A — the A major guitar chord
A major is warm and punchy, and it sits next to E and D in thousands of songs. Three fingers share the 2nd fret, so the real problem is space. Crowded fingertips lean over and choke the high E. Stack them on their tips, and keep the low E string out of the strum.
How to play it
- Index finger on the D string (4th), 2nd fret.
- Middle finger on the G string (3rd), 2nd fret.
- Ring finger on the B string (2nd), 2nd fret.
- Let the open A string (5th) and high E string (1st) ring.
- Don't strum the low E string (6th). It stays silent in this shape.
Changes to practice
Holding A still is the easy part. Songs need you to arrive at it in rhythm, so in Strumhold you practice A as changes, alongside the rest of the Open Majors set: