Hey Friend,

Okay, this is whack! I know some of you didn't see this ('cause you're new to the group), but it was only two weeks ago today that we talked about the A major barre chord. I didn't really think about it coming around again so quickly, but that's one of the benefits of using the Circle of Fifths.

As we study the various keys, there's repetition built in to help you practice each chord. Because major and minor chords show up in six different keys, you get six opportunities to refresh and re-practice each chord. The only chord type you don't see more than once is the diminished instance in each key. But you didn't care about that one, did you?

Poor, misunderstood diminished chords...

Way back when (in the yesterdays) A major was seen in the key of D, it fulfilled the V chord role in the harmonic progression. Now it's the root for the key, so every chord in the progression is working to pull the listener back to A major for resolution.

Because of how the notes of A major line up on the strings, the root 5 barre version is played in the open position. So the guitar nut is the perfect barre for you - you don't have to press down all the strings because it is already in position. You then either place your fingers in the A shape on the fingerboard, or you barre the second, third and fourth strings at the second fret.

The root 6 barre chord has your index finger barring all six strings at the fifth fret. Then you add in the E major shape with your remaining fingers (as seen in the PDF exercise file).

Of course, you can always make use of the power chord versions rather than play full barre chords. These always sound great when you're rocking out with a bit of distortion applied to your amp. They're also work in a pinch, played on acoustic when you simply need an A Major in that neck vicinity, but full barre chords on acoustic always sound bigger and better. It all depends on what you're trying to accomplish.

Hopefully you're seeing through all this that guitar is incredibly flexible. You aren't locked in to just one chord voicing in one section of the guitar neck. You can move around and use different shapes to emphasize one note over another contained in the chord. You can choose chords based on the neck position and pitch of the notes being used. You can even leave some notes out, or add notes into the chord to create even more interesting sounds.

Lots of good stuff in them thar chords!

Here are the barre chord exercises for A major. Since we're starting off with A as the root, no chord changing exercises today. Enjoy your Friday!

Peace~

Dave