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Major barre chords with root on A string?


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I've been playing guitar for a few years, and I'm finding one type of chord that constantly gives me some problems, and that's the major barre chord with root on the A., for example the B barre..

 

E -2-

B -4-

G -4-

D -4-

A -2-

E -x-

 

How should I finger the 3 notes of the 4th fret? Currently I use my ring finger on the D and G string, and my pinky on the B. But this still feels kind of ackward.. and also I find the note on the high E doesn't always ring quite right.

 

Anyone care to give some pointers on playing these better?

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I use my ring finger across the 4th fret. I've never been able to voice the high E string. If I need the high E, I'll shape the chord by forming an A major shape with my middle, ring and pinky fingers and placing my index finger on the high E fret.

It's either/or with me, but I generally only use that barre shape as a passing chord.

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I use my ring finger across all three at the 4th, and it takes work to get the high E to ring. I'd say I get it 70% of the time, though when I do I tend to lose the root on the A string as my finger tip seems to ride up onto the 5th fret. Hey, that's what the bass player is for, right?

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I have what's probably a 'bad habit' when playing these chords -- I typically barre my index across all 6 strings. So sometimes, when playing a D at the 5th fret, it actually sounds as D/A. Fortunately, for most of the music I play, this works okay.

As for the other notes in the chord, I fret those all using a barred ring finger.

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Originally posted by ManiacManos

Is this a trick question?
:confused:
I mean... it's kind of obvious, right?

Middle finger on D string

Ring on G string

Little finger on B string



And you'd be buggered if you wanted to add higher extensions to the chord...


The best way of doing a Root 5 Major is by barring with the 3rd finger. It doesn't matter about the top E as it's the 5th, which you've already played on the D string. The funny thing about this is that some people can naturally barre with their 3rd finger and bend it so as to get the top E, some people can't at all not matter how hard they try or practice (it must be genetic).

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Originally posted by ManiacManos

If extensions are needed, then we 'll find some other fingering. And skipping the F# just because it's the fifth doesn't make sense. If it did, we'd only play triads.

 

 

The 5th on the top is not important to the chord, it has very little bearing on the sound. Given that it's only a minor 3rd away from the next highest note it's not as if we're talking about omitting an entire octave. As for finding other fingerings... have you ever tried to play Flying in a Blue Dream by Joe Satriani?

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I play the A shape bars with my pinky barred across the D, G and B strings, the joint at the bottom of my pinky's fingernail is unusually small, so I can bend it up enough to ring the damn e string!!!

Proly not good for my finger.

I love these weird habits we get into to piss off all the "no you do it THIS way" people

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um...you don't need the extra note on the high e string- play it like this

X-----------------
-------------4---
-------------4---
-------------4---
-------2---------
X-----------------

^ there is your B major bar chord. The X's mean you don't the string at all.

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And I'm really bored, so I'm going to do this for you:

first of all, don't ever tab like that again, do it like this-

---------------------
-------------3------
-------------3------
-------------3------
-----(1)------------
---------------------

1 = pointer finger, 3 = ring finger

Move that chord anywhere up and down the neck. The (1) means whatever note your 1 finger is playing is the root note. And for the 3 3's just bar with your ring finger.

But what if you want that extra high note. That high note you were having trouble with is just the 5th (from your Bmajor chord - the extra high note is the 5th (F#) which is the 5th degree of the B major scale. You need these...

___________________

Moveable Major chords:

#1 (A shape)

---------------------
-------------3------
-------------3------
-------------3------
-----(1)------------
---------------------

#2 (G shape)

--------------4-----
--1-----------------
--1-----------------
--1-----------------
--------2-----------
----------(3)-------

#3 (E shape)

---1----------------
---1----------------
-------2------------
------------3-------
------------3-------
--(1)---------------

#4 (D shape)

------------3-------
----------------4---
------------3-------
--(1)---------------
---------------------
---------------------

#5 (C shape)

-----------------------
--------2-------------
---1------------------
------------3---------
----------------(4)---
-----------------------

So there is 5 different ways to play any major chord. If you have any questions just ask.

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Originally posted by ManiacManos


NOW I got it... Well, if you lower the gain you 'll see that actually the fifth on top matters.
:D



Eh? I don't know what you're playing! The important part is the movement from the 3rd to the #4, the 5th on the top is a complete non-entity, it's not even there

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