Root 5 Major

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Root 5 major bar chords. This type of bar chord gets its name from the note on the A string. Notice the B note on the 2nd fret. The note at the 2nd fret, A string would be the B note. You can use this fingering pattern to play all the major chords along the A sting. If you moved this pattern to the 3rd fret, you would be playing the C major chord. Look at the image below and learn all the notes along the A string. This chord uses the A major chord fingering pattern.

C chord above, played at the 3rd fret.

A major chord played at the 2nd fret in the open position.

The illustration to the left shows the root 5 A type bar chord played at the 3rd fret. Notice the index finger playing the C note, 3rd fret, A string. This chord uses the fingering pattern of the A major chord illustrated to the left under the C chord. You can play all the major chords up and down the fretboard using this fingering pattern. The note on the A string, index finger will determine the chord.

Sometimes I use my 4 finger instead of the 3 finger and play power chords instead of the whole chord. This means at times, I only play the notes on the A D and G strings and not the B string. Doing this eliminates the 3rd note in the chord and is just a power chord. A power chord is not really a chord, this is because we are only using 2 notes of the triad. A triad, or chord has three notes. This is true with minor chords and major chords.

In the C bar chord shown to the left, the notes would be C E and G. But if we didn't play the B string, then we would only be playing the C and G notes of the chord. This is a popular technique so you can improvise over the power chord with both the major and minor scale. The 3rd note of any triad, determines it to be a minor or major chord. C major chord C E G. C minor chord, C Eb G. You can see if we drop the E note, we have C and G for both.

The D major chord is shown in the picture above. You can play all the major chords using this fingering pattern. This is called a root 5 A type bar chord. The chord is determined by the note on the A string or 5th string. Notice the index finger playing the 5th fret or A string and the ring finger is barring the other 3 notes. If the index finger was at the 5th fret, A string and the ring finger was barring the 3 notes on the 7th fret, we would be playing the D major chord. Move this fingering pattern to the 3rd fret and you would have the C major chord. Move it to the 2nd fret and you would have the B major chord.

Check out the major progression chart and begin to incorporate these chords into you rhythm guitar playing.

Good luck,

From the Jam Room