Learn › A Major Chord on Piano, Left Hand (A)
New Released in April 2026
A Major Chord on Piano, Left Hand (A)
Play A with the left hand on A, C# and E, in the octave below middle C, fingers 5 3 1. Below you find the shape, five accompaniment patterns and a progression where the hand barely moves.
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- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
A for the left hand, position by position
Finger 5 (little finger) always takes the bottom note. Keep the hand low, near middle C but below it: lower than that the chord gets muddy. Black keys: C# (finger 3). White keys: A E (finger 5, 1). Move the hand slightly in so the fingers on black keys do not slip.
| Position | Notes, bottom up | Fingers |
|---|---|---|
| Root position | A C# E | 5 3 1 |
| 1st inversion | C# E A | 5 3 1 |
| 2nd inversion | E A C# | 5 2 1 |
Change from A without jumping
Each chord takes the position closest to the one before. Notes that two chords share stay under the same finger.
| Chord | Left hand plays | Keys that stay |
|---|---|---|
| A | A C# E (Root position) | starting chord |
| D | A D F# (2nd inversion) | A |
| E | G# B E (1st inversion) | new position |
| A | A C# E (Root position) | E |
Make the left hand automatic on A
- Place finger 5 on A, then let the other fingers fall on C# and E.
- Go through the patterns in the order of the table: block chord; walk up the chord; root and fifth; broken chord; arpeggio up and down.
- Loop A → D → E → A with the positions above, eyes on the music, not on the hand.
- Last, add a simple right-hand note on top: the left hand should keep going on its own.
Short daily practice wins: the left hand learns by repetition, not by long sessions.
From block chord to moving bass on A
Start with the first, add one pattern per day. Count four beats for each.
| Pattern | Notes | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Block chord | A+C#+E | learning a new song, hymns |
| Walk up the chord | A C# E A | a moving bass line between two chords |
| Root and fifth | A+E | driving rhythms, a strong open sound |
| Broken chord (low, high, middle, high) | A E C# E | soft verses, piano solos |
| Arpeggio up and down | A C# E C# | waltzes and slow ballads |
What the right hand plays over A
Over A, the safest right-hand notes are the chord notes A C# E; scale notes between them work as passing notes.
If both hands play the same notes in the same octave the sound gets thick: leave a gap.
Play A in ChordRunner
Practise reading the symbol and finding the chord fast: ChordRunner gives you one chord after another, with MIDI or microphone, and adds harder chord types level by level.
Play the demoCommon questions
How do you play A on piano with the left hand?
Put finger 5 on A below middle C and play A, C# and E with fingers 5 3 1.
Can the left hand play just two notes of A?
Yes: root and fifth, A E. It keeps the bass full and leaves the colour to the right hand.
Is the left hand the same as the right hand for A?
Same notes, mirrored fingers: the right hand plays A with 1 3 5, the left hand with 5 3 1, because the little finger sits at the bottom.
Can I practise left-hand chords with a MIDI keyboard?
Yes. ChordRunner detects a USB MIDI keyboard automatically, and an acoustic piano works through the microphone. It accepts A in any octave, so you can train the left hand alone.
Your instrument is the controller.
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
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