8,720
edits
Changes
m
These shapes resemble the open position E major and minor chords, but instead of using the open strings, we use our barre. The minor shape above most clearly illustrates the power of a barre - it is like being able to move the nut wherever you want on the fretboard.{{top}} ===5 String===
<div class="going-top">[[#top|Top]] <i class="fa fa-level-up fa-fw"></i></div>These barre chord resemble the shape of open position A major and minor. Notice for the major shape, we have to barre both the index and ring fingers, making this chord more difficult than first appears to master. It may be possible to use middle, ring, and pinky instead; but this can be especially difficult. On the lower frets, stretching the middle finger far enough to get a clean fretting is tough, while on the higher frets, it is difficult to align the fingers above each other and fit inside the smaller fret space.
===5 String===
These barre chord resemble the shape of open position A major and minor. Notice for the major shape, we have to barre both the index and ring fingers, making this chord more difficult than first appears to master. It may be possible to use middle, ring, and pinky instead; but this can be especially difficult on the lower frets.{{top}}
<div class="going-top">[[#top|Top]] <i class="fa fa-level-up fa-fw"></i><=4 String=== These resemble the open position D major/div>minor chords. Notice that the index finger only plays one note here, and we don't actually need the barre at all. It's best to learn it anyway, as other chords closely resemble this shape but make use of the barre.
===4 String===
These resemble the open position D major/minor chords. Notice that the index finger only plays one note here, and we don't actually need the barre at all. It's best to learn it anyway, as other chords closely resemble this shape but make use of the barre.
<div class="going-{{top">[[#top|Top]] <i class="fa fa-level-up fa-fw"></i></div>}}
<div class="going-{{top">[[#top|Top]] <i class="fa fa-level-up fa-fw"></i></div>}}
<div class="item-wrap">{{top}}<div class="trail red"><span class="text">[[B Diminished{{Intermediate Lesson Crumbs|B dim]]</span><span class="text">[[Other Open String Chords|Open Chords]]</span><span class="text">[[Music Theory - Minor Keys|Minor Keys]]</span><span class="text">[[Harmonic Minor and Augmented Chords|Harmonic Min]]</span><span class="text current">[[Barre Chords|Barre Chords]]</span><span class="text">[[Suspended Chords|Sus Chords]]</span><span class="text">[[Applying Rhythm to Chords|Rhythm]]</span><span class="text">[[Circle of Fifths|Circle of 5ths]]</span><span class="text">[[G Major and E Minor|G Maj and E Min]]</span><span class="text">[[5th Position|5th Pos]]</span><span class="text">[[Scales for all Positions|All Pos]]</span><span class="text">[[CAGED]]</span><span class="text">[[7th Chords]]</span></div></div>6}}
<div class="going-top">[[#top|Top]] <i class="fa fa-level-up fa-fw"></i></div>
no edit summary
{{Intermediate Lesson Crumbs|5}}
A ''<u>barre chord'' </u> uses a flattened index finger to fret most or all of the strings, with the index finger usually playing the bass and /or root note of the chord. This technique allows for a few common shapes to play different chords simply by changing position. We've already encountered a barre chord when discussing the [[F Major Chord]], but here we will apply it to a larger variety of chords and learn the technique for future chord shapes.
== PreReqs ==
* [[F Major Chord]]
* [[E Minor, D Minor, and A Minor Chords]]
* [[Other Open String Chords]]
== Common Shapes ==
===6 String===
These shapes resemble the open position E major and minor chords, but instead of using the open strings, we use our barre. The minor shape above most clearly illustrates the power of a barre - it is like being able to move the nut wherever you want on the fretboard.
{|
|}
{|
! Major !! Minor !!
|}
{|
! Major !! Minor !!
''' ''' |-|-|-|-|
|}
== Example ==
I - IV - V - I consists of all major chords. Let's simply apply the shapes above to our root notes:
Ab Db Eb Ab E--4----4----6----4-- B--4----6----8----4-- G--5----6----8----5-- D--6----6----8----6-- A--6----4----6----6-- E--4--------------4--
Now let's say we want to change the key to B{{f}} major. We know that B{{f}} is one whole step above A{{f}}, so we can move the entire progression above two frets higher, and that's all there is to it:
Bb Eb F Bb E--6----6----8----6-- B--6----8----10---6-- G--7----8----10---7-- D--8----8----10---8-- A--8----6----8----8-- E--6--------------6--
Are you beginning to see why guitar is such a popular instrument?
Just because guitar can simplify the way you play this or that progression doesn't mean you should get intellectually lazy. It's easy to perform the above and call it a day. It's nice that we can reduce a progression to a few root notes and some chord shapes, but you should really try to learn all the notes for the key you are playing in and what notes are contained in each chord and how those notes translate to the fretboard.
== Homework ==
* [[F Major Chord]]
[[Category:Guitar]]
[[Category:Harmony]]
[[Category:Chords]]