How to play A (A Major) on Piano
Diagram, notes, and audio for the A chord on piano. Free in your browser.
About A on piano
A major on piano: A, C#, E. Right hand thumb on A, middle finger on C#, pinky on E. C# is the black key between C and D, the only accidental in the triad itself. The chord requires a small inward fold of the middle finger to cleanly hit the black key without brushing the surrounding whites — a foundational fingering skill that recurs throughout piano playing.
A is the I chord in the key of A major (three sharps: F#, C#, G#), the IV in E major, and the V in D major. Two of pop's most iconic ballads — When the Children Cry and Hallelujah (in some keys) — live in A major. The key has a singing, slightly bright character on piano because so many of its scale tones map to the upper register where the instrument projects naturally.
On piano, A major is also a stepping stone to E major and B major — both of which have C# as part of their triad. Recognising the shared note (C#) across A, F#m, and Bm makes their progressions feel less like memorisation and more like a connected family of chords. The relative minor of A major is F# minor, sharing all the same key signature.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is C# on the piano?
- C# is the black key directly to the right of C — the leftmost black key in every group of two.
- What chords pair well with A major?
- D, E, F#m, and Bm — the IV, V, vi, and ii of the key of A major.
- Is A major hard for beginners on piano?
- It introduces playing a black key with the middle finger, which is new for most beginners. With deliberate practice the hand learns to angle naturally toward the black-key row in a few weeks.
Switch instruments
See A on a different instrument — same chord, new diagram.