How To Play Bar Chords On Guitar

The correct term is "barre chord" and  is perhaps the most useful tool you will have in your guitar playing toolbox. With it you will be able to play any song you've learned in any key. The chord is played across all 6 strings and key changes can be made by repositioning your hand on the neck simply by moving to another fret. It is called a "bar" chord because you index finger forms a bar across one fret. Here is an example of a major bar chord:

How to Play the F major bar chord:

We identify the root note of the bar chord by the note that is being played on the 6th(lowest or thickest) string, the low E string. The notes on the low E string as we have already learned are as follows:

Starting at the 1st fret:
F - F#(or Gb) - G - G# (or Ab) - A - A#( or Bb) - B - C - C# (or Db) - D - D# (or Eb) - E - F and they repeat...

The guitar chords that are based on the notes on the low E string are called Type 1 bar chords. Here are some diagrams to get you familiar with the various bar chords; they are all F rooted chords:

The F 7th bar chord

The F minor bar chord

The F minor 7th bar chord

When you play an open E chord you are actually playing a barre chord using the nut as your barre.

The open E major chord

Type 2 Bar Chords

The 2nd type of bar chord is built not from the open E chord but instead from the open A chords. Like the first type, the key or root note changes are made by sliding up the neck to different frets using the notes on the 'A' string as our root note instead of the 'E' string. The notes on the 'A' string starting on the 1st fret are as follows:

Bb - B - C - C#(or Db) - D - D#(or Eb) - F - F#(or Gb) - G - G#(or Ab) - A - A#(or Bb) - and so on.

Here are some examples:

Bb major bar chord

This is the way almost every guitarist plays the major Type 2 bar chord. It can be very difficult to bend your 3rd finger so that the note on the 1st string (high 'E') can be heard. With a little practice you will get it. A lot of players simply don't play the High 'E' string when playing this chord. While most players use this fingering the correct way to play this chord is below. I must admit that in 31 years I've NEVER played this chord "correctly" , but it's never been a problem.

"Correct" way to play the Type 2 major chord

Bb minor bar chord

Bb 7th bar chord

Bb minor 7th bar chord

Bb major 7th bar chord

This is a new chord (the major 7th) that we haven't seen before. There is really no practical way to play this in the Type 1 barre, so it tends to only be used with open chords or the Type 2 bar chord.

*PRACTICE TIP*-Playing the bar chord on the first fret is the hardest position. You may want to practice these chords at the 5th fret (root would be 'A' for Type 1 and 'D' for Type 2) until you are comfortable. Also, it is EXTREMELY important that your fingers are arched above the strings and not laying across them. (The exception of course would be your index finger, since it is required to lay across all the strings).

In Review

Type 1 bar chords have their root notes taken from the note that is fretted on the 6th string(low 'E') while Type 2 barre chords have their root note taken from the note that is fretted on the 5th string ('A' string).

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