Guitar Chords III - Barre Chords
To me, learning to play barre chords is the key to playing the guitar. Once you get a basic understanding of barre chords, you can play any chord, anywhere on the fretboard.
A barre chord is a chord where no open strings are played. To play a barre chord, you start by putting your first finger across all of the stings on a fret. Then, you can play any chord based on where your finger is on the guitar, and learning a few basic shapes to make the chords.
If you can play an F or Bm, you can play barre chords. There are two basic formations to play barre chords. For our example, we’ll use the G and C chords. Of course you can play these chords in open form (G- 320003, C- x32010), or you can play them as barre chords.
As barre chords:
G - 355433
C - x35553
These are the two basic barre chord shapes. The “E Form” which is based on the open ‘E’ chord (022100) and the “A Form” which is based on the open ‘A’ (x02220). In this example, the G takes on the E Form, and the C is in the A Form.
From ‘G’, you can move up and down the fret board and play from an open ‘E’ to a ‘D’ or maybe higher depending on the guitar. You don’t have to move your hand at all. You can play a ‘G’ at 355433 and move to an ‘A’ by just sliding your hand up two frets to 577655. If you keep this shape, you are always playing the chord of the note on the low ‘E’ string. If you hold this shape and you are playing a ‘B’ on the low ‘E’ string, you are playing a ‘B’ chord.
The same goes for the C position. By sliding up and down the fretboard, you can play a variety of chords. The note that you are playing on the ‘A’ string is the chord you are playing in this position.
Now, simple changes in your hand shape can change the type of chord you are playing. Again, I’ll use the G and C chords to demonstrate.
G - 355433
Gm- 355333
G7- 353433
Gm7-353333
C - x35553
Cm- x35543
C7- x35353
Cm7-x35343
You can apply these chords to any spot on the guitar. Once you get these basic shapes down, you can play any chord instantly. If someone tells you to play a Bb7, you won’t even have to hesitate to play 686766. It may seem hard at first, but eventually it will make things much easier.
And don’t be discouraged if your hand just doesn’t want to play barre chords. You’ll have to teach your hand how to play it. Until you develop the muscle memory and hand strength, you may have a hard time. And you will definitely have a sore hand if you practice these too much, too soon. But stick with it, because it makes playing the guitar much easier in the long run.
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