Easy A: Playing Minor, Dominant 7th, Minor 7th, and Major 7th Barre Chords Based on A

Would you agree with me if I'll say that playing the barre-A chord form is EASY?

A scene from the movie Easy A starring Emma Stone. Photo Credits

In this post, I'd like to talk about the rest of the A-based barre chord forms. I guess, by now, you don't need those technical explanations anymore. Anyway, if you find something hard to understand, feel free to skim through my previous posts.

So, I'll just go ahead and give you the chord fingerings, alright?

And of course, I've provided some progressions too. Practice it before proceeding to the succeeding chord forms.

Okay, here they are...


Bm Chord diagram and left-hand fingering

 

Tip: Play an open Am chord by using a 3-4-2 fingering instead of 2-3-1 (Read this post if you need help on fingering an open-position Am chord). Then lay your first finger down across all the strings on the other side of the nut. Then slide the shape up two frets and press down firmly, producing a Bm chord.

Practice it with the progression below:

B7 Chord diagram and left-hand fingering

 

Tip: Playing a barre dominant 7th chord based on A takes its original form from an open-position A7 chord using a 3-4 fingering(Read this post if you need help on fingering an open-position A7 chord). Just form your barre and slide it up two frets.

Practice it with the progression below:

Bm7 Chord diagram and left-hand fingering

 

Tip: Minor 7th chords sound soft and jazzy compared to major chords. You can form the Bm7 chord by sliding up two frets from an open-position Am7 chord using a 3-2 fingering.

Practice it with the progression below:

Bmaj7 / BM7 Chord diagram and left-hand fingering

Tip: These chords give you a bright and jazzy sound. Form a Bmaj7 chord by simply sliding up two frets from an open position Amaj7 chord using a 3-2-4 fingering.

Practice it with the progression below:

Refer to the table below to find the appropriate fret for the A-based barre chord (root on the 5th string):

FRET

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

10th

11th

12th

NOTE

Bb

B

C

C#/Db

D

D#/Eb

E

F

F#/Gb

G

G#/Ab

A

There you have it, buddy...