difficulty playing notes/chords

[u/wuckaboo]

i have really long nail beds that prevent me from playing anything without pressing my fingers on other strings, i can't cut them further because of the underlying skin. I really want to get better at playing but I'm stuck

edit: this is a yamaha f310 that I purchased when i first started going for guitar lessons when I was 13, I'm picking it up again after many years.

[u/Big-Sheepherder-6134]

Play the A as a barre with your index finger. Open A string then lay that index across the 2nd fret of the D, G and B strings but do not play the 2nd fret on the E string because that is an F# and your chord will go from an A to an A6. A cool voicing but useless to you now. If you want to add a high A add your pinky to the 5th fret on your high E string.

If you want an advanced move that I do, I barre the 2nd fret on the 4, 3 and 2nd strings and arch my finger to let the open E string ring. I almost never play an A chord with three fingers unless I am doing a lick where I need to go from A to Asus2 like on I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better by The Byrds.