A guitar chords
- Volodymyr Shalayko
- Feb 9, 2022
- 3 min read
The A chord (A major chord) is perhaps the most commonly used chord and is played using three fingers. We put the index finger on string 4 (D string) in the second square, the middle finger on string 3 (G string) in the second square and the ring finger on string 2 (B string) in the third square. As a tab, this would be noted as follows: x02220.
In the chord diagram, the characters X and O are included. The X means that you do not play this string. The O means that you don't play this string but you do play it. In guitar terms we call this an open string. Because the A chord is formed from open and struck strings, we also call it an open chord. If you grab the chord correctly, you can play the chord.
Fingerings
If you turn the chord diagram A it will look like this:
E string - x, do not strike (thickest string)
A string - 0 open string
D string - 2 finger on second fret
g string - 2 finger on second fret
b string - 2 finger on second fret
e string - 0 open string (thin string)
How do you play the A chord on your guitar?
How do you play an A chord cleanly? If you listen carefully to the strings all the strings you strike sound clear and warm. If, when you strike a chord, one of the strings is muffled by the other fingers, you will notice that the chord no longer sounds clear. Try to place your fingers better. The video below is played through the interactive media player.
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Songs
There are many songs that are played with the A chord. Below is a list of easy, difficult and ProTabs songs that use the A guitar chord. With the ProTabs songs you can play along synchronously, which makes it interactive and even more fun! Experience for yourself how easy and fun playing guitar can be!
Easy guitar songs in A chord
Difficult guitar songs in A chord
ProTabs songs in A
Variations of the A chord
There are several variations on the G chord. We cover the most common ones, also take a look at the minor, minor seventh and major seventh variations.
Barre chords
Just as we have open chords in A, we can also play the A chord with a barre. A barre means that you put the index finger straight over all the strings and can play many strings with one finger. In most cases, the open chords are shifted by means of a barre so that you get a different sound color with the same chord. Curious how the barre chord is played correctly? Then take a look at our lesson series!
Power chords
Power chords or also called power chords are often used in rock music. Typically this is a simplified version of the barre chord. Instead of playing all the strings, in a power chord, you play three at most. Because you're only using three fingers, this will help speed things up. It's also a great start to learning the positions of barre chords. Check out our lesson series for more information on power chords.
Other major chords in A
Besides the A chord, there are 6 other root chords that are commonly used. Learn them all to be able to play as many songs as possible :)
Want to learn to play guitar and chords effectively, join Guitar Tabs and follow our full guitar lesson learning schedule. Through video lessons, we will help you step by step with the correct chords.
Good luck!
Levi from Gitaartabs
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