The 'A Shape' Bar Chord - Part 1 

You are one of the few guitar teachers who actually take the time to explain stuff in an understandable way without skipping important mini-steps in between! Props to you! Keep it up!

You are a best teacher on RU-vid..I rlly admire ur work👍👍👍👍🎶🎼🎵🎷

the elbow tip was lifesaver‼️

Thanks for the great tips, specially about where to place the elbow. I am actually struggling with the A shape bar chords these days. This was helpful.

Awesome video, that tip about sticking your elbow out is really good 👍

Thank you!

Mark, you are without question the best guitar teacher on the internet!

I really like your detailed explanations considering optional challenges to beginners and highly appreciate your confirming understanding for feeling challenged...like "if it feels incredibly awkward to you, it's because it really is."

This is exactly what i'm looking for, Mark! Thanks a lot!!!

Wow - just what I needed!

Thx mark for this tip,,, the elbow face outside it made it easy and now learnt A shape chord 👍🎸

Thanks I was wanting to play check yes or know I needed this tut

Really like your style of teaching，many thanks Mark

Great lesson, you confirmed for me I was kinda doing it right using your preferred way ie using the pinkie, thanks

Great job explaining. Thank you

Thanks for the encouragement. I get flat sounds that kill me all the, but I keep trying, hoping that it'll just sound right one day.

Hey Mark, do you have any lessons on the Bo Diddley strum?

Thank you, good lesson

I wish I could give you 10 thumbs up! I've been struggling with this shape and it hadn't occurred to me to use the pinky. So simple and so awesome! Thank you

OMG the trick is on the elbow actually🤯

Great tutorial!!I be never had a problem with barre chords,except that double barre, using ring or pinky on the 2nd barre.I’m working on it though…👍💯🎸😏

I like playing it with the 3 fingers (A shape) so I won't worry about hitting the bottom string especially on an upstroke, the problem however is that: 1) It's really difficult to quickly switch to a B chord using this shape, and 2) It gets harder to use this shape as you go down the neck. Any tips other than using the other 2 shapes? Thanks!

Great lesson mark loved it..

Mark, thanks so much or the video. im curious, what is the advantage to you barring with your little finger even though you originally learnt using your ring finger? thanks man you da best

I've been playing guitar for almost three years now and I can play pretty well. But one thing I've noticed is that when I'm playing major barre chords of E major shape, all the strings ring well. But as soon as I lift my second finger up in order to play the minor chord, the third string doesn't ring out at all. It gets totally muted. I've tried all possible angles and heights I could in order to avoid the crease but I guess it's not about the crease. The problem seems to be with my finger. However much pressure I apply on the barring finger, the third string fails to ring. (I even tried pressing the forefinger with the middle finger). When I press it with the tip of my finger (as in, playing the single note) it rings. So the problem is with pressing with the whole finger. Please help :)

So should I play it with pinkie or ring finger? Pinkie is easier for me, but it seems that changing in and out of major chord of the same shape would be easier with using the third finger

Thank you for the lesson. I've been struggling with this barre chord for a couple months. Sometimes I get it and other times I don't, and was wondering why that was the case. As soon as I dropped my shoulder and flared my elbow it was perfect. Thank you.

Thank you very much for the lessons Mark. In using your pinky to fret the a shaped barre chord how high can you get up the frets? Im having problem playinh the high A chord (12th fret root) using my pinky, any tips?

I was taught to use the pinky but put the third finger over top of it for more strength. Now it’s a habit.

My pinky finger's top mos nuckle bends forward instead of backwards preventing me from playing this chord with pinky finger..can you offer some help?

At 2.47 you said "we're not actually playing the bottom string" and then you played the top, or thinnest string, which makes a B6th, the bottom string is the thickest or 6th string.

Hey I play the a shape bar chords by barring the string with the first finger and pressing the 4th and 3rd string. For example I play B by barring the second fret and pressing the 3rd and 4th strings of the fourth fret. Is there anything wrong with that ?

Even after years I find A shape barre biggest pain and such awkward position

Hey Mark, I have a question about barre chords, if you play a F for example and you take your second finger off it becomes a Fm...now if you play a Bm and take your second finger off, what does that become because its already a minor chord with all fingers on?

I've got the chord shape down but my pinky always sneaks under and behind the neck. It looks like your pinky goes there too when you play it that way with the ring finger.

👍🏼

I'm finding the a major barre impossible and even you after decades don't like it. But if i retune the d string to c sharp it's fine. Also the a minor barre, e major barre and e minor barre are fine then. Which means i can easily play all the major and minor chords. But if i retune the d to c sharp it's going to greatly complicate reading tabs i guess.

How on earth do you get strength to bar 3 strings with the pinky finger? Oh god.

Guitar lesson working class hero