A Major Chord on 8-String Guitar

Play A Major on 8-String Guitar: diagrams, finger positions, intervals, and every voicing up and down the neck for this instrument.

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 8-String Guitar with clear fretboard diagrams and suggested finger positions.

The shape nearest the nut leaves the A and E strings open and takes the rest at fret 2. The F#, B and E strings stay silent, so 5 of 8 sound. The root is the A string itself. It sounds from A2 up to E4. 5 voicings are charted, the highest starting at fret 9.

8-String Guitar is tuned F#–B–E–A–D–G–B–E, with 15 frets to work with.

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.