How do you do your A-shape barre chord?

[guitarlifter]

I'm not talking about making an "A" chord using barres, but instead using the A chord shape and making a barre behind it as a moveable chord. For example, a barred A shape chord is what makes a B: x24442. My question is how do each of you do approach that particular type of barre? I can do it, but my fingers do not fit well inside the frets at all. The frets are too narrow, and I have to make my barre go sideways in order to make the stretch. If I don't do this, I have to make two barres in the same chord where my index is a barre over the first five strings while either my ring finger or pinky barres the 2, 3, and 4 strings 2 frets ahead of the index barre. That's really hard to do if you're trying to avoid touching the 1st string with your partial barre.

What is everyone's suggestion in dealing with this dilemma? Shut up and barre? A new approach? Bigger scale length? Shrink my hands?

[Davis Webb]

double bar is usual way

[00Buck]

Generally it's my index finger across five strings & the end segment of my ring finger across the D,G,& B strings. I can get enough back-bend to play the high E cleanly if I have to, but mute it most of the time. (I tried it with my pinky just out of curiosity. Couldn't come close.) I have pretty big hands - extra large gloves are sometimes too small.

[funeralsinger]

I'm trying to get better at the barred A shape, but I default to the double barre most of the time, especially as the frets get narrower. My goal is to be able to bend my ring finger back to let the first string ring, but my finger just doesn't want to bend that way, so then I try to mute it...but it doesn't always mute well and the chord ends up sounding like a major 6.

Oh well, still learning.

[Bruze]

I think I do this differently than most people, but to make a barred "A" (or whatever else up the neck) I bar the bottom 4 strings on the second fret with my first finger, ring finger goes on the A string, 4th fret, pinky goes on E, 5th fret. High E is muffled, although if I need it the pinky drops down to get it on the fifth fret.

I adapted this from how an open G is played, with the nut acting as your barred first finger.

[saxonblue]

double bar for me too (1st & 3rd fingers). Usually mute the top string unless I'm chasing the 6th.

[815C]

Try experimenting with different angles of your fingers on the double bar. Also, try laying your 2nd finger on top of your 1st finger - that helps me.

Depending on what chord precedes or is coming next I will bar the 5 strings at the 1st fret with my first finger, bar strings 3 & 4 with my ring finger, and use my little finger on the 2nd string. You might give that a try.

[oldhippiegal]

Two barres for me, too, though because of the size of my hands/guitar, I use pinky for the short barre below fret 5 and ring finger above fret 5. (There just isn't enough hand to make, say, the B major stretch down there at x2444x.) 1st string is an iffy thing for me--usually can get it muted, rarely can get it to ring--so I've learned to strum just 5432. (Now, were it my right hand I fretted with, I have a very useful-looking old badly-healed break in that finger so that it takes a strange turn--bet I could get off the 1st string easily with it!) Fingerstyle, one is limited to choosing four strings at most anyway.

I'm not sure what you mean by "I have to make my barre go sideways in order to make the stretch." You mean that the first finger barre is canted or angled? or...? Can you post a pic of your left arm and hand doing it "wrong?" (a side-on close up of the left hand alone may help, too.) If there's a problem, it may be something you can correct in the shoulder, elbow, or wrist, which the real experts here will be able to see in a pic.

[Hotspur]

Double barre, here, too, with index and ring fingers.

This method has the advantage of keeping the pinkie free for embellishments. The hard part, of course, is getting that high-e to right.

Practice, practice, practice. I remember not being able to get it to ring, and now it does, and I guess it's just years of playing gradually stretching that joint.

[rick-slo]

I usually bunch the second, third, and fourth fingers. That leaves those fingers free to do things. For example on my piece "Breeze" http://dcoombsguitar.com/Guitar%20Music/Tabs/Breeze.pdf
the pinky needs to do pull offs.

[billder99]

I finally got the A-bar under my fingers learning from Justin Sandercoe (Justinguitar.com). See his Intermediate series of lessons, and his A-Bar tutorial. The tutorial is good, but then he gives you a bunch of songs that use that A-bar. Play those songs over and over... start slow with the changes, and build to speed (as usual)... work toward a clean sound with no buzzing or muffled notes. It just takes time and a lot of practice.

PS: I frequently leave the high-E string muted, such that my A-shape bar is really only the 4 middle notes... Easier to play, and in most situations actually sounds cleaner and better.

[Fliss]

I tend to cheat and do a partial chord, playing just either the strings on the bass side or the mids or treble side (or combination of mids with bass or treble) depending on the sound I want but not all six strings.

Fliss

[AirWolf]

Considering there's an open A string in the bass end of the guitar, I usually use these voicings if I need an A major triad.

A on top

--5-------------------- pinky
--2------------------- index
--2------------------- index
--2------------------- index
--0-------------------
--x-------------------




A on top

--5------------------- index
--5------------------- index
--6------------------- middle
--7------------------- ring
--0-------------------
--x-------------------



B on top (A add 9)

--7------------------- pinky
--5------------------- index
--6------------------- middle
--7------------------- ring
--0-------------------
--x-------------------


C# on top

---9------------------- index
--10------------------- middle
---9------------------- index
--11------------------- ring
---0-------------------
---x-------------------







If you want a relatively easy, fat sounding moveable major triad, the voicing with the 5th in the bass is the easiest IMO.

--5-------------------- index
--5-------------------- index
--6-------------------- index
--7-------------------- pinky
--7-------------------- ring
--x---------------------

[JanVigne]

Some chord shapes are just plain ol' boogers so I look for alternatives where ever I can play them. If you're strumming a major chord with your A-barre, no one is going to notice a first string mute unless you make it obvious to them. As had been said, if you really want to play the A-barre with one finger barreing three strings and your fingers can actually fit the neck of your instrument, then eventually practice will get you to the point you can play your barre and still have the first string ringing clear.

Otherwise, I'll substitute an A7 shape whenever I can. For fingerstyle playing I can be selective about which strings I strike with my right hand and an extra available finger can move more freely to whichever string I want to play. I also look for those times when I can play open strings up the neck to give myself an easier time creating the shape and for tonal variety. Look at your fifth fret A-barre and think about how it can sound with how many? open strings rather than your A shaped barre at any other fret. Moving your fingers around the neck is IMO much simpler when you only have to grab, say, three strings rather than six. Obviously, this can't work for every chord but it makes life much easier for me when I can simply slide to another fret and maybe mute one string with the side of my finger from the previous chord's shape or lift a finger and alternate a bass line. I learned from watching a friend play that there is no need to play across the neck at all times. On occasion he'll play his fingerstyle chords on just the triads which form the chord voicing - which he may invert - on only the bass strings and then drop a finger here or there for embellishment to spice up the sound.

To answer your question then, I play what is the easiest form of chord shape that gets the job done and sounds right to my ears.

[Blueser100]

For the movable A shape barre chords I use my ring finger to lay across the three notes. It takes a bit of practice, as you have to flatten the finger and allow a bit of a rise at the joint so as not to mute the high E string.