This is the third way of playing the A chord. I call it the cheat version because you can play it with just one finger.
Open Hand / Closed Hand
As with playing the Traditional and Newer versions of the A chord, it’s important not to play the low E string. Again, if you’re using a Closed Hand, just very gently touch it with the thumb to mute it. If you’re using an Open Hand, you just need to strum carefully to make sure you don’t hit it.
Pros and Cons
When you play the A chord like this the first finger lies flat over all three strings. This makes playing this version pretty straightforward. However, when you do this you’ll probably find that the same finger also mutes the hi E string. So there are pros and cons.
Who is this Chord For?
This version of the A chord is for people who have extremely chunky fingers that just won’t fit inside fret 2 altogether.
This version of the A chord is also used a lot in Rock music as the hi E string (which is probably muted) is usually emitted anyway. So if you’re mostly interested in playing Rock guitar, this chord will work great. I actually use this chord myself when playing Rock music, but will resort back to the Traditional version when playing more acoustic/pop styles.