Learning how to play the A Shape Major Chord is just one of those challenges that every guitar player must face at some point.

The A Major Barre Chord can be tricky, but in this lesson, we'll learn every tip and trick that I know to help you overcome any challenges you may have when learning how to play it. If you've tried this shape before and found it a struggle, stay tuned for all of the different variations we'll learn in this tutorial; one of them might be the one that works for you!

💡 We are all anatomically different. This means some grip variations might particularly suit your hand shape better than others. I've ever taught these chords to so many students, and I can say that you can learn it too! It may be pretty challenging to start off, but all you need is the right variation and a little bit of time to develop the finger strength in the right places and the muscle memory to be able to change between chords!

The A Major Barre Chord might be a lot easier than you think! So stick with me to understand how to overcome any potential struggle you may have, and you'll nail A Shape Barre Chords fairly quickly. :)

🚨 Before you get started, please make sure you've nailed the E Shape Barre Chords we learned in Grade 4. Knowing how to play them before you dig into A Shape Barre Chords will make it all easier for you, so trust me! This is why we're learning A Shape grips in Grade 5.

Ready? Let's get stuck in!

A Shape Major Chords: Common Challenges

We'll start by exploring some of the most common challenges when learning to play A Shape Major Chords.

Take a look at the diagram below, showing a C Chord using an A Shape Major Chord grip:

#1 Common Challenge

The first thing guitar players often struggle with is getting the first finger to play the root note clearly while muting the thickest string. If you're already confident with your Root 5 Power Chords and have been practicing them, you shouldn't find this too much of a hassle because you should have been practicing muting the thickest string while playing your regular Root 5 Power Chord!

#2 Common Challenge

The second challenge you may face when learning the A Shape Major grips is that the third finger has to hold down three strings in a little mini-barre while lifting enough to mute the thinner string. There are variations where you don't need to hold down all three strings with the third finger, but I do not recommend it as the best approach for most guitar players. I recommend accepting the challenge of doing the finger three mini-barre and working on it! It takes practice, but it's a really useful technique that you'll find helpful for other chords you'll learn down the line! Now let me reveal a secret. :)

This Little Secret Will Help You Nail A Major Grips!

There is something about this chord that will make it much easier to play than you think! The A Shape Major Chords aren't barre chords in the true sense of the term. This is because the first finger is only playing one note and muting the thicker string while playing the root note on the fifth string. The rest of the finger's job is just to mute! If it were a little higher, it wouldn't matter. Finger 3 plays three strings in a row and then a mute. So, Finger 1's role is to play the root note, which makes playing A Shape Major grips significantly easier. :)

Grip Options

My Favorite A Shape Major Barre Chords Grip - In Detail

Let's go into more detail about playing A Shape Major Chords. We'll keep using the C Major Chord using an A Shape as in the diagram below:

Follow these steps:

Place Finger 1 in Fret 3 of String 5.
Use the tip to mute String 6.
Now place Finger 3 down to cover strings 4/3/2.
F3 needs to lift a little so that it mutes S1.
I could get S1 to ring if I want - but I don't!

The Root Note

The most important thing when playing this grip is the root note on the String 5. Whatever note our first finger is on will be the chord's name, so this is a C Major Chord because Fret 3 of String 5 is a C.

💡 If we moved it up two frets, we'd get a D, and our grip would be a D Major Chord. If we moved it down one fret from C, it would be a B Chord. Learn the notes on the fretboard using my Practical Music Theory Course!

Finger Placement

The first thing to get together is getting your Finger 1 down on String 5 with the tip of the finger touching the thicker string. You don't want to go too pointy with the first finger, or it won't reach the thickest string. Your finger will be a little flatter than you might think, with the tip of it just lightly touching that thicker string so it mutes it. You should get a nice, clear note on String 5.

👉 Positive Finger Placement! Remember: your finger should be nice and close to the fret. It shouldn't be too far back, or on top of the fret!

The challenging part will be getting Finger 3 in the correct fret aso right up next to the edge of Fret 5. If it's too far back, you'll get a lot of fuzz, and the notes won't ring out clearly. So place your Finger 3 right up next to the fret.

💡 Extra Tip! Remember that the frets get closer, the further up the fretboard you get. So, if you really struggle to play this C Chord, start with an E Chord. :) Put your first finger up on Fret 7 to start because the fingers will be closer together, or even right the way up at the Fret 10 to play a G Chord. It wouldn't really matter - but in this lesson, we'll learning it on Fret 3.

Playing this grip is a good stretch for most guitar players, but if you have to move it up a little bit, don't stress. Your dexterity will improve with practice, and you can work your way down to playing that C Chord. As I mentioned, the challenging part is holding three strings down and lifting enough to mute the thinnest string.

🕵️‍♂️ There are some variations where we play the note on the thinnest string, but we won't go through those right now. The grip we're learning is the best version for most guitarists most of the time. It is going to be challenging but stick with it! The key to nail it is to experiment with your finger placement and observe what's working well.

So, to play the C Chord with an A Shape Barre Chord, Finger 3 goes into Fret 5, and you should get it up as close as possible. The key thing is the placement of your finger and finding the sweet spot. Keep testing until you get it!

Experiment!

A certain amount of experimentation needs to happen when you're learning to play this particular shape. We're all anatomically different; some have more flexible joints, and some have longer or shorter sections between our knuckles. All of those things play an important part in this!

