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Chapter 4: Getting a Grip on Left-Hand Chords
67
Figure 4-9:
A
progression
that uses
only A-form
barre
chords.
D F E C
5th fret 8th fret 7th fret 3rd fret
Track 4
Other A forms: Minor, dominant 7, minor 7, and 7 suspended
Just as you can play different A chord qualities in open position, you can
apply these chords to their barre forms, too. Finger these new chords as you
did with the major form: Either place the barre down and form the rest of the
chord with your remaining fingers or take the alternate approach by placing
your second, third, and fourth fingers on the open position chords, sliding
the whole form up a fret, and then pressing down across the top five strings
with your first finger for the barre.
After you get familiar with forming barre chords, you find yourself grabbing
the entire chord form at once — not finger by finger — just as you do with
open-position chords.
Figure 4-10 shows four different qualities of A forms and provides a chord
progression designed to get you moving around the neck. The fret numbers
have been added in the staff to help you orient yourself.
Figure 4-10:
A
progression
using the
A-form
minor 7,
dominant 7,
and 7
suspended
barre
chords.
Cm
3fr.
E 7 Fm7 D7sus
6fr. 8fr. 5fr.
13421 13421 13421 13421
3rd fret 6th fret 8th fret 5th fret
Track 5, 0:00
Combining forms
If you want to move efficiently up and down the neck of your guitar, use a
combination of forms. For example, to play the chords A, D, and E (a common
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