Build the sound
Play A – C♯ – E♯ – G individually, then choose a shell voicing above. Sing the highest note before playing the chord.
Voicings · A7♯5 · Guitar
A7♯5 voicings on guitar
A7♯5 is spelled A – C♯ – E♯ – 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.
The voicings
3 ways to play A7♯5.
SoundRoot in gold, other voices in teal. Tap any note.
Drop 2
E♯ · A · C♯ · GTake 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 · E♯ · GDrop 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).
Your next 10 minutes
Make A Augmented 7th (7♯5) part of your playing
Change the top note
Compare the displayed voicings of A7♯5. Notice which note is highest in each. Repeat the two shapes with the smallest comfortable hand movement, leaving a beat of silence between them.
Comp with space
Play A7♯5 on beats 2 and 4 at 60 bpm for four bars, then on the “and” of beat 2 for four bars. Keep the same notes while changing the rhythm. Mute unused strings and test each fretted note for buzz.
Listen for this: The chord tones are A, C♯, E♯, G. a dominant that wants extra tension before resolving down a fifth. A fuller voicing is not automatically better: leave room for the melody and bass.
Understand the sound
A7♯5: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives A7♯5 its identity?
The raised fifth changes the dominant’s centre of gravity. Keep the major third and flat seventh clear while you listen to the altered fifth.
Here the third is C♯, and degree ♭7 is G. Play A in the bass and compare these voices individually before combining them.
Choose a useful voicing
Start with the smallest displayed shape you can play cleanly. Move its highest note into a comfortable register and listen for a clear melody above the chord.
Sound the strings separately before playing them together. If a note is muted, adjust the finger angle instead of squeezing harder.
Your guitar checkpoint
Start with A on string 6, fret 5. The next note C♯ is on string 6, fret 9. Name both notes aloud before playing, then find the same two pitches in another octave.
Before moving on, close the diagram and name the notes: A · C♯ · E♯ · G. Then play a two-bar phrase from memory and leave two bars of silence.
Behind the voicings
Every A7♯5 chord tone on the fretboard.
Reference
A7♯5 — chord tones & function.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | unison |
| 3 | C♯ | major 3rd |
| ♯5 | E♯ | augmented 5th |
| ♭7 | G | minor 7th |
Arpeggio: A7♯5 arpeggio on guitar. Scale: A Whole tone.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to comp A7♯5 through all twelve keys, with the chord and scale shown live — plus ear-training and call & response modes.
▶ Open Practice RadioCommon questions
A7♯5 voicings FAQ.
What notes are in A7♯5?
A, C♯, E♯, 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♯ E♯ G and drop the second note from the top an octave: E♯ – 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.
Keep going
Augmented 7th (7♯5) voicings in every other key.
Same chord on piano · Augmented 7th (7♯5) hub.
Other chords from A