hapter fter learning basic chords, you can play barre chords and power chords to add flair to your music. his chapter discusses -based and -based barre chords, which are the most popular types of barre chords, as well as open-position and movable power chords. ome sample songs are also included to help you practice. Playing Barre hords and Power hords In this hapter... Introduction to Barre hords he -based Major Barre hord Other -based Barre hords he -based Major Barre hord Other -based Barre hords Open-Position Power hords Movable Power hords ongs for Practice
8 intro d u c tio n to b arre c h ords Barre (pronounced bar ) chords are chords that require you to use a barre. o form a barre, you press down on multiple strings with a single finger, usually your index finger. ou also position the rest of your fingers on specific strings to form a chord. ou can then move this finger shape to any location on the fingerboard to allow you to play many different chords. he finger shape you use to form a chord and the fret your index finger is positioned at determine which chord you will play. Barre chords that use the same finger shape as the open-position chord and the open-position chord are the most common types of barre chords. Open-position chords are chords you play near the nut that use strings that do not have a finger pressing down on them. ince barre chords allow you to play chords at different locations on the fingerboard, these chords are often referred to as movable chords. sing movable chords allows you to play chords away from the nut of the guitar and gives you more versatility in your playing. earning to play barre chords can be difficult. ou may find playing barre chords painful at first because you need to hold your fingers in an awkward position and exert enough pressure to get all the strings to ring properly. his discomfort will subside with practice. Wh a t d o b arre c h ord di a gra ms lo ok lik e? hord diagrams for barre chords look slightly different from regular chord diagrams. he following chord diagram is color coded to show the three main parts of a barre chord diagram. x a m ple of a B arre h ord Di a gra m Barre his part of the barre chord diagram represents the barre. he, which represents your index finger, only appears on the strings that do not have another finger pressing down on them. our index finger should be pressing down on all the strings under the symbol. Barre fr O pen-position hord hape Open-Position hord hape While your index finger forms the barre, you use your middle, ring and pinky fingers to form the chord shape for the chord. ret Indicator Most barre chord diagrams indicate at which fret to position your index finger by displaying the fret number followed by the letters fr. If a barre chord is to be played close to the nut, the fret indicator is not included. P : Pla yin g Barre hords a n d Po w er hords Wh a t are th e b e n e fits of pl a yin g b arre c h ords? More Versatility earning barre chords can give you more options when playing the guitar. or example, barre chords allow you to play in all of the twelve keys, whereas you can only play in five or six keys when you are just using open-position chords. key determines the notes and chords you play in a song. Moreover, certain chords cannot even be played as openposition chords, and therefore you need to play them as barre chords. asier to witch Between hords ess Memory Work nother advantage to using barre chords instead of open-position chords is that you only have to learn one finger shape to play twelve different chords. he finger shape you use and the location of your fingers on the fingerboard determine the chord you will play. If you played every chord as an openposition chord, you would need to learn a different finger shape for each chord. he reason why barre chords allow you to play so many chords with one finger shape is that your index finger acts as a new nut, allowing you to play chords at any fret on the fingerboard. Barre chords can make playing the guitar easier. he location of a barre chord on the fingerboard can sometimes be closer to other chords you want to play than if you were playing open-position chords. his way you do not have to move your hand as much to switch between chords. More ontrol Barre chords give you more control over the sounds your guitar makes. or example, when you play a barre chord and you want a string to stop ringing, you simply release the pressure of your finger from the string slightly. When you play an open-position chord, which contains strings that do not have a finger pressing down on them, you cannot easily stop a string from ringing. he ability to control how long strings ring when playing barre chords can give your playing a cleaner sound. ONIND 8
