CHORD REFERENCE

A7♯5

A – C♯ – E♯ – G1 3 #5 b7

The A 7♯5 chord and everything around it — the notes and how they are built, the shape on piano and guitar, the sound, and the keys it belongs to.

Notes
A1C♯3E♯#5Gb7

A7♯5 is A, C#, E#, G — the 1, 3, #5 and b7 above the root A.

Piano
AE♯GC♯
Guitar

Guitar — every position (frets 0–12)

357912eE♯GAC♯BC♯E♯GAGGAC♯E♯GDE♯GAC♯AAC♯E♯GAEE♯GAC♯

Root notes are red. There is no standard open shape for this chord — any group of these notes on the neck sounds the chord.

Ukulele (standard G–C–E–A)

357912AAC♯E♯GAEE♯GAC♯CC♯E♯GAGGAC♯E♯G

Every position of the chord tones on the ukulele neck — any group that sounds only A, C#, E#, G plays the chord.

In which keys

A7♯5 is a colour chord — it is not diatonic to a plain major or minor key, which is what gives it its character. It shows up as a borrowed chord, an altered dominant, or a passing sound.

Other A chords

Triads

AMajorAmMinorA5Power Chord (5)AdimDiminishedAaugAugmentedAsus2Suspended 2ndAsus4Suspended 4th

Sixths & sevenths

A6Major 6thAm6Minor 6thA7Dominant 7thAmaj7Major 7thAm7Minor 7thAm(maj7)Minor–Major 7thAdim7Diminished 7thAm7♭5Half-Diminished (m7♭5)A7sus47sus4

Altered dominants

A7♭57♭5A7♭97♭9A7♯97♯9 (Hendrix Chord)

Extended & added

Aadd9Added 9thA6/96/9A9Dominant 9thAmaj9Major 9thAm9Minor 9thA11Dominant 11thA13Dominant 13th
7♯5 on another root
CD♭DE♭EFG♭GA♭AB♭B
Keep exploring

Work out the chords of a whole key with the Scale & Chord Finder, name a chord from its notes with the Chord Identifier, or browse every chord tool. The theory behind how chords are built is in the free Cloud Atelier music guides.