Lesson 10 Video

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Lesson 10

Lesson 10 - A Major Chord

A Major Chord

Lesson Goals:

♦ Learn the finger positions for the A major chord
♦ Visualize the A chord and recall it without looking at the chart
♦ Hear the change when going from the E7 to the A major chord

Now we will introduce you to the A chord. This is a very important chord and one that you will use a lot.

It is also the basis for some other things we will learn down the road so pay close attention to this one.

 

As you can see from the diagram there are a variety of fingering combinations you can use to play the A chord. Which one is right for you is a matter of personal preference.

In the beginning you may find it easier to play the A chord using one of the 3 finger methods as this will give you more finger pressure to make to chord sound good.

Go ahead and play around with the different fingerings and see what is most comfortable to you before we move on.

 

Now let's play the following passage. As you can see, the first three measures are the E to E7 change that we did in the last lesson, and the next measures finish out with the A chord.

Notice that when we leave the E7 chord and go to the A chord, the anticipation caused by the 7th chord now feels "complete" by going to the A.

10_e e7 to a chart

Lesson 10 Summary

It is very important to work on visualizing the A major chord and be able to recall it without looking at the diagram. This is a "pattern" that you will see quite a bit later on.

Don't forget to try forming the A chord using the one finger barring method. Even if you can't get it perfect right now it will really pay off down the road if you keep practicing it this way.

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Lesson Help

Jam Tip!

My personal preference is to play the A chord using the one finger barring method. It can be a little tricky at first to get the chord to sound right and also keep your finger from muting the 1st and 5th strings. But I would highly encourage you to try this one finger method at some point because it will really make a lot of other things you do down the road much easier!

 

A Chord

10_a chord diagram

A Chord

10_a chord pic 1

A Chord

10_a chord pic 2

A Chord

10_a chord pic 3

My Favorite!