lesson
Barre Chords 1
A Barre Chord is a chord where one finger holds down more than one string of a chord. The most common type of barre chord has the first finger holding down (or barring across) all six strings. Since you are holding down all of the strings, the barre chord shape is moveable, enabling you to play 12 chords of the same type (major,minor, 7th, etc.) by simply moving one chord shape up and down the fretboard. Let’s look at an example of how this works (don’t try playing these examples.)
Moving Barre Chords
Begin with an open E chord, a chord shape you probably already know. The E chord is played at the 1st fret.
When you move this chord shape up one fret and hold down (bar across) all six strings with your 1st finger at the 1st fret, the resulting chord looks like this:
This is an F barre chord. The curved line at the top indicates that you are to bar across all six strings (with your 1st finger.) Your 1st finger is now acting like the nut of the guitar (or a capo) and raising the pitch of all the strings one half step (one fret.)
Move this shape up one more fret and you get an F sharp or G flat chord.
Move the chord shape up one more fret and you have a G chord. Notice the number and letters “3fr” next to the chord diagram. They tell you that the top of the chord diagram is starting at the 3rd fret.
Each fret you move up the fretboard is one more half step up the chromatic scale. So by learning this one major barre chord shape, you can play 12 major chords by simply moving the shape up or down the fretboard. For most chord types, we will be learning two barre chord shapes. One chord shape that has its root note on the 6th string and one chord shape that has its root note on the 5th string. Knowing two barre chord shapes for each chord type gives you more options when deciding where to play chords.
Playing Barre Chords
Learning to play barre chords is another hurdle guitarists must jump. It is difficult at first, but so were open chords — remember? Patience and lots of practice are the keys to mastering them.
Let’s begin with the major chord shape below at the 5th fret. We are starting at the 5th fret because the string tension is less the farther you get from the nut. So for your first attempt at barre chords it is easier and less discouraging to begin higher up the neck.
Start by placing your first finger across all six strings at the 5th fret and holding them down. You don’t have to squeeze hard. Just put enough pressure on them to hold them down. Once you have your 1st finger across the strings start placing your other fingers in the proper positions. Now try strumming the chord. Keep adjusting your fingers until you can strum the chord cleanly. This is an A barre chord.
Your assignment for this lesson is to play this major chord shape cleanly at each fret up to the 10th fret (frets 1-10.) You will rarely play barre chords (or any chords) higher than the 10th fret, and on an acoustic guitar you may not be able to physically reach beyond the 10th fret.
links
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Bare Chords 2
- Second Major Barre Chord Shape
- This lesson was adapted from my book: Better Guitar Method Book 2, which is available at:
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Root Note
The root note of a chord is the note the chord is built on and gets its name from. For example, a C (major) chord has three notes: C, E, and G. The C note is the root note, the E is the 3rd note, and the G is the 5th note in the C major scale. Since the chord is centered on (or built on) the C note, the chord is called a C (major) chord.
