The Other Major Barre Chord Shapes.
Ok so hopefully you have the concept, we take our basic open position chords and move them around using our first finger to create a bar to cover what used to be the open strings. Our root note defines our chord for us, so if you aren’t sure what a root note is, I’d suggest getting back to theory class and have another look at that.
FROM NOW ON STOP THINKING OF THESE AS BEING OPEN CHORDS AND START THINKING OF THEM AS SHAPES.
So in CAGED world we have five shapes for everything as we have already discussed, so we have five barre chords shapes right?! Right, lets start with C.
C shape barre chord
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Ok the key things here are that the root note is played with our little finger and is on the A string. Just like our open position C chord we don’t play the bottom string so that the lowest note we hear is that root note on the A.
You only need to cover off the top three strings with your first finger barre, this is important as covering more makes more work for yourself and that seems pointless!
So, if we were to play this shape with our little finger at the seventh fret, we would have the chord of E as the seventh fret on the A string is the note E. Hopefully that’s making sense.
A shape barre chord
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The A shape is the first of our barre chords where we have to make compromises. Ideally we would use fingers two three and four to play the A shape section with finger one taking the barre but in reality it’s too hard to fit your fingers in the frets as you move higher up the guitar neck.
What we tend to do instead is use our third finger as a barre to play the leading section, and instead of a barre with the first finger we simply play the root note on the A string. The compromise is obviously you can’t do that and play the top string as you are likely to be fretting a note which isn’t in the chord. The only way to do it is if you have the ability to bend your third finger back off the top string, which I don’t! So what I tend to do is just avoid the top string. The note on the top string is the fifth, which we have elsewhere in the chord so it doesn’t matter harmonically.
TIP: I sometimes use the same technique to play an open A chord and just use my first or third finger to play the notes but accept I have to not play the top string.
So don’t forget our root note is still on the A string but this time we are playing it with our first finger and all the other stuff is in front of the root.
G Shape Barre chord
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Ok bit of a finger stretcher this one, not really one I’d use in anger, but it does sound nice. Some people just use the top portion of the chord across the top four strings, but that means we don’t have a root note in the bass so that doesn’t work for me at this stage.
This time our third finger is playing the root note and all the other notes are behind it.
E shape barre chord
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We dealt with this previously but I have included it here for the sake of completeness.
D shape barre chord
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Again not the most comfortable of shapes to fall into but it works nicely, don’t forget that root note is on the D string and all the other notes are in front of it.
Ok lots and lots to take in here, spend some time digesting this. As an exercise I’d suggest taking three or four chord names, such as Bb, F, D# and G and try and play those chords in each of the above shapes.
Don’t rush to move on, make sure this is absolutely clear first.