I've never had a student who's been unable to figure out how to play the Major A Shape Barre Chord! Some students will take a little longer to get it under their fingers, but everyone's got that in the end. :)

💬 How is your A Shape Major Barre Chord journey going? :) Join the Discussion and let me know!

Variations

As I mentioned, there are some common variations that you might like to try if this one doesn't work for you. But I'd encourage you to stick with my recommended grip before trying one of the variations. Stick with it for at least two or three weeks, and try to get Finger 3 to bend back enough so you play that chord correctly!

Variation #1 - The Traditional Way of Playing A Shape Major Barre Chords

The traditional approach of playing the Major A Shape Barre Chords has Finger 1 playing the root note while muting the thickest string, which creates an arc! Take a look at the diagram:

I don't recommend trying to press down to play all the strings, as it wastes energy. Instead, allow your first finger to be slightly round to play String 5 and the thinner string. Fingers 2, 3, and 4 should go down on Strings 4, 3, and 2, respectively, and all have to cram down into that same fret.

When I was getting started on guitar, most players used this grip, but I don't believe this is a good approach for most people, even if it seems easier when you first try. If you learned it that way and are comfortable with it, there might be no reason to change it! However, this grip is:

Slower to get to;
Harder to get to;
Trickier to get a clear-sounding thin string; I prefer not to play it even though I can!
Very limited with embellishments and alterations.

Variation 2 - The Pinky Approach

I use this variation quite often, a 50/50 split with the version I recommended in this lesson, but there's something peculiar about this grip. Take a look at the diagram below:

My little finger doesn't bend back like Finger 3 does to play it. My little finger is short and not designed to bend that way. Instead, I use Finger 3 to cover those strings and mute the thinner string. This chord takes more effort than the other one, which enables my hand to sit flatter. However, some people can use their little fingers and keep their hands like that. It looks comfortable and easy, but I can't do it. If you find using your little finger more comfortable, this grip might be great for you.

You lose the ability to use the sus4 chord, but it's even easier to transition to the other chord. I can't do it without the support of my third finger, but you might find that it's a good variation for you. This is something you should explore!

The Best Way FOR YOU!

I don't assume how I play guitar is the only way or the best way. I aim to teach you the way that I think will work for most people most of the time. However, experimenting and finding what works for you is the way to go! James Taylor is my favorite example - he's one of the finest guitar players ever to walk the planet, so who am I to say that the way he's playing a chord is wrong? :) It's just different!

Practice Exercises

I recommend you follow these 3 exercises to get your A Shape Major Barre Chords down!

Exercise #1 - Getting It Down

This first exercise is super simple, and I always recommend it in my Beginner Guitar Course - Grade 1 to ensure my students are getting their open chords down well and can get from the grip quickly! You're basically forming the chord, checking the notes, taking the fingers out of the fretboard, and doing it again.

1️⃣ Exercise #1. Follow these steps:

Remove your hand from the fretboard;

Get your A Shape Major Barre Chord down as fast as you can;

Check if all the notes ring out well;

Repeat.

Exercise #2 - 3-Chord Trick with G, C, and D

You know G already, right? :) This exercise is the "3-Chord Trick," and it involves playing a G Chord using an E Shape and moving it over to a C Chord using our A Shape Major Barre Chord and moving it up two frets to the D, then back down to the C, and back to the G! This movement is really common when playing songs that use this 3-Chord Trick.

2️⃣ Exercise #2. Follow these steps:

Play the G Chord using the E Shape;

Play the C Chord using the A Shape;

Shift the shape up two frets to play the D Chord using the A Shape. Remember to relax the pressure on the strings but maintain the shape as you move it up two frets;

Shift it back to two frets to play the C Chord;

Repeat. A lot!

Getting used to the shape of those three Major Chords will also help you program them into your musical imagination! You'll start to recognize them when you hear them on records, which is also a big deal. :)

Exercise #3 - Open Chord One-Minute Changes

This exercise is probably the trickiest one! You'll move from an open chord to an A Major Shape Barre Chord!

3️⃣ Exercise #3. Follow these steps:

Play the Open E Chord;

Play the B Chord using A Shape Major;

Repeat as many times as you can in One Minute;

Track your progress;

If you get bored - choose other open and barre chords!

Another common chord mixed in with open chords is the B-flat Chord, which is even more stretchy than the B. It's the biggest stretch that you can get using this shape. It's commonly linked with a D Minor Chord, so going from a D Minor to a B-flat is great practice. :)

Songs Practice

Chord exercises can get a little tedious after some time, so I recommend you also work on some songs. Search for music that uses the A Major Barre Chord Shape and practice them. If you find anything tricky, work on that one chord change and gradually work your way up to playing the whole song.

When to Move Forward

Interestingly, this Major shape is by far the hardest chord in this A Shape Barre Chords series. The next one, the Minor chord, is really easy by comparison. So, please don't feel like you need to master the A Major Shape before moving on to this Minor chord because it's a lot easier.

Many songs use a mixture of the Major and Minor grips in A Shape, which are great to practice. So, you'll benefit a lot from moving forward to the next tutorial and balance practicing both shapes. :)

👉 Next, we'll dive into A Shape Barre Chords: Minor. You've got this!