She Loves You - clarification please

Hi Dave!

Hi manXcat,

The A7 barre chord I'm playing during the Intro and Chorus of "She Loves You" (at 1:04 on Chorus video) is the the full six-string barre at the 5th fret with the pinkie on the 2nd string/8th fret. There's many ways to play a given chord on the guitar and a chord finder/dictionary might not contain every variation as in this case. Playing this A7 barre chord without the pinkie is fine as well and I don't think anyone listening will know the difference. My ear tells me the Beatles are voicing the chord as I taught in the lesson, but either way will work.

I hope this clears it up!

-Dave

Yes it does. Thank you.

Two further relevant questions though.

Is that an ad hoc irregular or additional conventional form chord voicing, and does it actually have a formal name by convention, or industry slang name that you are aware of, and if so what is it?

Re multiple varying conventional and irregular voicings not comprehensively covered everywhere. Noted. That became apparent to me an aeon ago courtesy of Andy's personable song tutes at Shutup & Play and Shane's Guitar At Work among many others on You Tube and elsewhere.

As apparent from my original question, I'd originally assumed the chord to be fingered as you clarified and how I'd been trying to play it for an aeon. I don't give up easily, but looking at your Malmsteen like fingers forming it in the vid in comparison with mine, it's simply a function of my overall finger length notably between joints and characteristic body type flexibility, that I can't get it to work for my smaller hands compromised by that brisk tempo. Not laziness or a subliminal artificial barrier induced by any "I can't do it" mindset, although I did find it a conundrum because even those challenging moves and stretches in the Coda came easily enough at tempo with persistence. I'll revisit some time again at regular intervals as my 'everything guitar' continues to improve, but for now a fully barred A7 will do.

I really enjoyed learning that with you as you've adapted it to the single guitar with the lead fills by the way. My wife particularly loves hearing those two fills following the Gmaj after each verse. Though I've been competent with it for months now, that A7mod ? excepted, it was seriously challenging at my rudimentary skill level when I started and took me a while. But because I love the song and was so enjoying the lesson regardless, in persevering determinedly with it piece by piece, I discovered by the time I finished with it to my satisfaction where I could play it to tempo consistently with the backing track without being able to discern anything different from your performance example in my own recorded playback, I finessed a lot of technique during it, and learnt so much from the journey. At the end of that period, I discovered my overall playing of everything had taken a quantum leap without me noticing it as such day by day until that light bulb moment.

Yes arguably verbose for conversation in 2018, but really just wanting to adequately relate my experience to others as encouragement and as feedback to thank you. You teaching me to play that brought a lot of pleasure, mojo energisation and additional skills to this neophyte guitarist. More quality (The) Beatles adaptations please.

P.S. The Beach Boys "Surfer Girl" from 1963 as instructed here on Guitar Tricks by Henrik for two guitars is my current "work in progress" project & challenge.

😎

Glad that helps you manXcat and thanks for the kudos! There's tons of ways to voice any chord on guitar and most 'chord' books or sites with usually show only the most common, so stick the new 'A7' fingering in your 'lesser used' chord library. And it doesn't have a proper name or affectionate title. It's just another fingering. Keep working at it and gradually your hands should adapt to the new shape.

BTW, I give live online '1 on 1' lessons here on Guitar Tricks if you need additional help. Here's the link to my schedule of available days, times, rates, and to book a lesson:

https://guitartricks.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?calendarID=1274409

Best regards,

Dave Celentano

Thanks Dave.

I've investigated that A7mod voicing from all angles, pun intended, and I'm reasonably certain by now that the problem as I'm actually encountering it with it isn't either an adaptation issue or psychological block, rather a body type physical flexibility and overall finger length limitation issue -notably between joints. I will keep beavering away nevertheless as is my wont.

Re the personal tuition availability. Thank you. Had been aware. That's certainly stored away for future consideration.

My assessment right now is that I'm not sufficiently advanced to yet validate a benefit versus cost per lesson premium of any personalised additional tuition program, which rather negates the reason I joined Guitar Tricks in the first place with an annual subscription rather than Jamplay's sub and perpetual push buy by the module model or JustinGuitar's increasingly value added 'sold by the slice', and, 'extra per additional topping', necessary to access the 'tastier bits' or advanced material of his "free" hook model.

Not the only, but a significant part of the reason I stopped playing, or really rather continuing learning guitar when I was 20 years old long before the advent of publically accessible internet and this kind of tuition was the cost of lessons/tuition, which were only available as one-on-one or teach yourself with a book, the former's rigid linearity and pace restricted to a single necessarily scheduled lesson a week which coincidently didn't fit with either my shift work or other demanding life committment (effectively a second job and income) then.

Inarguably the most significant, a self-funded self-starter, I couldn't afford both, and my motivation for wanting to fly as a career had a much higher priority, so [u]very expensive[/u] flying lessons and objectives competing with guitar encumbered with time restrictions -there were preferred age guidlines and max. age cutoffs in both the mil and airlines then, were triaged the priority. Ultimately as it is in that "take no prisoners" industry, aviation became an all consuming mistress who would brook no rivals, particularly in the military in this country where pilot's course scrub rate averaged 65% of actual starters, not selection screening. I succeeded, so at least the choice/sacrifice wasn't for nothing.

Tempus fugit. 40 and a bit years on, here I am again, kicked off by a je ne sais quoi impulse out of the blue 13 months ago now in 2017. The passion for it which has been unwavering since I started has taken me quite by surprise, any novelty, immediate excitement, or stimulation associative with any new toy or venture long elapsed. Has me for perpetuity methinks. Will review the perceived benefit of personalised premium tuition/lessons once I'm there -I'll 'know', or hit a wall -vs a plateau.

[br]Cheers