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.