A7♯5 Chord Voicings on Guitar: 3 Ways to Play It

A7♯5 voicings on guitar

A7♯5 is spelled A – C♯ – F – G (1 3 ♯5 ♭7) — a dominant that wants extra tension before resolving down a fifth. Here are 3 ways to voice it on guitar: drop 2, drop 3, shell. Every diagram is playable — press play to hear the chord, or “roll it” to hear the voices one by one, low to high.

3 ways to play A7♯5.

Sound

Root in gold, other voices in teal. Tap any note.

Drop 2

F · A · C♯ · G

Take the close voicing and drop its second-highest voice an octave. The most-used four-note voicing on guitar and in piano left hands. Strings D-G-B-e, frets 3-2-2-3.

Drop 3

C♯ · A · F · G

Drop the third-highest voice of the close voicing an octave: a wide, open sound. Strings A-G-B-e, frets 4-2-6-3 (position 2).

Shell (1–7–3)

A · G · C♯

Root, seventh and third only. The fifth is dropped — it adds nothing to the chord's identity — leaving a light, clear voicing. Strings E-D-G, frets 5-5-6 (position 2).

Chord tone	Note	Interval
1	A	unison
3	C♯	major 3rd
♯5	F	minor 6th
♭7	G	minor 7th

Chord tone

Note

Interval

unison

C♯

major 3rd

♯5

minor 6th

♭7

minor 7th

Arpeggio: A7♯5 arpeggio on guitar. Scale: A Whole tone.

A7♯5 voicings FAQ.

What notes are in A7♯5?

A, C♯, F, G — chord tones 1 3 ♯5 ♭7.

What is the easiest A7♯5 voicing on guitar?

The shell voicing (root, seventh, third) on strings E, D, G: three notes, one comfortable shape, and it still sounds unmistakably like A7♯5.

What is a drop-2 voicing?

Start from the close voicing A C♯ F G and drop the second note from the top an octave: F – A – C♯ – G. It spreads the chord so it fits the hand — and on guitar it fits four adjacent strings.

Where does A7♯5 appear?

A7♯5 is a dominant that wants extra tension before resolving down a fifth. Its character is floating, whole-tone.