A#
How to play the A# (A sharp) Major Chord on your piano or keyboard
From the chord symbol A# we get the following information:
- The A# chord has the note A# as root note
- The A# chord is a 3-note chord (a triad)
- The A# chord is a major chord
Because A# is a 3-note chord it also has 3 inversions:
- Root inversion
- 1st. inversion
- 2nd. inversion
IMPORTANT: The sharp chord A# is exactly the same as the flat chord Bb. Due to the placement of A# in the circle of fifths it is much easier to understand what notes to use if we look upon the A# as a Bb. This is to avoid using double sharps which are more difficult to understand. The rest of this page will call the A# for Bb.
A#/Bb chord – Root inversion (basic inversion) looks like this: Bb(A#) – D – F
A#/Bb chord – 1st. inversion (root note at the top of the chord): D – F – Bb(A#)
A#/Bb chord – 2nd. inversion (root note in the middle of the chord): F – Bb(A#) – D
A#/Bb chord – fingering:
Root inversion:
| Finger | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Note | A#/Bb | D | F |
1st. inversion:
| Finger | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Note | D | F | A#/Bb |
2nd. inversion:
| Finger | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Note | F | A#/Bb | D |
Bb chord – Closely related scales and harmonic functions:
The Bb chord is the 1st. step in the Bb major scale
| Step | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Chord | Bb | Cm | Dm | Eb | F | Gm | Am(b5) |
The Bb chord is the 4th. step in the F major scale
| Step | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Chord | F | Gm | Am | Bb | C | Dm | Em(b5) |
The Bb chord is the 5th. step in the Eb major scale
| Step | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Chord | Eb | Fm | Gm | Ab | Bb | Cm | Dm(b5) |
The Bb chord is the 3rd. step in the G minor scale
| Step | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Chord | Gm | Am(b5) | Bb | Cm | Dm | Eb | F |
More on the piano chord A-sharp
When it comes to the A-sharp chord on piano, it is important to note that A-sharp is actually the same note as B-flat. Therefore, the A-sharp major chord consists of A# (or Bb), D, and F.
To play this chord, start by placing your right thumb on A# (or Bb), your middle finger on D, and your pinky on F. Play these three notes together to form the A-sharp major chord.
If you want to add some depth to your A-sharp chord, you can also incorporate an extra root note in your left hand. Simply play the A# note an octave lower than the A# note played in your right hand, using your left hand pinky finger.
This will give your A-sharp chord a fuller and more resonant sound. You can also experiment with adding other notes or playing the chord in different inversions to create different moods and textures in your music.