Below are four different ways of playing the A chord. They are all technically correct, and the one you decided to use should be the one that feels easiest and most natural for you. Experiment with all four and choose the best fit.
The A Chord: Standard Variation
Here is the Standard way of playing the A chord. It’s the way I, and most other people play the A chord.
Tricky Areas:
It can sometimes be a little tricky to squeeze all three fingers into the same fret, especially for those with chunkier fingers.
Also, because finger 1 has to reach up to play the D string, the bottom part of this finger sometimes accidentally mutes the high E string.
You also need to apply more pressure to finger 1 as it’s pressing down quite far back int he fret.
Pros:
Fingers 1, 2 and 3 line up in a very natural way, making changing to this chord a little easier.
Who is this Version For?
Most people.
The A Chord: Variation 1
This is a useful way of playing the A chord if you struggle to squeeze all 3 fingers into fret 2 using the Standard variation.
Tricky Areas:
When fingers 1, 2 and 3 are placed in the fret like this, they can feel a little “jumbled”. They don’t take on the more natural posture like in the Standard variation.
Pros:
It’s a little easier to squeeze all three fingers into the fret. Bringing finger 1 onto the G string, from he D string also helps if you’re accidentally muting the high E string with finger 1 using thew standard variation.
Finger 2 (the strongest finger) is used on the toughest note (D string) to ring out.
Who is this Version For?
This version is usually good for people with chunkier fingers.
The A Chord: Variation 2
Here is variation 2. It’s a little trickier to play than the first two variations as we’re using the pinky. I wouldn’t recommend this variation to new beginners, but it can help with playing some songs a little easier – Fake Plastic Trees comes to mind.
Tricky Areas:
The pinky.
Pros:
The fingers line up in quite a natural way. Finger 2 (the strongest finger) is used on the toughest note (D string) to ring out. Finger is 2 also able to reach up to the D string quite easily without muting the high E string.
Who is this Version For?
People who are already quite good at playing open chords.
The A Chord: Variation 3
I call this variation the Rock A, as it’s used a lot in Rock music. The first finger lays flat over all three notes.
Tricky Areas:
Getting all three notes to ring out with just one finger requires extra strength.
Pros:
If you’ve got the strength, it’s pretty straight forward way to play the A chord.
Who is this Version For?
Anyone using the A in Rock music. And for people who are struggling with all of the other A chord variants.