Guitar Bar Chords - Guitar Lessons

Every guitar player should learn some guitar bar chords after you have mastered the basic chords because barre chords (as some spell it) are very important to learn when playing a guitar. The barre chords are derived from the E chord and can be a little tricky to learn at first but once you learn how to make these chords, you will be just fine.

Take a look at the major E chord in the image below. To make a barre chord all you do is apply the E chord along with the index finger making a bar 3 frets up. This is why we say that the guitar bar chords are based on the E major chord.

E major chord

Here we are going to show you the F barre chord and as you can see in the picture that if you take away the bar on the first fret then you have the fingering position of the E chord. These chords are movable chords up or down the neck of the guitar.

bar chords

The G barre chord is no different as you use the same finger position to make these chords. What makes the chords a G chord or any other major chord is the fret that you decide to place your index finger on to make the bar. In other words your root note or root chord depends on what fret you place your index finger on to bar the strings.

guitar bar chords

Another thing to know as far as knowing what your root chord is; you should get familiar with the 6th low E string, depending on what fret you use will declare the root note or the root chord. For example if you press the 6th string on the 5th fret you will have the A note and so on. If you bar all of the strings on the 5th fret you still have the A chord.

A major Bar Chord

Take a look at the fret board here and notice the 6th string, choose a fret and take your index finger and press all of the strings. Now take your second, third, and fourth fingers and form the E chord. There you will have made the guitar bar chords derived from the E major chord.

Since these chords are movable, you can play up and down the guitar neck and even hit the sharps and the flats as well. Practice these chords on whatever type of guitar that you have such as an electric guitar in which may be easier for you to make these chords as oppose to the acoustic guitar.

Once you have the barre chords mastered, then you’re ready to turn on the over drive and start playing your favorite tune. Guitar bar chords are made for playing all types of music such as rock, country and more.

You can take these examples that I have given you to play any chord in any key because the patterns of your fingers remain the same.

Drop D Tuning

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