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The truth is that there is no such thing as an A2 guitar chord! The correct chord symbol is Aadd9. But you will still see the A2 chord symbol appear in many songs. Here's why:
The A2 refers to an A major chord with an added 2nd degree (which is the note B). The problem with this simplified chord symbol is that in music theory there's a rule concerning chord degree spelling:
Two numbers can refer to the same note, but with a different function. In this case, you get a B when you count 2 steps starting on A, but you also get a B when you count 9 steps:
So the correct spelling for this chord should have a 9 and not a 2 because it's a chord tone and not a melodic scale step. But A9 would also be wrong because of another music theory rule:
This means that an A9 would include a 7th (1-3-5-7-9). But if we want to add that 9th degree without the 7th, we need to call it an Aadd9.
There are many ways to play this chord, and some of them are tricky to finger. Here's a popular choice that sounds very nice and is one of the easiest options. Use the player below to hear how it sounds.
The above Aadd9 chord voicing uses open strings. In order to transpose it to other keys, we need to turn it into a barre chord that can be moved everywhere on the fretboard.
Below you can see and hear an example of this chord transposed to Dadd9, based on fret 5. You can move it to other frets to produce other keys. This one's a bit tougher on the fingers.
To use moveable chords effectively, you need to locate the notes on the fretboard really fast. I highly recommend that you get Fretboard Memorization Toolbox. It's a free mini-course that includes fun drills and musical challenges that will help you master the fretboard very quickly.
Guitar players love shortcuts (like we saw with the A2 chord spelling). A shortcut for quickly playing an A2, or an Aadd9 in any song, is to use an Asus2 chord instead. The Asus2 is missing a note compared to the Aadd9, but it still sounds great and will work fine anywhere an Aadd9 is required. Plus it's one of the easiest chords to play on the guitar!
Btw, if you're wondering why the number 2 is used in this case instead of 9, then go to this lesson on the Asus2 chord.
Fretboard Memorization Toolbox
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