A 5 Guitar Chord | Play, Hear and Practice Powerfully

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The A5 chord, the A power chord, is the pair A and E: a root and a perfect fifth. The open A string supplies the root and the E sits two frets up on the next string, so the common shape needs only one fretted note.

Fourteen shapes are listed on this page, five of them using open strings and five using a barre, from fret 2 up to fret 14. Turn on the labels in the fretboard player at the top to see every note named as you move between them. The A minor pentatonic scale keeps A and E in reach for riffs.

The A power chord is also written as A5, A(no 3rd) or A(omit 3).

Notes that compose the A 5 chord:

A E

Chord formula for the Powerchord chord:

Formula: 1 5

A 5 Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the D string
Mute the G string
Mute the B string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 5 of the low E string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 7 of the A string

Position 2 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the G string
Mute the B string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the A and D strings at the same time

Position 3 Barre Open

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Let the A string play without pressing any fret
Mute the B string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the D and G strings at the same time

Position 4 Open

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Let the A string play without pressing any fret
Mute the G string
Mute the B string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the D string

Position 5 Barre Open

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Let the A string play without pressing any fret
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the D and G strings at the same time
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the B string

Position 6 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the A string
Mute the B string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the D and G strings at the same time
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the low E string

Position 7 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the G string
Mute the B string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 12 of the A string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 14 of the D string

Position 8 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the G string
Mute the B string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 5 of the low E string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 7 of the A string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 7 of the D string

Position 9 Open

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Let the A string play without pressing any fret
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the D string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the G string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 10 of the B string

Position 10 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Mute the B string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the D string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the G string

Position 11 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the B string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 12 of the A string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 14 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 14 of the G string

Position 12 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the D string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the G string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 10 of the B string

Position 13 Barre Open

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Let the A string play without pressing any fret
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the D and G strings at the same time
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the B and high E strings at the same time

Position 14 Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Mute the A string
Mute the D string
Mute the high E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the G string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the B string

Find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you prefer a printable pdf, download the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf

Play This Chord With Other Roots

C 5 | D 5 | E 5 | F 5 | G 5 | A 5 | B 5 | C#5 | D#5 | F#5 | G#5 | A#5 | Ab5 | Bb5 | Db5 | Eb5 | Gb5

Want to Learn Everything About Chords?

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You'll learn how to play 44 chords types across all the fretboard, with many voicings and fingerings

In the ebook you can also find maps show you the tones in a chord all along the fretboard. They are incredibly helpful because allow you to:

Create new voicings on the fly, across all the neck
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Unlock the fretboard and expand the CAGED system.

In the new ebook, Chords Domination, you'll find the fretboard tones maps for 44 different qualities of chords. Check it out:

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Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

What notes are in A5?

A5, the A power chord, has just two notes: A and E. The E is the perfect fifth of A, seven semitones from the root. There is no third.

How is A5 different from an A major or A minor chord?

A major adds C#, and A minor adds C, but A5 has neither. Only A and E are present, so it sounds neutral.

How many voicings does A5 have?

A5 has 14 voicings, from fret 2 up to fret 14. Five of them use open strings, and five use a barre.

Which scale fits A power chord?

The A Minor Pentatonic Scale (A, C, D, E, G) contains both notes of A5. Root and fifth are both inside the scale.