8 intro d u c tio n to b arre c h ords o w c a n I im pro v e my so un d w h e n pl a yin g a b arre c h ord? Position our and orrectly If you find that any of the notes in the chord are not sounding when you play a barre chord, try moving your palm more in front of the fingerboard. ou may also want to try moving your elbow closer to your body to change the angle that your hand approaches the strings on the fingerboard. Position our ingers orrectly When you form a barre chord, try to apply equal pressure with your index finger across all the strings. ou should also bend your index finger very slightly and roll this finger slightly onto its side toward the nut. sing the side of your finger rather than the flat surface of your finger will help you achieve the best tone. When you position your other fingers to form the chord, make sure you are using the tips of your fingers to press down on the strings. ou should also ensure that each finger is just behind the fret and not accidentally touching other strings. Be careful that you do not pull your index finger out of place when you position your other fingers. ou may want to try picking each string individually to make sure they ring clearly. If you hear buzzing or muted sounds, check your fingers to make sure they are positioned correctly. Position our humb orrectly he placement of your thumb is also important. Make sure you position your thumb between your index and middle finger on the back of the neck, which will allow you to add pressure to the strings. ven though the pressure should be firm, try to keep your wrist and hand as relaxed as possible. P : Pla yin g Barre hords a n d Po w er hords Wh a t c a n I d o to m a k e pl a yin g b arre c h ords e asier? Is th ere a diff ere nt stru m min g t e c hniq u e I c a n use to m a k e b arre c h ords m ore int erestin g? Once you are comfortable playing barre chords, you may want to play arpeggios, instead of strumming all the strings for chords. o play an arpeggio, you simply pick individual strings rather than strumming them all at once. or more information on playing arpeggios, see page 9. o become more comfortable forming a barre with your index finger, you may want to try the following exercise. old down the st and nd strings with your index finger. When this feels comfortable, try holding down the st, nd and rd strings. Keep increasing the number of strings until you are holding down all six strings. ry to determine whether it is easier for you to form the barre first and then form the chord with your other fingers, or to form the chord first and then form the barre. ry practicing barre chords on the frets closer to the body of the guitar. ince the frets are closer together in this area, your fingers do not have to stretch as far. If possible, practice on an electric guitar because the strings on an electric guitar are easier to press down than on an acoustic guitar. ry to keep your hand relaxed, making sure your fingers are not stiff. ou can perform finger exercises, such as the exercises shown on page 7, before you practice barre chords. 8
th e -b ase d m a jor b arre c h ord -based barre chords are the most common types of barre chords. he -based major barre chord is based on the finger positioning of the major chord. or information on the major chord, see page 6. o form the -based major barre chord, you use your middle, ring and pinky fingers to form an major chord. Keeping the major chord formation, you then slide your fingers along the fingerboard toward the bridge by one fret and form a barre by using your index finger to press down all the strings one fret behind. ou can keep your fingers in the same formation and slide your fingers along the fingerboard to another fret to play a different chord. he name of each chord you play using the -based major barre formation is determined by the note your index finger plays on the 6th string. or example, when your index finger is behind the first fret, you play an major chord because the note played by the 6th string at the first fret is. on the rd string, just behind the first fret. on the th string, just Position your index finger above the nut, but not touching the strings. 6 lide your fingers toward the bridge by one fret. firmly across the strings just behind the first fret, pressing down all the strings. 7 se your thumb to apply extra pressure to the back of the neck of the guitar. 86 P : Pla yin g Barre hords a n d Po w er hords xercise ow can I quickly determine which chord is formed at each fret? PI G ount: xercise B D ount: xercise D ount: 8 epeat steps to 8 on trum all the strings toward the floor. 9 each fret to play all possible major chords. hese exercises show simple chord progressions that you can play by using -based major barre chords. Perform these exercises to practice switching between the chords. trum each chord toward the floor each time you see the symbol. he shape of the note indicates how long you should hold each chord: ( counts), ( counts), ( count). 87 / G G G / / B B / D D D / When you learn the names of all the notes on the 6th string, you will be able to determine which chord is formed at each fret when using the -based major barre formation.
