Learning guitar chords is the first step for anyone wanting to play songs. Among the essential beginner chords, A, D, and E stand out as foundational. Mastering these “A Chords In Guitar”—specifically A, D, and E—will unlock a vast repertoire of songs and build a solid base for your guitar journey. This guide provides a clear, step-by-step method to learn these chords and transition smoothly between them, ensuring you avoid common beginner frustrations and progress quickly.
The Power of A, D, and E: Your Gateway to Countless Songs
The combination of A, D, and E chords is often referred to as the “three-chord trick” because of its prevalence in popular music. From folk and country to rock and pop, countless songs are built using just these three chords. Learning to play and switch between A, D, and E effectively means you can immediately start playing along to your favorite tunes and experience the joy of making music.
“Strum, Lift, Slide, Drop”: Your Mantra for Smooth Chord Changes
Many beginners struggle with slow and clunky chord changes. The key to fluidity is efficient finger movement. We’ll use a technique called “Strum, Lift, Slide, Drop” to streamline your transitions between A, D, and E. This method focuses on minimizing wasted motion and finding anchor fingers to guide you between chords.
Changing Between A and E Chords: The Index Finger Anchor
Let’s start with changing between the A chord and the E chord. For this exercise, we’ll use a specific fingering for the A chord. Instead of the “123” fingering (index, middle, ring), we’ll use “213” (middle, index, ring). This slight adjustment makes the A to E transition much smoother.
Notice in the chord diagrams above that the index finger plays a crucial role in both the A and E chords. Specifically, your index finger is positioned on the G string for both chords: fret 2 for A and fret 1 for E. This shared finger position is our anchor.
Here’s how to practice the A to E and E to A chord changes using the “Strum, Lift, Slide, Drop” method, synchronized with a foot tap for consistent timing:
- Strum the A chord while tapping your foot and saying “Strum.”
- Lift off fingers 2 and 3 while tapping your foot and saying “Lift.” Keep your index finger (finger 1) firmly planted on the G string, 2nd fret.
- Slide finger 1 down to fret 1 of the G string while tapping your foot and saying “Slide.” This is the anchor movement.
- Drop fingers 2 and 3 into position to form the E chord while tapping your foot and saying “Drop.” Finger 2 goes on the A string, 2nd fret, and finger 3 on the D string, 2nd fret.
- Strum the E chord while tapping your foot and saying “Strum.”
- Lift fingers 2 and 3 while tapping your foot and saying “Lift.” Keep your index finger (finger 1) anchored on the G string, 1st fret.
- Slide finger 1 up to fret 2 of the G string while tapping your foot and saying “Slide.”
- Drop fingers 2 and 3 to complete the A chord while tapping your foot and saying “Drop.” Finger 2 goes on the D string, 2nd fret, and finger 3 on the B string, 2nd fret.
Repeat this sequence slowly and deliberately. Focus on making clean, crisp chord changes. The foot tap and verbal cues (“Strum, Lift, Slide, Drop”) help internalize the rhythm and muscle memory required for smooth transitions.
Practice with a Beat: Metronome and Backing Tracks
Once you can perform the A-E change consistently with the foot tap, it’s time to introduce a beat. Playing in time is crucial for musicality. Use a metronome or a simple drum beat backing track. Start slowly and gradually increase the tempo as your chord changes become faster and cleaner. Aim for accuracy and clarity over speed initially. A free online metronome like drummers-pulse.com is a great resource. For Windows users, Chordpulse Lite offers a free virtual backing band to practice with.
Track Your Progress: Speed and Accuracy
To ensure your practice is effective, monitor your progress. Track the fastest tempo at which you can change between A and E chords cleanly and consistently. This provides measurable feedback and motivates you to improve. Consistency and accuracy are paramount; avoid buzzing strings or missed notes, even when increasing speed.
