A Major

A

A, or A major, is the first chord in the key of A. It is the "root" chord/note of the key, which means all chords naturally want to resolve to A.

In roman numerals, this chord is written as: I

To play this chord, you’ll play the open A string, place your first finger on the D string 2nd fret, your second finger on the G string 2nd fret, your third finger on the B string 2nd fret, and play the open high e string. Here's how you can play the D chord:

Bm

Bm, or B minor, is the second chord in the key of A.

In roman numerals, this chord is written as: ii

To play this chord, you’ll place your first finger on the A string 2nd fret, your third finger on the D string 4th fret, fourth finger on the G string 4th fret right under your third finger, and your second finger on the B string 3rd fret. You can choose to play this as a bar/barre chord, however, it’s much simpler to just mute the low and high E strings with a combination of your thumb and first finger. Here's how you can play the Bm chord:

C#m

C#m, or C# minor, is the third chord in the key of A. In order to play the C#m chord without playing a bar chord version, we will technically be playing a C#m7 (C# minor seven) chord. This means we’re adding in the B note, and it will still sound good in place of a regular C#m7 chord.

In roman numerals, this chord is written as: iii

To play this chord, you’ll place your third finger on the A string 4th fret, your first finger on the D string 2nd fret, your fourth finger on the G string 4th fret, and optionally play the open B and high e strings. Here's how you can play the C#m7 chord:

D

D, or D major, is the fourth chord in the key of A.

In roman numerals, this chord is written as: IV

To play this chord, you’ll play the open D string, place your first finger on the G string 2nd fret, your third finger on the B string 3rd fret, and your second finger on the high e string 2nd fret. Here's how you can play the D chord:

E

E, or E major, is the fifth chord in the key of A.

In roman numerals, this chord is written as: V

To play this chord, you’ll play the open low E string, place your second finger on the A string 2nd fret, your third finger on the D string 2nd fret, and your first finger on the G string 1st fret. Play the open B and high e strings as well, so for this chord voicing you’ll be strumming all of the strings. Here's how you can play the D chord:

F#m

F#m, or F# minor, is the sixth chord in the key of A.

In roman numerals, this chord is written as: vi

To play this chord, you’ll place your third finger on the A string 4th fret, place your fourth finger on the D string 4th fret, your first finger on the G string 2nd fret, and mute the B and e strings. Here's how you can play the F#m chord:

G#dim

G#dim, G#º, or G# diminished, is the seventh chord in the key of A. In all reality you probably won’t play a diminished chord during contemporary worship, however, you may play Gospel, Jazz, Funk, or enjoy writing your own music and may need to know this chord.

In roman numerals, this chord is written as: viiº

To play this chord, you’ll place your first finger on the D string 1st fret, place your second finger on the G string 1st fret, and place your first finger on the B string 1st fret. Here's how you can play the G#dim chord: