When you tune to A E A, the Cigar Box Guitar is tuned in the common I V I ( 1 5 1) tuning. Open strings play the root or I chord with the IV ( 4th chord) at the 5th fret and the V ( 5th chord) at the 7th fret. Here is a table of the power chords and notes on the strings:
| FRET NUMBER | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| POWER CHORD | A | A#/Bb | B | C | C#/Db | D | D#/Eb | E | F | F#/Gb | G | G#/Ab | A |
| BASS STRING | A | A#/Bb | B | C | C#/Db | D | D#/Eb | E | F | F#/Gb | G | G#/Ab | A |
| MIDDLE STRING | E | F | F#/Gb | G | G#/Ab | A | A#/Bb | B | C | C#/Db | D | D#/Eb | E |
| TOP STRING | A | A#/Bb | B | C | C#/Db | D | D#/Eb | E | F | F#/Gb | G | G#/Ab | A |
How Do I Play Major Chords On A Guitar Tuned A E A?
The simplest way to remember how to play major chords is to play the relevant barred power chord and then add your little finger to the 4th fret above the barre:
See how you can add the note required on the 4th fret ( which is actually the third note of the scale confusingly) on either the bass note or the top note for two different inversions of the same chord. An inversion is the same notes of chord in a different order.
This chord shape is a moveable chord shape. Moving it up the neck to put the barre on the 2nd fret gives us B chords:
This pattern continues up the neck with the E major shape having a barre on the 7th fret with the little finger on the 11th fret.
Here is a table with all the major chords for a guitar tuned in A E A:
Another Useful Chord Chart Table For Major Chords In Open A Tuning
There is another shape that you may be familiar with for playing major chords:
Here is the table for this chord shape in different positions on the neck:
How Do I Play Minor Chords On A Guitar Tuned A E A?
Using the one finger barre power chords and adding the little finger to the 3rd fret above the barre gives us an easy to remember movable minor chord shape:
This shape can be moved up the neck to give us B minor:
Here is the table for all the frets:
More Chord Shapes For Cigar Box Guitars
I am gradually adding more chord shape diagrams and tables to help you learn how to play the same chord in different ways and in different tunings. Use the menu tab at the top to find chord shapes for G D G tuning and A E A tuning. Here are a couple of links to start you off:
- Easy Chords For G D G Tuning- Part 1
- Easy Chords For G D G Tuning- Part 2
- Common Chords for E B E tuning – Part 1
- How Do I Play Major Chords On A Cigar Box Guitar?
- How Do I Play Minor Chords On A Cigar Box Guitar?
If you want to find out more about tuning your guitar differently try reading my article on 9 different tunings
If you need advice on changing your strings, I’ve written an article here: How Do I Put New Strings On My Cigar Box Guitar?