A major chordson the mandolin

Main chords: A (I), D (IV), E (V)

The scale: A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯

Drones: Open A and E ring in A major; D fits the key too. The courses are G D A E, low to high.

Capo 2: play it with G major shapes, and every open course is in the key.

Print it: A major on one page (PDF), or the session pack: the chord chart and a page for each session key.

Common progressions

• I – IV – I – V: A – D – A – E (a plain backing for many reels and jigs)
• I – V – I: A – E – A (polkas and simple tunes)
• I – vi – IV – V: A – F♯m – D – E (a B part that wanders, or a song)

Basis: DADGAD Guitar blog (2009), the Chiff & Fipple forum, and common session practice: most major-key tunes use I, IV and V; vi now and then.

The seven chords in A major

1. I A2 2 4 0
2. ii Bm4 0 2 2
3. iii C♯m1 2 4 0
4. IV D2 0 0 2
5. V E1 2 2 0
6. vi F♯m2 4 4 2
7. vii° G♯dim1 0 2 4

Other modes on A

Other major keys

A major in other tunings

All Mandolin GDAE chords · A major sheet (PDF) · Printable chart (PDF) · The app