P : Pla yin g Barre hords a n d Po w er hords an I use my thumb to help me form an -based minor, minor 7th or dominant 7th barre chord? es. ou can wrap your thumb around the fingerboard to hold down the 6th string for the barre. our index finger only needs to hold down the st, nd, rd and th strings, since your ring finger always plays the th string. If you have large hands, you may want to try this modification. Otherwise, this technique is best left to more advanced guitarists. I am having trouble playing the minor (m) barre chord at the twelfth fret. What can I do? On an acoustic guitar, playing the m barre chord at the twelfth fret is almost impossible. Instead, you should play the m open-position chord. n open-position chord is a chord you play with some strings not held down. or information on the m open-position chord, see page 66. -Based Dominant 7th Barre hord PI xercise m m m m ount: xercise 7 D 7 G 7 7 o unt: xercise Bm 7 m 7 Dm 7 Gm 7 o unt: oth er -b ase d b arre c h ords Once you are familiar with the -based major barre chord, you can learn the -based minor, minor 7th and dominant 7th chords using the same method of barring strings with your index finger. Minor 7th chords have a mellower, jazzier sound than minor chords and dominant 7th chords produce a more complex sound than major chords. o form one of these -based barre chords, you use different combinations of your middle, ring and pinky fingers to form the chord. ou then form the barre by placing your index finger across all six strings. he name of each chord you play using these -based barre chord formations is determined by the note your index finger plays on the 6th string. or example, when your index finger is behind the tenth fret and you are using the minor fingering, you play a D minor chord because the note played by the 6th string at the tenth fret is D. or more information on the names of the notes on the 6th string, see the top of page 87. -Based Minor Barre hord -Based Minor 7th Barre hord on the th string, just across all the strings, just behind the first fret. trum the strings toward the floor. lide your fingers repeating step to play all the minor chords. across all the strings, just behind the first fret. trum the strings toward the floor. lide your fingers toward the bridge by one fret at a time, repeating step to play all the minor 7th chords. 88 on the rd string, just across all the strings, just behind the first fret. trum the strings toward the floor. lide your fingers repeating step to play all the dominant 7th chords. hese exercises show simple chord progressions that you can play by using -based barre chords. Perform these exercises to practice switching between the chords. trum each chord toward the floor each time you see the symbol. he shape of the note indicates how long you should hold each chord: ( counts), ( counts), ( count). 89
th e -b ase d m a jor b arre c h ord he -based major barre chord is one of the most common types of barre chords. ou can use the finger position for the -based major barre chord on any fret on the fingerboard to play many different major chords. n easy way to learn the -based major barre chord is to first form the major chord using your middle, ring and pinky fingers. or information on the major chord, see page 6. hen slide your fingers down one fret, keeping the same position of your fingers. ou then need to form a barre by pressing down on the first five strings with your index finger just behind the first fret. ven though you do not need to barre the 6th string, you can barre the 6th string if it feels more comfortable. o practice -based major barre chords, you can practice the exercises on pages 6 and 6, substituting the -based major barre chords for the major chords. on the th string, just on the rd string, just on the nd string, just Position your index finger above the nut, but not touching the strings. 6 lide your fingers toward the bridge by one fret. firmly across the strings just behind the first fret, pressing down the first five strings. 7 se your thumb to apply extra pressure to the back of the neck of the guitar. 90 P : Pla yin g Barre hords a n d Po w er hords Which major chords can I play using the -based major barre chord? here are twelve different -based major barre chords that you can play. he name of each -based major barre chord is determined by the note that is played on the th string at the fret you are barring with your index finger. ou can learn the name of the note at each fret on the th string to identify which major chord you are playing. B / B / D D D / /G G G / PI xercise D D D D ount: ount: xercise B o unt: xercise G B D 8 epeat steps to 8 on trum the strings toward the floor, without strumming the 6th string. 9 each fret to play all possible major chords. ount: 9 hese exercises show simple chord progressions that you can play by using -based barre chords. Perform these exercises to practice switching between the chords. trum each chord toward the floor each time you see the symbol. he shape of the note indicates how long you should hold each chord: ( counts), ( counts), ( count).