Play Along: “Dance the Night Away”
With the A and E chord change under your fingers, you can immediately start playing songs! Try playing along with The Mavericks’ classic “Dance the Night Away.” This song primarily uses A and E chords. Start by alternating between these two chords in time with the music. As your changes become smoother, let each chord ring out longer. Eventually, you’ll be able to keep up as the tempo increases. For playing along with the original recording, you’ll need a capo on the 7th fret to match the key.
Changing Between A and D Chords: The Middle Finger Slide
Next, let’s tackle the change between A and D chords. Again, we’ll employ the “Strum, Lift, Slide, Drop” method. This time, our anchor finger will be the middle finger (finger 2).
A common mistake when changing from A to D is focusing on placing the index and ring fingers first, leading to inefficient movement of the middle finger. We’ll train the most efficient method right from the start.
Here’s the Taplature breakdown for the A to D and D to A changes:
- Strum the A chord. Say “Strum.”
- Lift off finger 3. Say “Lift.” Keep your index (finger 1) and middle (finger 2) fingers planted.
- Slide finger 2 down to fret 3 of the B string. Say “Slide.” This is the anchor slide.
- Drop finger 3 to complete the D chord. Say “Drop.” Finger 3 goes on the high E string, 2nd fret.
- Strum the D chord. Say “Strum.”
- Lift finger 3. Say “Lift.” Keep fingers 1 and 2 planted.
- Slide finger 2 up to fret 2 of the B string. Say “Slide.”
- Drop finger 3 to complete the A chord. Say “Drop.” Finger 3 goes on the B string, 2nd fret.
Practice this sequence with the foot tap and metronome, gradually increasing speed while maintaining clean chord changes.
Play Along: “Hey Jude” (Simplified)
Now you can combine the A-E and A-D changes to play a simplified version of The Beatles’ “Hey Jude.” Focus on strumming on the first beat of each bar, as shown in the example below.
Start slowly and strum along, focusing on smooth chord transitions. As you improve, you can explore the full strumming pattern and timing of the song.
Changing Between D and E Chords: Another Index Finger Slide
Our final chord change is between D and E. Here, we return to using the index finger (finger 1) as our anchor and sliding finger.
While the instructions are similar to the A-E change, many find the D-E transition slightly more challenging due to the finger repositioning involved.
Here’s the “Strum, Lift, Slide, Drop” breakdown for D to E and E to D:
- Strum the D chord. Say “Strum.”
- Lift off fingers 2 and 3. Say “Lift.” Keep your index finger (finger 1) planted.
- Slide finger 1 down to fret 1 of the G string. Say “Slide.”
- Drop fingers 2 and 3 to make the E chord. Say “Drop.”
- Strum the E chord. Say “Strum.”
- Lift fingers 2 and 3. Say “Lift.” Keep your index finger (finger 1) planted.
- Slide finger 1 up to fret 2 of the G string. Say “Slide.”
- Drop fingers 2 and 3 to make the D chord. Say “Drop.”
Practice this change diligently, aiming for a target speed of at least 200 bpm for all three chord changes (A-E, A-D, D-E). Identify your weakest transition and focus your practice there. Improving your weakest link will often improve your overall chord changing speed and fluency.
Ready to Play Real Songs!
With these three chords and their transitions mastered, you have the foundation to play a vast number of songs. Explore songs that use A, D, and E chords. A quick Google search for “songs with a d e chords guitar” will provide you with countless options.
Next Steps: Strumming and Beyond
Once you are comfortable with chord changes, the next step is to combine them with strumming patterns. Start by learning simple strumming patterns separately from chord changes. Then, practice changing chords while maintaining a consistent strumming rhythm. For further guidance on strumming, check out this article on strumming techniques. To refine your chord changing skills even further, explore this guide on practicing guitar chords effectively.
Enjoy your guitar journey! Mastering these “a chords in guitar” is a significant milestone, opening up a world of musical possibilities. Keep practicing, stay patient, and have fun playing!
Happy playing!
Old Swanner.
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