How do you play your A shaped barre chords?

bindog · 2014-05-09T08:18:13+00:00

Hi all So I'd like to know how you all play your A shaped barres? Mini barre with the third finger + 1st finger full barre to 5th string (mostly mutes the high e string for me) Or Classic a chord with 2,3,4 + 1st finger full barre to 5th string (no e string mute but I find it horrific to get into position) Also, how did the great guitarists play these chords? Any opinions on whether the first option is a shortcut/cheat with regards to good technique? Thanks as always!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Stoffeltoo

Barre, ring finger two frets up and middle finger in the air (Almost like Sean's Barre selfie 8)) proving that A, B flat, C etc. can be played in Bars. Easy to shift to C and E shapes as well

Jayhell

DaFiz wrote I've never been able to flex the finger and allow the first string to play,
nor can I play a barre using three fingers in the A shape.
I barre with two fingers and avoid the last string.
Play it as a power chord. If it needs to be melodic I play the open chord. :-[

+1 ?

bindog

Thanks for all the replies guys!!! Seems as if I'm on the right track ?

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singemonkey

I use all of the above. But I use two more also: I play the root with the index finger, barring up to the B string with my ring finger (I don't even try to play the high E here) with my thumb over the top, muting the low E string. This allows me to keep my thumb over the top when I'm playing other chords like that. It's slow and inaccurate to flip back and forth if you can avoid it. I call this version of the barre chord, the Jimmy Page method. You can see him play like this in films.

Even more simply, also with the thumb over the top, I bar only the D, G, and B strings and just leave the root muted. This is good for staying out of the way of the bass more in a crowded sonic space. Edit: It also allows you to change back and forth very rapidly by barring with the index finger and then playing the chord two frets up by barring that with the ring finger. Good for funk and R&B style rhythm stuff.

bindog

Woah I must try that second technique ... A couple songs I've been messing with have rapid say c to d changes that this would help for!!! Thanks!! ?

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buttle

I started out using the 345 A shape but now I use 'mostly' the 'mini-barre'. It depends on what I am playing and what sound I need. I used to find that the A-shape was tiring on my fingers and the mini-barre was more comfortable. The more I practiced the mini-bar the cleaner it sounded.

I have since migrated into more finger-style picking technique and now I find myself quite naturally using both shapes in the same piece... depending on which fingers I need to be available.

I think the most salient comment around here is: There is no RIGHT OR WRONG WAY.

Whatever you do... make the sound your OWN!

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