Barre Chords
Luciano Treachi
01/01/2023
Barre Chords
Barre chords are an important part of a guitar player's repertoire and really expand your ability to navigate the fretboard beyond open chord playing. That said, they can be a bit of a pain to get down as they require a good bit of hand strength and dexterity to play well. In this lesson, we're going to dive into the essential barre chord shapes, some variations for those chords, and tips on playing them that can help lessen the pain and frustration of the learning process.
Challenges With Bar Chords
The problem most newbies encounter is that they aren't used to holding down all six strings with one finger. This results in muddy, muted chords that don't sound so great. This, in turn, can shatter a novice player's confidence, dissuading them from learning further. To avoid frustration, I suggest starting slow and building strength in your fingers first, then moving on to learning bar chord shapes.
How to Play Guitar Barre Chords
1. When it comes to index finger positioning, you want to aim for the spot close to your fret. Too close to
the middle or back of your fret, and you'll get a muddy sound. It will take some work to hit this position
every time you go for a bar, but work on it consistently, and your aim will eventually become true.
2. Be sure not to curve your finger too much. If you apply uneven pressure to the strings, you'll end up
muting a few, so watch how you're putting that finger down across the fretboard. Take note of any creases
you tend to make, then make a conscious effort to "iron out" those kinks.
3. Apply a similar logic to your wrist. A poor angle will make it difficult for you to cover the strings
well with your index finger. If you're too far in front (or behind) of the guitar's neck, you'll find it
near-impossible to get the strong bar you need for clean sounding chords. You'll have to experiment with
what position feels most comfortable to you (while still allowing you to cover the strings as needed), but
once you have it figured out, you'll find making a proper bar a much easier prospect.
4. As for your thumb, you'll want to place this behind the neck of the guitar, pushing up to help clamp down
on the neck. How much pressure will you need for a great sounding chord? That too is a factor you'll need to
play around with. You don't want to press so lightly that you don't clamp the strings hard enough to produce
a sound, but at the same time, you don't want to press hard that you're tiring out your fingers and making
it difficult to play. Practice, and learn just how much force you'll need to exert to make your bar
proficiently.
