A Major Banjo Chords and Chord Progressions

The key of A major has three sharps. For reference, here are the notes in the A major scale:

  • A
  • B
  • C Sharp
  • D
  • E
  • F Sharp
  • G Sharp

All the chords in the key of A major are made up of these seven notes, and each note gets to be the root note for one of the chords, thus making seven triad chords in this key.

  • A Major
  • B Minor
  • C Sharp Minor
  • D Major
  • E Major
  • F Sharp Minor
  • G Sharp Diminished

Note: In this article I’m using banjo chord charts that I created using Microsoft Paint. Here are all the banjo chord charts that are free to use personally and commercially under Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License.

I Chord — A Major or A Major Seventh

The first chord (I) in the key of A major is the A major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the A major chord on banjo.

A Major chord chart for banjo

The A major seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the I chord in the key of A major. Below is my favorite way to play the A major seventh chord.

A Major Seventh chord chart for banjo

ii Chord — B Minor or B Minor Seventh

The second chord (ii) in the key of A major is the B minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the B minor chord on banjo.

B Minor chord chart for banjo

The B minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the ii chord in the key of A major. Below is my favorite way to play the B minor seventh chord.

B Minor Seventh chord chart for banjo

iii Chord — C Sharp Minor or C Sharp Minor Seventh

The third chord (iii) in the key of A major is the C sharp minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the C sharp minor chord on banjo.

C Sharp Minor chord chart for banjo

The C sharp minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the iii chord in the key of A major. Below is my favorite way to play the C sharp minor seventh chord.

C Sharp Minor Seventh chord chart for banjo

IV Chord — D Major or D Major Seventh

The fourth chord (IV) in the key of A major is the D major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the D major chord on banjo.

D Major chord chart for banjo

The D major seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the IV chord in the key of A major. Below is my favorite way to play the D major seventh chord.

D Major Seventh chord chart for banjo

V Chord — E Major or E Dominant Seventh

The fifth chord (V) in the key of A major is the E major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the E major chord on banjo.

E Major chord chart for banjo

The E dominant seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the V chord in the key of A major. Below is my favorite way to play the E dominant seventh chord.

E Dominant Seventh chord chart for banjo

vi Chord — F Sharp Minor or F Sharp Minor Seventh

The sixth chord (vi) in the key of A major is the F sharp minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the F sharp minor chord on banjo.

F Sharp Minor chord chart for banjo

The F sharp minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the vi chord in the key of A major. Below is my favorite way to play the F sharp minor seventh chord.

F Sharp Minor Seventh chord chart for banjo

viidim Chord — G Sharp Diminished or G Sharp Minor Seventh Flat Five

The seventh chord (viidim) in the key of A major is the G sharp diminished chord. Below is my preferred way to play the G sharp diminished chord on banjo.

G Sharp Diminished chord chart for banjo

The G sharp minor seventh flat five chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the viidim chord in the key of A major. Below is my favorite way to play the G sharp minor seventh flat five chord.

G Sharp Minor Seventh Flat Five chord chart for banjo

Chord Progressions in the Key of A Major

Here are 10 chord progressions in the key of A Major that you can experiment with. I have included banjo tablature to make playing the chords easier for you.

1. A Major, D Major, E Major

D| --2---2-----7---7-----9---9---
B| --2---2-----7---7-----9---9---
G| --2---2-----7---7-----9---9---
D| --2---2-----7---7-----9---9---
G| ------------------------------

2. A Major, E Major, F Sharp Minor, D Major

D| --2---2-----9---9-----11--11----7---7---
B| --2---2-----9---9-----10--10----7---7---
G| --2---2-----9---9-----11--11----7---7---
D| --2---2-----9---9-----11--11----7---7---
G| ----------------------------------------

3. A Major, D Major, A Major, E Major

D| --2---2-----7---7-----2---2-----9---9---
B| --2---2-----7---7-----2---2-----9---9---
G| --2---2-----7---7-----2---2-----9---9---
D| --2---2-----7---7-----2---2-----9---9---
G| ----------------------------------------

4. A Major, C Sharp Minor, D Major, F Sharp Minor

D| --2---2-----6---6-----7---7-----11--11--
B| --2---2-----5---5-----7---7-----10--10--
G| --2---2-----6---6-----7---7-----11--11--
D| --2---2-----6---6-----7---7-----11--11--
G| ----------------------------------------

5. F Sharp Minor, D Major, A Major, E Major

D| --11--11----7---7-----2---2-----9---9---
B| --10--10----7---7-----2---2-----9---9---
G| --11--11----7---7-----2---2-----9---9---
D| --11--11----7---7-----2---2-----9---9---
G| ----------------------------------------

6. D Major, A Major, E Major, A Major

D| --7---7-----2---2-----9---9-----2---2---
B| --7---7-----2---2-----9---9-----2---2---
G| --7---7-----2---2-----9---9-----2---2---
D| --7---7-----2---2-----9---9-----2---2---
G| ----------------------------------------

7. A Major, F Sharp Minor, D Major, E Major

D| --2---2-----11--11----7---7-----9---9---
B| --2---2-----10--10----7---7-----9---9---
G| --2---2-----11--11----7---7-----9---9---
D| --2---2-----11--11----7---7-----9---9---
G| ----------------------------------------

8. B Minor, E Major, A Major, F Sharp Minor

D| --4---4-----9---9-----2---2-----11--11--
B| --3---3-----9---9-----2---2-----10--10--
G| --4---4-----9---9-----2---2-----11--11--
D| --4---4-----9---9-----2---2-----11--11--
G| ----------------------------------------

9. A Major, D Major, F Sharp Minor, E Major

D| --2---2-----7---7-----11--11----9---9---
B| --2---2-----7---7-----10--10----9---9---
G| --2---2-----7---7-----11--11----9---9---
D| --2---2-----7---7-----11--11----9---9---
G| ----------------------------------------

10. A Major, B Minor, C Sharp Minor, D Major, E Major

D| --2---2-----4---4-----6---6-----7---7-----9---9---
B| --2---2-----3---3-----5---5-----7---7-----9---9---
G| --2---2-----4---4-----6---6-----7---7-----9---9---
D| --2---2-----4---4-----6---6-----7---7-----9---9---
G| --------------------------------------------------

11. A Major, D Major, B Minor, E Major

D| --2---2-----7---7-----4---4-----9---9---
B| --2---2-----7---7-----3---3-----9---9---
G| --2---2-----7---7-----4---4-----9---9---
D| --2---2-----7---7-----4---4-----9---9---
G| ----------------------------------------

12. A Major, E Major, F Sharp Minor, C Sharp Minor, D Major, A Major, D Major, E Major

D| --2---2-----9---9-----11--11----6---6-----7---7-----2---2-----7---7-----9---9---
B| --2---2-----9---9-----10--10----5---5-----7---7-----2---2-----7---7-----9---9---
G| --2---2-----9---9-----11--11----6---6-----7---7-----2---2-----7---7-----9---9---
D| --2---2-----9---9-----11--11----6---6-----7---7-----2---2-----7---7-----9---9---
G| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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