A Major Chord on Mountain Dulcimer

The A Major chord is a bright, stable major triad — one of the first chords most players learn. It is built from the notes A, C#, E. This page shows how to play A Major on Mountain Dulcimer with clear fretboard diagrams and suggested finger positions.

The lowest shape sits at fret 2 and spans 3 frets, with no open strings in it. A falls on the D string. It sounds from A3 up to A4. 2 voicings are charted, the highest starting at fret 4.

Mountain Dulcimer is tuned D–A–D, with frets 1 to 17 laid out diatonically plus the 6+ and 13+ frets — D#, F and A# sound nowhere on it. Only the chords and notes its diatonic frets reach are charted, and the 6+ fret (between 6 and 7) counts as a fret of its own.

Browse alternate voicings to find the one that sits best under your fingers, then compare it with the other chord types built on A or explore the same shape in nearby keys. The diagrams list the notes in each voicing so you can connect the shape to the theory behind it.