Extreme Makeover: Guitarists Edition Volume IV

So you have returned thirsty for more knowledge! I am impressed. Well hopefully you have been practicing the finger exercises I have laid out for you, and the chords covered in the last lesson. Remember to practice those finger exercises for at least 2 minutes before you play anything else on the guitar. It will warm up your hands and reduce the chance for injury and hand cramping. It’s like P90X for your hands. Bring it.

This lesson is going to address the All Mighty Barre Chord. Oh yes. The two chord shapes that I show you in this lesson are going to be the most important tools you will need to jam with others. The beauty of these shapes is that once you learn them, you will be able to play Major and Minor chords in any key.

Lets begin start with the Major Shape. The following is a G Major Barre Chord:

e|--3--|
b|--3--|
g|--4--|
d|--5--|
a|--5--|
E|--3--|

When you first look at this chord you are probably thinking that there are 6 notes to fret but you only have 4 fingers. Well that is correct, but to overcome this obstacle you will use your index finger to pull triple duty here and hold down 3 notes. Your index finger will fret all of the notes on the 3^rd fret. By using one finger to hold down multiple notes such as this, your finger is ‘barring’ a specific fret. This is the ‘barre portion of the Barre Chord. The remainder of your fingers will be used to press the notes on the 4^thand 5^th frets like so:

e|--3--| Index Finger
b|--3--| Index Finger
g|--4--| Middle Finger
d|--5--| Pinky Finger
a|--5--| Ring Finger
E|--3--| Index Finger

If you ride the short bus, and this isn’t crystal clear, your index finger is doing this:

e|--3--|
b|--3--|
g|--3--|
d|--3--|
a|--3--|
E|--3--|

Your other fingers are holding down the notes on the 4^th and 5^th frets.

You are probably attempting this shape and your hand is straining to hold your fingers in the correct positions, and is possibly cramping up. Don’t worry about that right now. Take a break and try again when your hand is up for the challenge. It will take time for your hand muscles to get used to this shape and utilize it effortlessly in the context of a song. Just keep practicing and your hands will become accustomed. Also, make sure that your thumb pushing on the back of the neck of the guitar and not wrapped around it!

Now that you have an understanding of what a Barre Chord is, I will show you the Minor Shape (this is G minor, to be specific):

e|--3--| Index Finger
b|--3--| Index Finger
g|--3--| Index Finger
d|--5--| Pinky Finger
a|--5--| Ring Finger
E|--3--| Index Finger

You might find this shape easier because you don’t need to use your middle finger. Notice that the only difference between these two shapes is the note you hold with your middle finger? Hope you did, because that will help with memorizing these two chords.

Alright, you understand how to fret these shapes but they are unbearable to fret right now so why wouldn’t you just stick to the cowboy chords in the previous lesson? Well, listen up and prepare to have your mind blown.

The shapes I have showed you above can actually be moved up and down the fretboard to form other chords. No new shapes required (for now). For example, fret the G Major chord I showed you before:

e|--3--|
b|--3--|
g|--4--|
d|--5--|
a|--5--|
E|--3--|

Now move the shape up 2 frets:

e|--5--|
b|--5--|
g|--6--|
d|--7--|
a|--7--|
E|--5--|

Guess what? Now you are holding an A Major Chord my friend. Think about what you just did there. The shape you had formed with your hands did not change, only the location of where you played it on the fretboard did. You just fretted 2 Major chords with the exact same shape, merely played in a different position on the neck of the guitar!

As long as you hold the same shape with your fingers, you can move this bad boy up and down the fretboard to make any Major Chord you please.

The same goes for the Minor shape I showed you:

e|--3--|
b|--3--|
g|--3--|
d|--5--|
a|--5--|
E|--3--|

This is G Minor, now move it up the fretboard say 3 more frets and you get A# Minor:

e|--6--|
b|--6--|
g|--6--|
d|--8--|
a|--8--|
E|--6--|

So this is the beauty of Barre Chords, but how do you know where to place these shapes so that they become the chord you want? Well you need to know the notes of the thick E string. Here they are:

E | F | F# | G | G# | A | A# | B | C | C# | D | D# | E

The first E is the open string (0 fret if you will), the F is the 1^stfret, the F# is the second fret, the G is the 3^rdfret, ect…It will take some time to remember which notes correspond to each fret, but it will come with practice. I recommend memorizing this as early on in your guitar career as possible because you don’t want to spend 10 minutes trying to find the D note to make a D Major chord while your buddies are waiting for you to start jamming.

To the hecklers in the audience, I shall thwart your trolling ways. I must admit that the above notes of the fretboard can also be expressed with flats. But I like sharps. It’s how I roll.

Ok, back to the G Major shape:

e|--3--|
b|--3--|
g|--4--|
d|--5--|
a|--5--|
E|--3--|

Notice how your index finger that is doing all of the barring is on the 3^rdfret? And how the note on the 3^rdfret of the thick E string is G? Cool. Whatever note you are pressing with your index finger on thick E string, corresponds to the chord you are playing.

So now when you are jamming with a friend and they tell you that the chords to a song are G Minor and A# Major, you can use the abovementioned method to figure out what chords to play. Here is how to do it:

1. Say the first chord is G minor, you would find the G note on the thick E string. Merely name the frets as you go up the string until you reach G on the 3^rdfret.
2. Now make the Minor Shape and place it on the 3^rdfret. Look at you making Minor chords wherever you please!
3. Now for the secondchord, the A# Major Chord. Same drill, find the A# note on the thick E string. Name the notes until you reach the A# on the 6^thfret.
4. You know what to do, place the Major Shape on this 6^thfret:

You just learned how to find Major and Minor chords on the E string! A very valuable tool to have; if I do say so myself. So when you are in a jam setting and a buddy tells you that the chords to a progression are E Major and C# Minor, you can find the chords yourself and play along.

This is a lot of information to digest in one sitting, so take your time with the concepts presented here. Read and re-read this lesson until you understand. Remember that the only way to get better is through practice. And yes I know you hand hurts now, but it will get easier and easier and one day you will be able to effortlessly play a progression with Barre Chords for hours on end.