Tips & Techniques

12 easy ways to modify the A-major chord

Lesson #267

Video lesson

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Editor’s notes

Hey friends! In this lesson I’ll show you 12 very common ways the A-major chord can be modified to slightly change up the sound. I’ll break down common variations such as Asus2, Asus4, A7, Amaj7, and A/C#… in addition to showing some ways to change up your finger positions to make other variations possible as well (e.g., playing it with a single finger barred on the 2nd fret). Overall, my hope is to demystify many of these common voicings – so that the next time you run into them, you’ll be ready.

Video timestamps

0:00 Greeting
0:38 The “triangle” voicing for crammed fingers
1:18 Asus2 and Asus4
2:55 A7 (two different voicings)
4:24 Aadd6
5:33 Amaj7
6:46 Barring the 2nd fret
8:47 A/C#
9:29 A power chord
10:28 Farewell

Playing A-major with one finger (barred index)

Lesson #46

A-major for big fingers: using the triangle shape

Lesson #194

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