Everyone knows how to play an Amajor chord, right? It was probably the first or second chord you learned how to play on the guitar. Play it right now... ahh.... doesn't that sound nice?
How about this, just for fun: why not try playing a different Amajor chord? You know, one with the same notes, but a different shape on the guitar. If you've been playing for a while, chances are you can come up with a couple more ways to play Amajor. There are two popular barre chord shapes; one with a root on the sixth string (5th fret), and one on the fifth string (12th fret).
Did you get those? If so, I'll bet you're feeling pretty darn good about yourself! It's hard to remember where all those chords are! What if I were to tell you, though, that there are a WHOLE LOT more places to play a Amajor (or any other major chord) on the fretboard. In fact, in this lesson, you'll learn 12 different ways to play any major chord.

Why Learn So Many Ways to Play a Major Chord?

Good question... one there isn't a definitive answer for. What I can tell you is that I will personally use many of these alternate ways to play major chords every single time I pick up the guitar, without even thinking about it. Some guitarists (like Pink Floyd's David Gilmour) use major chord shapes extensively when soloing, and others (like the Red Hot Chili Peppers' guitarist John Frusciante) use them almost exclusively in their rhythm-playing. Many of these alternate shapes get used frequently in reggae and ska music. Basically, they will become part of your musical repetoire, and you'll find yourself using them more and more, without even thinking about it. They are also a great way to increase your knowledge of the fretboard, and your ability to move around it comfortably.

A Bit About Major Chords

Before we dive in, we should briefly explore what exactly a major chord is. Any major chord you have ever, or will ever play, contains only three different notes. Any more, and it becomes something else (like a major7 chord, or a major6 chord, etc.) Now, there are obviously a lot of times when more than three notes are strummed... an open Gmajor chord uses all six strings, for example. If you check each of the notes in that Gmajor chord, however, you'll find that there are only three DIFFERENT notes played. The remaining three strings played are merely repeated notes.
The major chords we will explore today leave out any such repeated notes, so there are only three strings played in each chord.

Got your guitar in hand? Let's move on to playing major chord inversions