P : Pla yin g Barre hords a n d Po w er hords I find the minor chord difficult to play at the twelfth fret. What can I do? he shape of acoustic guitars make it difficult to play the minor chord at the twelfth fret. If you are playing an acoustic guitar, play the minor chord as an open-position chord, instead of using a barre. o form the open-position minor chord, see page 66. ou may also want to use the -based barre chord to play the minor chord, as shown on page 88. What are the advantages of playing -based and -based barre chords together? By using combinations of -based and -based barre chords, many chords will be positioned closer together on the fingerboard than if you were only using one barre chord. or example, if you use the -based and -based barre chords to play the D and chords respectively, the notes for the D and chords are on the same fret. If you only use one barre chord, the notes for the D and chords are five frets apart. -based Minor 7th Barre hord PI oth er -b ase d b arre c h ords When you are familiar with the -based major barre chord, you can learn the -based minor and minor 7th barre chords using the same method of barring strings. o form an -based minor or minor 7th barre chord, you use a combination of your middle, ring and pinky fingers to form an minor or minor 7th chord. hen form a barre with your index finger across the first five strings. or information on the minor chord, see page 66. or information on the minor 7th chord, see page 7. ou can use the finger positions for these barre chords at any fret on the fingerboard to play many different minor and minor 7th chords. ike the -based major barre chords, the note played on the th string by your index finger determines the name of each -based minor and minor 7th barre chord. or information on the notes played on the th string, see the top of page 9. or practice, play a chord progression that uses -based major, minor and minor 7th barre chords. -based Minor Barre hord on the nd string, just on the th string, just on the rd string, just across the first five strings, just behind the first fret. trum the strings 6 lide your fingers toward the floor, without strumming the 6th string. repeating step to play all the minor chords. 9 on the nd string, just on the th string, just trum the strings lide your fingers across the first five strings, just behind the first fret. toward the floor, without strumming the 6th string. repeating step to play all the minor 7th chords. ONIND 9
P : Pla yin g Barre hords a n d Po w er hords ow can I make barre chords easier to play? Make sure the tip of your thumb is firmly pressed against the back of the neck and is closer to the bottom edge of the neck. our thumb should also be perpendicular to the neck. In this position, your thumb acts as a pivot, allowing you to stretch your fingers as far as possible. ou should also remember to curl your fingers so your fingertips press down on the strings, which helps to avoid touching other strings by accident. My hands are sore from playing barre chords. hould I continue to play? No. s with any chord or technique, you should never try to force yourself to play these chords if your hands ache otherwise you may injure your hands. If you feel any pain in your hands, stop playing immediately. Because these chords are difficult, they may take time to learn. Work at learning them gradually and with time and practice, you will be able to master them. -based Major 7th Barre hord PI oth er -b ase d b arre c h ords ou can learn the -based dominant 7th and major 7th barre chords using the same method of barring strings as the -based major barre chord. o play an -based dominant 7th or major 7th barre chord, you use a combination of your middle, ring and pinky fingers to form an dominant 7th or major 7th chord. hen use your index finger to barre the first five strings. or information on the dominant 7th chord, see page 69. or information on the major 7th chord, see page 7. Just like all other -based barre chords, the name of each -based dominant 7th and major 7th barre chord is determined by the note played on the th string by your index finger. or information on the notes played on the th string, see the top of page 9. or practice, play a few chord progressions of -based dominant 7th and major 7th barre chords. ou may also want to refer to other practice examples in this book and replace the major chords with -based major 7th barre chords. -based Dominant 7th Barre hord on the th string, just on the nd string, just trum the strings across the first five strings, just behind the first fret. lide your fingers toward the floor, without strumming the 6th string. repeating step to play all the dominant 7th chords. 9 on the rd string, just on the th string, just trum the strings 6 lide your fingers on the nd string, just across the first five strings, just behind the first fret. toward the floor, without strumming the 6th string. repeating step to play all the major 7th chords. 9
