Barre Chord - Technique and Application

Technique and Application

• Note: notes of each chord are listed in order from the bottom string to the top (EADGBe).

Barre chords are typically used for more complex chord voicings and playing in keys not suitable for the more basic open chords of the first position of a standard-tuned guitar.

When fretting a barre chord, because the strings are no longer open, they do not resonate as brightly or long as an open chord. The sound is muted by the pressure placed on the bar; heavy pressure in the center of the frets produces less muting. Therefore, when playing barre chords, it is important to practice maintaining adequate pressure, as the technique is tiring for beginners and the strings dig into the flesh of the uncalloused finger.

The two most commonly barred notes are variations of A and E. These barre chords are most common in rock, blues and country music. The E barre chord is made of an E chord shape (022100) moved up and down the frets and being barred, changing the note. For example, the E chord barred one fret up becomes an F chord (133211). The next fret up is F♯, followed by G, A♭, A, B♭, B, C, C♯, D, E♭, and then back to E (1 octave up) at fret twelve.

E A E-------------0---------------5--- B-------------0---------------5--- G-------------1---------------6--- D-------------2---------------7--- A-------------2---------------7--- E-------------0---------------5--- Guitar tablature of an open E chord and an E-shape A barre chord.

The A barre chord, commonly called the "double barre", is made by sliding the A chord shape (X02220) up and down the frets. When the A chord is barred, the index finger lies across the top five strings, touching the 6th string (E) to deaden it. Either the ring or little finger is then barred across the 2nd (B), 3rd (G), and 4th (D) strings two frets down, or one finger frets each string. For instance, if barred at the second fret, the A chord becomes B (X24442). From fret one to twelve, the barred A becomes B♭, B, C, C♯, D, E♭, E, F, F♯, G, A♭, and at the twelfth fret (that is, one octave up), it is A again.

A D E-------------0---------------5--- B-------------2---------------7--- G-------------2---------------7--- D-------------2---------------7--- A-------------0---------------5--- E--------------------------------- Guitar tablature of an open A chord and an A-shape D barre chord.

Often the highest note in a double barre chord is left out.

All variations of these two chords can be barred: dominant 7ths, minors, minor 7ths, etc. Any major chord on the guitar can be played with A and E barre chords.

Minor barre chords are made the same as other chords, by flattening the third (in E and A shaped barre chords, this happens to be the highest 'non-barred' note). Example:

F Fm C Cm E--------1--------1--------3-------3------- B--------1--------1--------5-------4------- G--------2--------1--------5-------5------- D--------3--------3--------5-------5------- A--------3--------3--------3-------3------- E--------1--------1------------------------

In addition to the two most common shapes above, barre/moveable chords can also be built around C, D and G shapes, similarly drawn from their open position equivalents. However, these shapes are not used as commonly as E and A. Example:

D A Em E--------2--------5--------3------- B--------3--------2--------5------- G--------2--------2--------4------- D--------4--------2--------2------- A--------5--------4---------------- E-----------------5----------------

The above shows D major in C shape form, A major in G shape form and E minor in D shape form. The D shape, for example, can be seen as a higher voiced alternative to the standard open E minor form. Similarly, in the example above, the C shape offers an alternative voicing to an open D major or A shaped D major.

Variations of the basic major and minor triad chords can also be formed using these 5 main shapes as their foundation. For example, the open Cadd9 shape can be used in its C shape barre form up the guitar neck as desired.

The use of the plagal VII-I cadence in popular music is often attributed to the ease of sliding a barre chord up two frets.

In the context of classical music, "Fernando Sor recommends that one should 'be sparing of the operations called barring and shifting.' The principal reason for avoiding bars is that playing them requires more effort than not. However, there are frequent occasions when bars are the best or only solutions for playing certain passages."