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[ Up ] [ Open chords ] [ Root 5 bar chords ] [ Guitar chords ] [ Bar chords ] [ Root 5 minor ] [ Root 6 bar chords ] [ Chord inversions ] [ Chord Formula's ]

Guitar bar chords

Always remember when you play guitar chords, have your fingers fret the chords as close to the fret as possible. 

We will begin by explaining the E chord. This guitar chord is very important because it can easily be converted to many bar chords. When you bar the E chord, it has now been converted to a movable major chord. You can now play over 15 different chords by moving this root 6, E bar chord to different positions of the guitar.

The E bar chord is a Root 6 bar chord, which means the chord is determined by the note on the 6th string. Remember the 6th string is the Low E string. Look at the illustration below.

The open E chord

The chord is now the  F chord after being barred at first fret.

Tablature for the F Chord. ----1--- ----1--- ----2--- ----3--- ----3--- ----1---

The first image to the left is the E major chord. The second image is the F major chord. Notice the index finger is behind the 1st fret and the other fingers have the same fingering as the open E chord. The note on the first fret Low E 6th string is the F note. Look Below. Also note that the index finger is close to the fret.

This type of bar chord is determined by the note on the 6th string which is the Low E string. Root 6 bar chord

Look at the image above and notice the F note at the 1st fret 6th string, or Low E string. Now notice the index finger to the left covering that fret. Since the index finger is on the 1st fret F note, it is now the F chord.  If you moved this same fingering to the 3rd fret it would become the G chord. Look above and notice the note at the 3rd fret Low E 6th string. It is the G note.  Moving this fingering to the 8th fret would be the C chord. The 10th fret would be the D chord. Remember I told you earlier that everything repeats after 12 frets. That goes for scales and chords too.

Now you have learned that you can easily convert the open E chord to the movable bar chord and play over 15 different chords on the guitar. The root 6 or E bar chord is determined by the note on Low E 6th string. Play this chord in every fret possible along the Low E string and note which chord it would be. More root 6 minor and major bar chords. Use these bar chords to play a progression. 

Good luck,

From The Jam Room

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