Guitar I Beginner Chords: A, A7, Am

Here are 3 forms of the A chord in open position.

 

The A7 chord completes the primary chord cycle in the key of D Major. The primary chords in any key are the I chord, IV chord and the V7 chord. In D Major the I chord is D, the IV chord is G and the V7 chord is A7.

 

A lot of music has been written using just the I, IV and V7 chords in any given key.
As we learn our beginning chords, we will group them into these families. Because you will often play chords from the same family together, it is helpful to practice them together.

Here is an exercise that uses the primary chords in the key of D (D, G and A7). In this exercise the objective is to play the bass note of the chord before strumming the chord. The bass note or root is the note that names the chord.