Play A Major Guitar Chord + Tricks To Make You Sound Pro

A major chord and scale may be a basic chord that most guitarists already know by heart. However, it could also be the base to build off into impressive licks and solos. 

In this lesson, learn a couple of licks based on the A major chord and scale. The idea is to give you a couple to practice with and build muscle memory. 

You can then take these licks and try to integrate them into your playing. Do this enough, and you can instinctively apply them to your playing, making you sound like a pro guitarist.

How To Play A Major Chord

A major chord is central to many songs, making it an essential chord on guitar to pick up. Beginner guitar lessons usually teach this chord early on.

To form the A chord, you'll start by placing:

• Your index finger on the fourth string, on the second fret,
• Your middle finger on the third string, on the second fret, and
• Your ring finger on the second string, on the second fret.

Please give it a strum from the fifth string downwards. Hear how the chord rings out. Ensure you keep the first and fifth strings open and untouched. This allows all strings to ring clear and to produce a full chord sound.

For beginners, getting the finger placement right can take some practice. This is because you might find this chord shape a bit cramped. But with time, your fingers will adjust, making playing easier.

Licks Based On A Major Chord To Play To Sound Like A Pro

Knowing how to play the A major chord is good, but how do you improve from here? You would like to sound more like a pro guitarist and not just remain a casual strummer. 

One way is to introduce some licks into your playing to embellish your playing. You can use these links:

• in between your chord progressions, 
• as intro or outro, or
• as solos. 

You can also play the same licks on acoustic or electric guitars.

Here are some licks you can practice and integrate into your playing. These licks are based on A major chord or scale, which means you can use them interchangeably when playing.

Lick 1

Lick 1 is based on the A pentatonic scale. A pentatonic scale consists of five notes per octave. It is often used in various musical genres for its melodic simplicity. Check out your scale chart for a clearer idea.

To play Lick 1, play out the pentatonic scale as the steps below:

1. Pinky finger on 5th fret, 1st string (high E string)
2. Ring finger on 4th fret, 1st string (high E string)
3. Index finger 2nd fret, 1st string (high E string)
4. Pinky finger on 5th fret, 2nd string (B string)
5. Middle finger on 3rd fret, 2nd string (B string)
6. Index finger 2nd fret, 2nd string (B string)
7. Ring finger on 4th fret, 3rd string (G string)
8. Index finger on 3rd fret, 3rd string (G string)
9. Index finger on 3rd fret, 3rd string (G string)
10. Add A major chord strum to finish

Take note of how you need to use four fingers on four frets on the fretting side, which means you will need to stretch your fingers a bit. Some practice should help manage this, though. 

This should be how the whole thing sounds:

Lick 2

Lick 2 is also based on the A major pentatonic scale but with a more complex execution. We will add hammer-ons and finger slides in this lick for a more 'pro' sound effect.

Here is how you play the lick:

1. Index finger on the 2nd fret, 4th string (D string)
2. Hammer on the same string using your ring finger on the 4th fret.
3. Index finger on the 2nd fret, 3rd string (G string)
4. Hammer on the same string using your ring finger on the 4th fret.
5. Slide all your fingers 2 frets up, and play the note on the 3rd string, 6th fret with your ring finger.
6. Middle finger on the 5th fret, 2nd string (B string)
7. Ring finger on the 6th fret, 3rd string (G string)
8. Middle finger on the 7th fret, 2nd string (B string)
9. Middle finger on the 5th fret, 2nd string (B string)
10. Ring finger on the 6th fret, 3rd string (G string)
11. Middle finger on the 3rd fret, 3rd string (G string)
12. Finish up with an open A chord strum for good measure.

What is nice about this lick is that you can play it on a higher octave with similar fingering moves and positioning. To play at a higher octave, simply start at the 5th instead of the 2nd fret. 

Remember to focus more on getting the fingering and notes to ring out properly when you practice. If you need to play slow to achieve this, play slow. It is always better to sound clean than fast and dirty on your guitar.

Give both licks a practice, and when you feel confident enough, try to play along with the video below:

Lick 3 + Transition to the D chord

Lick 3 is again based on A major chord. The difference here is that the lick transitions to an open D chord but is played in a rather uncommon shape. More on this later. 

You can use this lick to transition between A to D chords instead of just strumming and changing shapes as usual. To play this lick:

1. ring finger on the 4th fret, 3rd string (G string)
2. Pull off the ring finger, and have your index finger on the 2nd fret, 3rd string (G string)
3. ring finger on the 4th fret, 4rd string (D string)
4. Pull off the ring finger, and have your index finger on the 2nd fret, 4th string (D string)
5. ring finger on the 4th fret, 2nd string (B string)
6. Pick and slide the ring finger to the 8th fret, 2nd string (B string)

Here, you have entered the range of the D chord scale. It may make sense to position yourself in the D chord position and strum down to hear it. 

However, your fingers are way up on the fretboard, and the open D chord is at the 2nd and 3rd fret. It would be a jump to play that. So, we will play a variation of the open D chord instead:

Using your index finger, form a half-bar chord by pressing down on the following:

• 4th fret, 4th string (D string)
• 4th fret, 3rd string (G string)
• 4th fret, 2nd string (B string)
• 4th fret, 1st string (High E string)

Give the chord a strum from the 4th string downwards, and see how you sound.

The best thing about this lick is that once you finish, you can play either the 1st or 2nd lick right away, but at a higher octave. This is because your fingers are already higher up on the fretboard. Simply repeat the same fretboard fingering patterns. 

Bring It All Together

These three licks may need a bit of practice, but you should get the hang of it. Practice them three together, and they try to play them one after the other. 

Once you can play rather confidently and at a good pace, try playing along with the video below:

A Major Guitar Chord Licks: Experiment With Them

In this lesson, we explored the A major chord and how to play some variations and licks to make your playing sound more pro. These licks are based on the A major scale as well. 

The key is introducing some licks to practice and build muscle memory. Once you manage that, feel free to experiment with these licks while you're playing. If done regularly, it should help you instinctively integrate them into your playing, helping you sound more pro as a guitarist.