The Amaj7 ukulele chord contains A, C#, E, G#. Its first ukulele voicing is the open position: G string at fret 2 (middle finger); C string at fret 1 (index finger); E string at fret 4 (ring finger); A string open. As a major 7th chord it has a distinct job in a progression, and this page explains that job alongside the fingerings, the notes and the practice steps that make it stick.
What notes are in the Amaj7 chord?
The Amaj7 chord is a major 7th chord, and its notes are fixed: A, C#, E, G#. Every voicing on every instrument uses these same notes, in some order and in some octave — change one of them and you are playing a different chord. The table below lists each note with its interval from the root A, so you can see the structure of Amaj7 at a glance. On the ukulele, the open position of Amaj7 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| A | Root |
| C# | 3 |
| E | 5 |
| G# | 7 |
The root is A, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in Amaj7 are 3, 5, 7. That combination is what makes Amaj7 sound the way it does: the intervals decide the colour, and the root decides the pitch. On the ukulele, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
Amaj7 sounds warm and open, the sound of jazz ballads and soft pop, where the major 7th colours rather than pulls. That character comes straight from the intervals above, not from the instrument: the same notes on piano, guitar or ukulele carry the same colour, even though the voicing changes. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes A, C#, E, G# in Amaj7.
Comparing Amaj7 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, major 7th against dominant 7th: Amaj7 keeps the major 7th G#, while the dominant version flattens it to G. The major 7th sounds dreamy; the dominant 7th sounds restless. Practise the two chords back to back and listen to the one note that changes — that single note is the difference between the two chords. On the ukulele, the open position of Amaj7 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
How to play Amaj7 on ukulele
On the ukulele, Amaj7 has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — A, C#, E, G# — in a different place on the neck. There are 3 voicings listed for Amaj7 on the ukulele; learn the first, then add the others as you need them. Finger numbers below use 1 for the index finger, 2 for the middle finger, 3 for the ring finger and 4 for the little finger, and x means the string is not played.
Another way to play Amaj7 is the open position, in open position: G string at fret 2 (middle finger); C string at fret 1 (index finger); E string at fret 4 (ring finger); A string open. The stretch is the challenge: the fretted notes span from fret 1 to fret 4, so keep your thumb low behind the neck and let your fingers reach rather than squeezing the neck. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Amaj7 — A, C#, E, G# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The barre chord puts Amaj7 in open position: G string at fret 1 (index finger); C string at fret 1 (index finger); E string open; A string open. It barres across strings 1 to 2 at fret 1 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 1 to 2 evenly at fret 1, so roll it slightly onto its bony side and keep it close to the fret wire. If the barre buzzes, move it a fraction closer to the fret and press from the arm, not the thumb alone. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Amaj7 — A, C#, E, G# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
The movable voicing is the voicing to learn if you want Amaj7 in around fret 2: G string at fret 2 (index finger); C string at fret 4 (middle finger); E string at fret 4 (middle finger); A string at fret 4 (middle finger). This voicing is comfortable because the fretted notes sit close together, from fret 2 to fret 4, so your hand stays relaxed and every note can ring. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Amaj7 — A, C#, E, G# — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of Amaj7 is a musical decision, not a right-or-wrong one. The open or low-position voicing rings the most and suits strumming, while a barre or movable voicing lets you slide Amaj7 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of Amaj7 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into Amaj7 from the chord that comes before it in your song, not the chord on its own, because the move is the skill. On the ukulele, the open position of Amaj7 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
A short practice routine for Amaj7 on the ukulele: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above A and back, four times, at a slow tempo. Then play the second voicing the same way. If a note buzzes, stop and fix the finger placement rather than playing through the buzz — clean notes at a slow tempo become clean notes at full tempo, while buzzes practised fast become habits. Use the Ukulele Chord Finder to see the diagram for Amaj7 while you practise, and the Chord Finder to compare it with the same chord on other instruments.
