The A# major chord, also known as Bb major, is fairly common in popular music since it belongs to the key of F major, one of the most universal keys since the ‘80s. This chord, even though it gives out a positive sound that could be associated with happiness, can be played with and mixed with other chords to make it sound melancholic. This chord is mostly used in genres such as rock, folk, and indie!
If you’d like to compose using this chord, you could try using chords such as B#m, Cxm, D#, E#, Fxm, and Gx diminished (these chords are the same as Cm, Dm, Eb, F, Gm, A diminished), which are all chords that belong to the key of A# major. However, you don’t have to get stuck in those chords, since you can also try using chords from the keys of F major, G minor, C minor, D minor, and D# major!
The A# major chord isn’t an easy chord to play. It has an unusual digitation that could be challenging for some guitar players. We’ll show you many options that you can try while you’re practicing how to play the A# major standard chord shape!
Without further ado, let’s check some of the A# major chord shapes from the easiest to the most challenging ones!
Easy A# Major Chord Shape
Since A# major chord is pretty challenging, here we have for you a useful chord shape that will help you play this chord but in an easier way. This chord shape is the root position of the A# major triads. We’ll check the rest in the next section. Follow the next image to learn how to play the easy version of this chord:
A# Major Triad Chord Shapes
Now that you know the first triad that A# major has for us, it’s time for you to learn the rest of the triads that you could use to play the A# major chord. It would be recommended that you learn each of these very well, because not only will they help you play the A# major chord more easily, but they’ll give you a broader repertoire of sounds that play the same chord.
Keep in mind that each of these shapes has a unique sound but will ultimately play the A# major chord. Let’s check some of the A# major triads that you can play right now:
Standard A# Major Chord Shape
If you feel that you know very well the chords we previously showed you, then it’s time for you to learn the standard A# major chord shape. This isn’t an easy shape, and it could take some time for you to learn how to get a good sound out of it if you’re a beginner, but know that anyone can learn how to play this chord shape.
Get your hand ready, because this shape will make you stretch some fingers! Follow the next image to learn how to play the Standard A# major chord shape:
A# Major Barre Chord Shapes
If you’d like to add another level of difficulty, you could try playing the barre chord versions of A# major! They’re as challenging as the standard version, and if you got that already, then you should have no problem learning how to play these chord shapes! Remember that these shapes are challenging, and you might not play them correctly on your first try.
We would recommend you follow these tips on how to get your hand used to playing barre chords:
- Press with the side of your index finger the whole set of strings on the first frets. For now, just use that finger until you produce a good sound out of all of the strings.
- As soon as you can play all of the notes with your index finger pressing them, you can proceed to place the other fingers where they belong to play the chord.
- Practice the chord as much as you can. You can do that by pressing and releasing the strings while following the shape.
Follow the next image to learn how to play the standard A# major chord:
