A

A1C♯3E5

A major third and a perfect fifth over the root.

on guitar on piano the scale

Every fingering that fits a hand

Fig. 2

2100

open

Fig. 3

210x

open

Fig. 4

2404

easy

Fig. 5

2104

easy

Fig. 6

2454

moderate

What is true of it

A is A, C♯ and E — 1, 3 and 5 counted from A.

On an instrument that cannot reach all 3, the 5 goes first, in that order.

The easiest of the 5 fingerings below is 2100: 2 fingers, held at the 1st fret.

2 of them use open strings, which is what makes a shape quiet to change to.

Where its notes are on the neck

Fig. 7 — first 12 frets

The brass dots are A, the root. Everything else is a chord tone with its degree printed in it.

With a different note underneath

first inversion

A/C♯

x100

second inversion

A/E

999x

An inversion is the same chord with a different note lowest. The name changes to a slash name because the bass is what a listener hears as the foundation.

A in other shapes

Amminor Adimdiminished Aaugaugmented A5power chord Asus2suspended second Asus4suspended fourth

C C♯D♭D D♯E♭E F all 374