P : Pla yin g Barre hords a n d Po w er hords PI D D ount: ount: D ount: D ount: o p e n-p ositio n p o w er c h ords n open-position chord is a chord that is played by strumming the strings of a guitar without fretting, or pressing down, some of the strings. Open-position power chords also have at least one string not pressed down. n open-position power chord is composed of the two or three lowest notes of its corresponding major chord. he open-position power chords are, which is based on the major chord,, which is based on the major chord, and D, which is based on the D major chord. or information on the, and D major chords, see pages 6 to 6. Power chords are often referred to as chords because the second note of the chord is always five steps higher than the root note. or example, when playing the power chord, the root note is and the second note of the chord is, which is five steps higher than. Due to their lower pitch and stripped down sound, power chords are popular in hard rock and heavy metal songs. ou can hear power chords in older songs, such as Iron Man by Black abbath, and also in modern songs by bands such as Green Day and Blink 8. Place your index finger Place your index finger on the th string, just trum only the th and th strings toward the floor. trum only the th and 6th strings toward the floor. 96 ow can I play the three-string versions of the, and D chords? o play the three-string version of: he chord Place your index finger on the th string, just behind the second fret, and your middle finger on the rd string, just behind the second fret. hen strum the rd, th and th strings toward the floor. he chord Place your index finger on the th string, just behind the second fret, and your middle finger on the th string, just behind the second fret. hen strum the th, th and 6th strings toward the floor. he D chord Place your index finger on the rd string, just behind the second fret, and your ring finger on the nd string, just behind the third fret. hen strum the nd, rd and th strings toward the floor. D xercise xercise xercise trum only the rd and Place your index finger on the rd string, just hese exercises show a simple chord progression th strings toward the that you can play by using open-position power floor. chords. Perform these exercises to practice switching between the chords. trum each chord toward the floor each time you see the symbol. he shape of the note indicates how long you should hold each chord: ( counts), ( counts), ( count). 97
P : Pla yin g Barre hords a n d Po w er hords ow can I play the three-string version of a movable power chord? m o v a ble p o w er c h ords Movable power chords are power chords you can play on any fret on the fingerboard. his allows you to play different chords using the same hand position. Movable power chords are composed of the two or three lowest notes of either the -based or -based major barre chords. or more information on -based and -based major barre chords, see pages 86 and 90. When playing the -based movable power chord, the chord you play depends on the name of the note played on the 6th string. When playing the -based movable power chord, the chord you play depends on the name of the note played on the th string. Power chords are considered neither major nor minor and are often referred to as chords since the two notes that make up a power chord are five steps apart. -Based Movable Power hord Place your index finger on the 6th string, just behind the first fret. trum the th and 6th strings toward the floor. lide your fingers along the fingerboard toward the bridge by one fret. trum the th and 6th strings toward the floor again. 6 epeat steps and on each fret to play all the -based movable power chords. 98 o play the three-string version of a movable power chord, place your pinky finger underneath your ring finger on the next string, just behind the same fret. or example, to play the three-string version of the -based movable power chord, place your index finger on the 6th string, just behind the first fret. Position your ring finger on the th string and your pinky finger on the th string with both fingers just hen strum the th, th and 6th strings toward the floor. Is there a way to mute the other strings when playing movable power chords? es. When playing -based power chords, let your index finger lightly touch the other strings you do not want to sound while pushing down on the 6th string. When playing -based power chords, your index finger should reach over the th string to also lightly touch the 6th string. When you mute the strings in this manner, the strings will not sound if you accidentally strum them. ou should hear only the two notes you want to play. -Based Movable Power hord Place your index finger on the th string, just behind the first fret. lide your fingers along trum the th and th strings toward the floor. the fingerboard toward the bridge by one fret. trum the th and th strings toward the floor. 6 epeat steps and on each fret to play all the -based movable power chords. 99