Common mistakes
These are the mistakes that most often make Amaj7 sound wrong on the ukulele, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Clashing the 7th against the root. The major 7th is a semitone below the root, so voicings that put them next to each other in the same octave can sound harsh. Spread the notes out across octaves. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes A, C#, E, G# in Amaj7.
Playing it like a plain triad. Leaving G# out turns this into an ordinary major chord and loses the whole point of the maj7 colour. Make the 7th audible. On the ukulele, the open position of Amaj7 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Using it as a dominant. Amaj7 does not pull to a tonic the way a dominant 7th does. If you need a V chord, use the dominant 7th instead. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes A, C#, E, G# in Amaj7.
Pressing too hard on the nylon strings. Ukulele strings need far less pressure than guitar strings, and pressing hard on Amaj7 pulls the notes sharp and tires the hand. Use the lightest touch that gives a clean note, and keep your fingers close to the frets. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes A, C#, E, G# in Amaj7.
Where Amaj7 is used
Amaj7 is not a diatonic triad in any major or minor key, because it is an extended or altered chord, but its base triad belongs to the key of D major, the key of E major, the key of A major. the I or IV chord in major keys, adding warmth to progressions that would otherwise sound plain. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward D major, the key a perfect fourth above A, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where Amaj7 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes A, C#, E, G# in Amaj7.
Because Amaj7 is an extended or altered chord, it appears in progressions as a colour or a dominant rather than as a diatonic staple. Try it in place of the plain A triad in a progression you already know, and listen to how the extra notes change the feel — that substitution is the usual way extended chords enter real music. The Chord Progression Builder lets you try Amaj7 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the ukulele, the open position of Amaj7 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in Amaj7 on guitar, Amaj7 on piano, Amaj7 on bass, and the scales that fit over it are the A major scale and the A minor pentatonic scale. Learning Amaj7 on the ukulele and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — A, C#, E, G# — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising Amaj7
A short worked example makes Amaj7 concrete. Play the four-chord progression D – A – Bm – G in D major, the key Amaj7 most often resolves toward: D – A – Bm – G. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how Amaj7 sounds in that sequence — whether it feels like home, like a lift, or like a chord on its way somewhere else. Then play the same four chords in a different order, starting on Amaj7 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the ukulele, the open position of Amaj7 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
For a second exercise, play Amaj7 and then the chord a fourth above A, back and forth, four times each. That move — a chord and the chord a fourth above it — is the most common resolution in Western music, and it is the move Amaj7 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing Amaj7 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: A, C#, E, G#. Naming the notes while you play them is what turns a shape into knowledge you can use in any key. Test yourself with the Practice Chord Quiz and keep time with the Metronome as the tempo rises. On the ukulele, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in Amaj7.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Amaj7 and A7?
Amaj7 uses the major 7th G#; A7 uses the flattened 7th G. Amaj7 sounds settled and shimmering, A7 sounds bluesy and wants to resolve. On the ukulele, the first voicing above shows where that note sits.
Where is Amaj7 used?
Amaj7 is most at home as a tonic chord in jazz, bossa nova and soft pop, and as the IV chord in major keys. It suits slow tempos and open voicings where its shimmer has room to breathe. On the ukulele, the first voicing above shows where that note sits.
How do you play Amaj7 on the ukulele?
The first voicing is the open position: frets 2–1–4–0, fingers 2–1–3–0, on the ukulele. That voicing uses the notes A, C#, E, G#, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for Amaj7, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.
Is Amaj7 hard to play on the ukulele?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of Amaj7 on the ukulele is the easiest starting point, and the movable voicings further up the neck are harder because they need a barre or a wider stretch. Practise the first voicing cleanly at a slow tempo before you try the others, and the harder shapes will come more easily.
What is the easiest voicing of Amaj7 on the ukulele?
The open position is the easiest voicing listed for Amaj7 on the ukulele: frets 2–1–4–0, fingers 2–1–3–0. Learn that shape first, get every note ringing cleanly, and only then move on to the alternative voicings further up the neck.