Teaching the A chord (guitar)

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 08:19 AM

Index finger across all 4 bottom stings, second fret, and the little finger holding down the top E on the 5th fret.

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 07:52 AM

I would start a beginner off with a simple, two-finger A7: X02020 with middle finger on 4th string and ring finger on 2nd string. Then, when they're comfortable with that, slip the index finger in on the 3rd string to change it to an A major (X02220).

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: Bernard
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 07:49 AM

I forgot to mention - I always teach students to tuck the pinky in behind the ring finger - it helps avoid damping the high E and helps in holding the B string down... and I encourage them to practice 'stacking' the three fingers without a guitar as often as they can - the pad of one finger sits on the nail of the next.

I've found that size of hand is far less important than determination!!

If you adopt the 'correct classical position' with the thumb in the middle of the back of the neck, even small hands can manage very well - I was teaching junior school children this way.

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: Charmion
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 07:14 AM

A person with small hands and short fingers will need to keep the pinkie on the treble side of the shape to avoid damping the high E string.

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: Bernard
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 06:57 AM

I've always taught students to first play E with the index finger on 3rd string, first fret, middle finger on 5th string second fret and ring finger on 4th string second fret.

Then I tell them not to move the index finger (guitarist's motto 'never lift a finger unless you have to'), move the middle and ring fingers across to 4th and 3rd strings respectively, and put the 'pinky' on the 2nd string, second fret, giving the A chord.

It also means the slightly tricky B7 chord is easier to get to - and I use the 12-bar blues as an ideal chord progression for practice. There's always one finger that doesn't move when changing from one chord to the next, so it encourages tidy fingering.

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: Stanron
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 06:17 AM

A lot depends on the student and the guitar. A child learning on a classical guitar has lots of space to use three fingers. An adult on a narrow necked steel string may find that three fingers don't fit.

When I started learning I found it much easier to hold the fourth and third strings with one finger and the second string with the next. I had a similar two finger version of the E chord.

50 years later I still use those shapes, although I have learned some more since then.

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: GUEST,wyrdolafr
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 05:20 AM

Will, I agree. What's leading up to the chord or how you're going to come out of that chord is pretty important, even in open chords down by the nut. When you're first starting playing the guitar and fretting anything at all is a conscious effort, getting the right fingering early on makes those difficult first changes a lot easier.

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: JohnDun
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 04:30 AM

I'm with Sandy on this one, the index finger on the G string.

When playing in the key of A, I keep my index finger on the G string all the time just sliding it about between the 1st and 2nd frets for the A, D & E chords, and taking it off for the A7.

It also feels easier and more relaxing for me to keep my middle finger 'above' my index finger as in the E, Em, E7, F, G, G7, Am, B7, C, C7, Dm, & D7 chords. - (lights blue touchpaper and runs for cover)

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: Will Fly
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 04:01 AM

You could, of course, also try this:

007650

Easy to fret and with an interesting ring to it...

As far as any chord fingering is concerned, you have to consider the place of the chord in relation to those around it - and how you make the change. For root A, the previous and following chords may indicate a slight change in fingering from one A to the next occurrence of A.

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: Mr Happy
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 03:55 AM

Guess I'm outnumbered, but I've always used index fingerpad to cover all 3 strings for A & don't find it at all limiting, in fact I've more spare fingers left over to play ornamentations etc

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: GUEST,Stim
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 03:42 PM

Though I know and use, a lot of different fingerings for an "A" chord, I tend to play out of the closed position barred A on the fifth fret--depending on what I'm playing.   but what I use doesn't have much to do with what I'd teach a beginner to do.

The thing is, you have to teach how to move from one chord to another in a way that they can add to and develop to suit whatever style of music they want to play. Needless to say, this is going to be really different--

For rock and blues, I used to teach that one finger thing you do, and, to make it easier, I'd actually have them start out holding the E note on the second fret D string down all the way, and letting the finger damp the rest of the strings. Then I'd teach them to squeeze and get the rest of the notes in, whenever they could manage it.

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: Don Firth
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 02:54 PM

I fret the 4th and 3rd strings with my first finger and the second finger fretting the 2nd string. All, of course, on the second fret.

Other fingerings, of course, for further up the fingerboard.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: Midchuck
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 02:47 PM

I prefer last three fingers (middle, ring, pinkie) on the three strings, for two reasons:

I have fat fingers, and they fit better than the first three.

If the index finger is free, you can move the whole business up, and fret the high e two frets down with the index finger, and get a four-string Bb or B or C or C# or D or...

P.

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: GUEST,999
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 01:26 PM

Political finger on the D and G strings, and the finger between the political finger and pinky on the B string, both at the second fret.

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: GUEST,wyrdolafr
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 01:25 PM

I think the best way is to teach her to fret an Amajor with three fingers, but with both '1st on D, 2nd on G, 3rd on B' and 2nd on D, 3rd on G, 4th on B' as moving around those open positions around the nut, different versions of the chord work a little easier depending on the chord you're either moving from or moving to.

The same goes for a lot of those supposedly 'easy' open chords like Emajor. Fretting with 1st, 2nd and 3rd fingers makes a lot sense playing things like Edom7, Esus &c, but its a bit clumsy when leading up to various barre chords &c.

It's one of those things where she won't thank you for it right now, but in the long run, she'll be glad she didn't get stuck with a 'definitive' but limiting way.

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 12:54 PM

A does tend to be a painful chord in the base position to start with, especially for some hands.

The least painful one to use instead is maybe with the index finger on the B string at the fith fret, the middle finger on the G string at the sixth fret, and the index finger on the D string at the seventh fret. Sounds complicated, but it's dead easy.

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: GUEST,alex s no cookie
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 12:47 PM

Middle 4, Ring 3, Pinkie 2

Good for:
Big fingers and/or narrow fretboards
and
Strengthens the pinkie for general usage

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 12:38 PM

Crossover, index on G, middle on D, ring on B.

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: The Sandman
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 12:15 PM

no, i use 3 fingers,index on 4 middle on 3, ring on 2

Subject: RE: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 12:15 PM

I think that the 3 finger version is used by most beginners: index (D string), middle (G string) and ring (B string)

Subject: Teaching the A chord (guitar)
From: Cool Beans
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 12:10 PM

I'm teaching my (adult) daughter how to play the guitar and it's time she graduated to another key. I play the one-finger A chord, with my index finger holding down all three strings and avoiding the high E. That can be painful to a beginner. Do all you Mudcat guitarists play the A chord that way?