Guitar Barre Chords

There is a limited number of chords that have open strings. To over come this we can use our index finger as a movable nut. This involes pressing down four of more strings with just our index finger to make a barre chord. Chords like F, Bb, Ab, and Db are barre chords, you can't play them with open strings because the notes used to make these chords are note the same as the open strings.

Why Barre Chords?

Barre chords can be used to play chords that don't have the notes of the open strings, E, A, D, G, B, or E. Since there are a ton of chords that don't have these notes we need a way to temporarily re-tune the guitar in a sense. If you've even used or heard of a capo that is the same idea, but instead we are using our finger as a movable capo. Since the chord Fmaj doesn't include any of the open tones of the guitar we can take our index finger and lay it across the 1^st fret and use the open Emaj shape as if the 1^st fret was the nut. This will make a Fmaj chord.

Barre chords are few important to know. If your just starting out on barre chords it will be hard to make them, but after you practice for a while your hand will strength up and it will be easier than brushing your teeth. No matter what style of music you play barre chords are so important, they are simply everywhere. You will come across barre chords everywhere in music. You can even use barre chords to figure out music. If you can find the major or minor barre chords that sounds close to right you can take that chord and add different notes in if you need to and get the exact chord, all from barre chords! But most likely the song your trying to figure out will have already used a lot of barre chords.

Common Shapes

There are two shapes to each type of chord, there are two major shapes you use and two minor shapes you use to play barre chords. Which one you use depends on which string the root note, or lowest tone of the chord is played, either on the E or A string. Barre chords are great because like a lot of thing in the guitar world you can move them around on the neck of the guitar and get different chords, just like that.

There are also 7^th shapes and jazz chords that are barre chords as well. Just like major and minor barre chords there are two different shapes you will play for each type of chord that depends on which string the root note is on.