Chord diagram - A major chord [Guitar Guide]

In the chord diagram below you can see that the A major chord uses fingers 1, 2, and 3. Take note of how this chord diagram looks - we will use this style from now on.

The A major chord is constructed of the notes A, C# and E. We will cover notes a little later. For now, we will make chords without knowledge of individual notes.



Note that there is a red dot marking the nut of the 6th string on the above chord diagram. The red dot tells you that you are not to play that string. The sixth string of the A major chord is not played, but you play the rest.

Throughout this course, every chord diagram will be accompanied by a picture of the chord being held on the fret board and video of the chord being played for you to check with. Pictured below is the A major chord being played.

Exercise: Playing the A major Chord

Position each finger with care, according to the above diagram. Make sure that each fingertip
is placed as close as possible to the fret. Firstly, pluck across the strings one by one with your
pick, checking that each string rings clearly and is not muted or buzzing. Play the first video
example to hear how the chord should sound.
Now that we’ve looked at chord diagrams, I want to move on to strumming.