Barring the A Chord
I was interested to hear James talking about barring the open A chord in the tech focus for Mr Tambourine Man and how he mutes the high E string while doing so. I have been using this method more and more and hadn't always noted that I was also muting the E string. I agree it isn't really noticeable as part of any playing.
However, I have been aware that when I try to play barre chords as thumb chords (which does enable faster transitions for certain chord changes) that I am finding it impossible not to mute the high E string, even further up the fret board. I'm not sure if this is due to the size of my hands, thumb and fingers. I was wondering if this is a fairly common scenario or whether it's just me.
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The thing to note, when using the convenient 'finger bar' for the 'A' chord is that if you mute the high 'e' then you are just missing out the V but you still play a V on the 'D' string. But this is OK.
However, when you play a fifth string root and use the finger bar you use your ring finger and this is easier to bend slightly, your index finger can then include the V. To check this out play a 'D' major root on the fifth string and make a full bar with your index finger to include the 'A on the fifth fret, and try to bend your ring finger slightly.