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A piano reference: chords, scales, theory. Full MIDI.

A♯ Major 7th

Notes: A♯ - C♯♯ - E♯ - G♯♯ | Degrees: 1 - 3 - 5 - 7 | Written: A♯maj7, A♯M7, A♯Δ7

Construction: Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Major 7th

It is a major triad with an added major 7th, giving it a dreamy, sophisticated, and jazzy sound

Fingering: RH 2-3-4-5, LH 5-4-3-2

Inversions: Root A♯maj7 - 1st A♯maj7/C♯♯ - 2nd A♯maj7/E♯ - 3rd A♯maj7/G♯♯

< A Major 7th | B♭ Major 7th >

B♭ Major 7th
This is the same chord as B♭ Major 7th: the same keys on the keyboard, spelled with flats.
Related boards
A♯maj711 st, 151.0 mmRoot position, figured bass 7

A♯3, C×4, E♯4, G×4

Fingerings

Root position: either hand, fingers low note to high
HandNotesFingers
RightA♯, C×, E♯, G×2-3-4-5
LeftA♯, C×, E♯, G×5-4-3-2

Close-position standard fingering: either hand takes the whole shape. Thumb is 1, little finger is 5.

A♯ Major 7th: notes and degrees

A♯maj7 contains A♯, C×, E♯ and G×. A major triad with the major seventh added on top.

Scale degree, note, and interval measured from the root.
DegreeNoteInterval from rootSemitones
1A♯Perfect unison0
3Major third4
5E♯Perfect fifth7
7Major seventh11

A♯ is a black key; C×, E♯ and G× are white.

Construction

A♯ Major 7th = Root + Major 3rd + Perfect 5th + Major 7th = A♯, C♯♯, E♯, G♯♯
NoteIntervalDegree
A♯Root1
C♯♯Major 3rd3
E♯Perfect 5th5
G♯♯Major 7th7

Fingering

NoteKey colorRight handLeft hand
A♯blackindex finger (2)little finger (5)
C♯♯whitemiddle finger (3)ring finger (4)
E♯whitering finger (4)middle finger (3)
G♯♯whitelittle finger (5)index finger (2)

Right hand: index finger (2) on A♯, middle finger (3) on C♯♯, ring finger (4) on E♯, little finger (5) on G♯♯.

Left hand: little finger (5) on A♯, ring finger (4) on C♯♯, middle finger (3) on E♯, index finger (2) on G♯♯.

A♯ Major 7th Inversions

  • Root position
    A♯ – C♯♯ – E♯ – G♯♯
  • 1st inversion (A♯maj7/C♯♯)
    C♯♯ – E♯ – G♯♯ – A♯
  • 2nd inversion (A♯maj7/E♯)
    E♯ – G♯♯ – A♯ – C♯♯
  • 3rd inversion (A♯maj7/G♯♯)
    G♯♯ – A♯ – C♯♯ – E♯

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the A♯ Major 7th is the tonic (I) chord of A♯ Major, whose key signature has 2 flats (B♭, E♭).

B♭E♭

Order of flats

Flats are added in a fixed order — the reverse of the sharp order. Each new flat key adds the next flat on the list.

BEADGCF

Mnemonic: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father

Chords in the Key of A♯ Major

These are the triads built on each degree of A♯ Major:

C1C2C3C4C5C♯♯E♯C6C7C8A♯
IA♯ Major (major)
DegreeNumeralChordQuality
1IA♯ MajorMajor
2iiB♯ MinorMinor
3iiiC♯♯ MinorMinor
4IVD♯ MajorMajor
5VE♯ MajorMajor
6viF♯♯ MinorMinor
7vii°G♯♯ DiminishedDiminished

