barre chords

Have you been doing your Finger Exercise? If the answer is no, this lesson will make you wish that you had been! We're going to learn all about barre chords. What makes these chords unique is the fact that you can actually play many chords using only one fingering. This introduces an important concept, one that we'll be examining a lot more in future lessons. What I am talking about is moveability. As the name implies, we're talking about something that is moveable. REMEMBER THIS: Any thing you play on the guitar that doesn't utilize any open strings is moveable. Whether it is a chord, a scale, an arpeggio, or an entire song, it can be played anywhere on the neck you wish without affecting the overall tonality. The only thing that changes is the key you're in. That might seem like a very radical concept right now, so as always I've included some examples that should shed some light on everything. If you're still troubled by all of this, please don't hesitate to e-mail me.

The trick to performing these is to lay your first finger across each string. Then you have to make sure that each of the strings you wish to hear can be heard clearly, and rest assured this will take a lot of time, experimentation, patience, and possibly first aid. One thing that seems to work is to move your first finger toward the ceiling a little more than usual, so that the tip extends beyond the sixth string. It'll take some time, but you'll get it. Just keep trying.

Now back to the topic of moveability. To figure out what barre chord you're playing, just figure out what note you're playing on the 6th string! Try it. Can you name the chords displayed above? The one on the left is F Major, and the one to the right is F Minor. Back in Lesson Ten we learned how to play an F chord, and if you notice, this one's not much different. It simply includes two notes in the lower register to fatten it up a bit. The F Minor is played by removing your 2nd finger from the 3rd string. Make sure your 1st finger covers the 3rd string when you switch to F Minor. Now the cool part: If while playing an F Major Chord you slide your entire hand up to the 3rd fret, you are now playing a G Major Chord! Take your 2nd finger off again and it's G Minor. Slide that up to the 5th fret you're playing an A Minor Chord. Put your middle finger down again and its an A Major Chord To the 8th fret? Now it's C Major! Knowing this one fingering allows you to play all kinds of chords.

You can also play barre chords with the root on the 5th string, and the same rules of moveability apply, only this time it is the note on the 5th string that determines the name of the chord. What are the names of these two chords? After you figure them out, slide them around and see what you come up with!! Cheers...

"life moves pretty fast. if you don't stop and look around once in awhile you might miss it"-ferris bueller