Barre chords involve using your index finger to cover many strings at once. This has the effect of raising the pitch of all these strings and so produces new chords depending on how far up the neck you move your hand.

To play any major or minor barre chord:

1. Find the root note of the chord you want on either the bottom E or A string. Refer to the names of the fretboard notes if you aren't sure where to find the root notes.

2. Make your barre on that fret with your index finger.

Colour coding the fingers in the following examples is to show that the basic E, Emin, A and Amin chord shapes require different fingerings with barre chords because the index finger is always required to form the barre.

If the root note is on the E string:

Use the E major shape for a major chord:

Use the E minor shape for a minor chord:

If the root note is on the A string:

Use the A major shape for a major chord:

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

The A major shape has several options. Many players like to use one finger to cover the A shape such as options 2 and 3 depending on which finger you choose. For options 2 and 3 you need to be careful to keep your ring finger (option 2) or little finger (option 3) clear of the high E string.

Use the A minor shape for a minor chord:

Examples:

  • An Emin shape on the 3rd fret produces a Gmin chord because the note on the 3rd fret of the E string is G and the chord shape is minor.
  • An E shape on the 8th fret produces a C chord because the note on the 8th fret of the E string is C and the chord shape is major.
  • An Amin shape on the 1st fret produces a Bbmin chord because the note on the 1st fret of the A string is Bb and the chord shape is minor.
  • An A shape on the 5th fret produces a D chord because the note on the 5th fret of the A string is D and the chord shape is major.

There are options about where you play barre chords because any note can be found on either the E or A strings.

For example:

  • A Bb chord could either be an E shape on the sixth fret or an A shape on the first fret.
  • A Gmin chord could be an Emin shape on the third fret or an Amin shape on the tenth fret.

The advantage of knowing these four basic shapes is that you can play all of the major and minor chords. This same principle of chord naming applies to other variations on these basic shapes.

eg. An Amaj7 shape on the 5th fret produces a Dmaj7 chord because the note on the 5th fret of the A string is D and the chord shape is maj7.