Scales That Include the A♯ Major 7th

A♯ Major 7th : Frequently Asked Questions

What is the A♯ Major 7th chord on piano?
The A♯ Major 7th chord contains the notes A♯ – C♯♯ – E♯ – G♯♯. On piano, play these notes together to sound the chord.
What is the A# piano chord?
The A# piano chord (written A♯ Major 7th) uses the same keys: A♯ – C♯♯ – E♯ – G♯♯. The # and ♯ symbols name the same black key.
What notes are in the A# Major 7th chord?
A# Major 7th is built from the A# root. Check the interactive keyboard above for exact notes and fingering.
How is the A# Major 7th chord used in music?
A# Major 7th appears in jazz, pop, and classical contexts. Its sound depends on the chord quality (Major 7th).
What is the fingering for A# Major 7th?
See the fingering chart above. Right hand typically uses thumb on root. Left hand uses pinky on root.
What are the inversions of A# Major 7th?
Use the inversion buttons above to see each inversion with notes, fingering, and staff notation.

A♯ Major 7th in detail

Exact

Every pitch class is present and nothing outside the chord is added.

TypeNotesSemitonesSpanOmissions and additionsSet relationFit
Close, root positionA♯3 C×4 E♯4 G×411151 mmnoneidentical
Close, first inversionC×4 E♯4 G×4 A♯48110 mmnoneidentical
Close, second inversionE♯4 G×4 A♯4 C×59124 mmnoneidentical
Close, third inversionG×4 A♯4 C×5 E♯58110 mmnoneidentical
Drop 2E♯3 A♯3 C×4 G×416220 mmnoneidentical
Drop 3C×3 A♯3 E♯4 G×419261 mmnoneidentical
Drop 2 and 4A♯2 E♯3 C×4 G×423316 mmnoneidentical

Reduced

A subset of the pitch classes: the identity is incomplete rather than altered.

TypeNotesSemitonesSpanOmissions and additionsSet relationFit
Shell, root 7 3A♯2 G×3 C×416220 mmomits E♯subset
Guide tones, 3 and 7C×4 G×4796 mmomits A♯ and E♯subset
Rootless closeC×4 E♯4 G×4796 mmomits A♯subset

Spans are measured centre to centre at a 165 mm octave (standard keyboard geometry).

Which keys it belongs to

KeyRoman numeralFunction
D minor♭VImaj7Pre-dominant colour
F majorIVmaj7Subdominant, away from home
G minor♭IIImaj7Relative-major colour
B♭ majorImaj7Tonic, home

Classification system: common-practice functional harmony.

Change one note

Chords a single note away, and what moving that note does.

ChordChangeFormulaCommon tones
A♯maj9adds B♯1 3 5 7 94
A♯drops G×1 3 53
A♯7G× becomes G♯1 3 5 ♭73
A♯mMaj7C× becomes C♯1 ♭3 5 73
A♯6G× becomes F×1 3 5 63
A♯add9G× becomes B♯1 3 5 93
A♯9G× becomes G♯, B♯1 3 5 ♭7 93
A♯mC×, G× becomes C♯1 ♭3 52
A♯augE♯, G× becomes E×1 3 ♯52
A♯sus2C×, G× becomes B♯1 2 52
A♯sus4C×, G× becomes D♯1 4 52
A♯m7C×, G× becomes C♯, G♯1 ♭3 5 ♭72

Frequencies

NoteMIDIFrequency
A♯358233.08 Hz
C×462293.66 Hz
E♯465349.23 Hz
G×469440.00 Hz

Reference pitch A440, 12-TET, close root position.

Set theory: prime form, Forte number, interval vector
Absolute pitch class set
{10, 2, 5, 9}
Normal order
[9, 10, 2, 5]
Prime form
(0158)
Forte number
4-20
Interval vector
<101220>
PairIntervalSemitonesInterval class
A♯ to C×Major third44
A♯ to E♯Perfect fifth75
A♯ to G×Major seventh111
C× to E♯Minor third33
C× to G×Perfect fifth75
E♯ to G×Major third44

Where these facts come from

Every value on this page is derived from the note formula for a major 7th applied to the root A♯, using standard music theory. Nothing here is hand-entered per chord, so the notes, intervals, inversions and frequencies cannot drift out of agreement with each other. Pitches assume 12-TET at A440.