Bar Chords Rooted on the A String root Use your first finger to press down the first five strings. The tip of your first finger should be "aimed" at the root on the A string. We can vary the shape to get different chord qualities. Notice that these shapes all resemble open A chords. MAJOR - Press down all the circles to get our basic Major bar chord. You can press down the inner strings with either 3 fingers or 1 finger as another bar. For the double bar chord, it is ok if the highest note is muted. minor - Use your middle finger to play the minor 3rd in this shape. Note that this is the same shape as an open A minor chord. 7th Chords - Add the 7th to these chords by lifting your ting finger for major shapes or your pinky for mino shapes. Make sure your bar is firm enough to hear the added 7th note.