Hey Friend,
I hope I didn't scare you off with those "omit 5" chords! Yeah, they're a bit crazy, but there's some really cool sounds to be found when you start goofing off with uncharted chord fingerings.
Let's dive into the key of A major. Here are the chords we will be looking at over the next couple weeks:
I IIm IIIm IV V VIm VII° A Bm C#m D E F#m G#°
A major is the root chord for the key. We looked at A major in the key of D, where it was the V chord. Now it's the I chord.
The A major scale clues us in to the notes we need to form the chord. Here it is:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 A B C# D E F# G# (A)
The A major triad consists of A, C# and E in the 1 3 5 positions, respectively. It's the one chord in the open position that you can play by simply barring three strings. Of course, anything barred scares n00bs, so the three finger shape works just as well (and it's cleaner if you want to include the first string in your strum).
Play A major by placing your index finger on the third string, second fret, middle finger on the fourth string second fret and your ring finger on the second fret, second string. Strum the strings from the fifth string through the first to get a full A major sound.
Just so's you remember, A major is found in three major keys:
Key I IIm IIIm IV V VIm VII° A A Bm C#m D E F#m G#° D D E F#m G A B C#°
E E F#m Gm A B C#m D#°
And three minor keys:
Key Im II° III IVm Vm VI VII Bm Bm C#° D Em F#m G A C#m C#m D#° E F#m G#m A B F#m F#m G#° A Bm C#m D E
Here are the exercise files for the basic A major chord and the various shapes and positions you can use. There are nearly a dozen simple triads you can use for A major up the neck. That gives you plenty of options for different progressions.
Nice guy that I am (or maybe dumbass), I'm going in to work a half hour early to cover for a co-worker. So time to wrap this up. Y'all have a great day!
Peace~
Dave
| 
