano in the upcoming sections and incorporate them into any chord progression in various positions of the fretboard.

AMaj7 Guitar Chord – Map Chord Tones Along The Fretboard

The fretboard map showing the four notes of the AMaj7 guitar chord is shown in the diagram below.

A Major Seventh Chord – Guitar Chord Shapes and Fingerings

The following sections present the different voicings of the four-note chord in open, movable, and barre shapes. To understand and learn the chord diagrams, please note the following:

1. The numbers written in the black circles indicate the fret numbers to be played.
2. The numbers in the red circles indicate the finger positions.
3. The strings marked ‘X’ are to be skipped or muted.
4. Any string marked ‘O’ is to be played open.

Here

• 1 – Index Finger,
• 2 – Middle Finger,
• 3 – Ring finger,
• 4 – Little Finger.

Open Positions

The five open-position voicings of the AMaj7 guitar chords are described below.

1. O1 – Construction – (x – 0 – 2 – 1 – 2 – 0). Notes – (1, 5, 7, 3, and 5).
2. O2 – Construction – (0 – 0 – 2 – 1 – 2 – 0). Notes – (5, 1, 5, 7, 3, and 5). E is the bass note.
3. O3 – Construction – (4 – 0 – 2 – 1 – 2 – 0). Notes – (7, 5, 7, 3, and 5). G# is the bass note.
4. O4 – Construction – (x – 0 – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4). Notes – (1, 1, 3, 5, and 7).
5. O5 – Construction – (x – 11 – 11 – 9 – 10 – 0). Notes – (7, 3, 5, 1, and 5). G# is the bass note.

Movable Positions

The four movable positions for playing the AMaj7 guitar chord are described below:

1. M1 – Construction – (5 – x – 6 – 6 – 5 – x). Notes – (1, 7, 3, and 5).
2. M2 – Construction – (x – x – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4). Notes – (1, 3, 5, and 7).
3. M3 – Construction – (9 – x – 7 – 9 – 9 – x). Notes – (3, 1, 5, and 7). C# is the bass note.
4. M4 – Construction – (x – x – 11 – 13 – 10 – 12). Notes – (3, 7, 1, and 5). C# is the bass note.

Barre Chord Shapes

AMaj7 guitar chord can be played in the following eight ways as the barre chords.

1. B1 – (1, 3, and 7). 5th is omitted in this three-note voicing.
2. B2 – (5, 1, 3, and 7). E is the bass note.
3. B3 – (1, 3, 5, 1, 3, and 7).
4. B4 – (3, 5, 1, 3, and 7). C# is the bass.
5. B5 – (7, 3, 6, and 1). G# is the bass.
6. B6 – (1, 5, 7, and 3). This is the movable D Shape.
7. B7 – (1, 3, 5, 7, and 3).
8. B8 – (1, 5, 7, 3, and 5). This is the movable C Shape.

AMaj7 Guitar Chord Diagrams – Inversions

The three chord inversions I1, I2, and I3 of the A Major seventh chord are shown in the chord diagrams below.

1. First Inversion AMaj7/C# with notes [C# E G# A]. The Bass note is C#.
2. Second Inversion AMaj7/E with notes [E G# A C#]. The lowest note is E.
3. Third Inversion AMaj7/G# with notes [G# A C# E]. The Bass note is G#.

A Major 7th Chord For Piano With Keyboard Diagram.

Please see the keyboard diagram for the AMaj7 chord in the root position below, with the notes marked by red circles.

The left-hand fingering pattern is 5 – 3 – 2 – 1, where 5 is the little finger and 1 is the thumb.

The right-hand fingering pattern is 1 – 2 – 3 – 5. The finger numbers are the same for both hands.

First Inversion

The keyboard diagram for the AMaj7/C#, the first inversion, is shown below.

Fingering Arrangement

• Right Hand – 1 – 2 – 4 – 5.
• Left Hand – 5 – 3 – 2 – 1

Second Inversion

The keyboard diagram for the AMaj7/E, the second inversion, is shown below.

Fingering Arrangement

• Right Hand – 1 – 2 – 3 – 5.
• Left Hand – 5 – 3 – 2 – 1

Third Inversion

The keyboard diagram for the AMaj7/G#, the third inversion, is.

Fingering Arrangement

• Right Hand – 1 – 2 – 3 – 5.
• Left Hand – 5 – 4 – 2 – 1