BARRE CHORDS MADE EASY
Barre chords, the guitarist’s nemesis! They’re tricky, frustrating, and make you wonder if your fingers are made of spaghetti. But guess what? You can master them without losing your mind!
Let’s break down barre chords and take it step by step, so you don’t feel like you're finger wrestling with your guitar.
STEP 1: ROOT NOTES
Okay, first things first—before you become a barre chord master, you’ve got to start simple.
Let’s talk root notes.
- Bm: Your root note is on the 7th fret of the low E string.
- A: Root note’s chilling on the 5th fret of the low E string.
- G: Root note hanging out at the 3rd fret of the low E string (we’re getting closer to home base).
- D: Root note at the 5th fret of the A string.
Now practice playing these notes on the 6th string.
(If you would rather watch me go through this instead of reading, check out the video below.)
STEP 2: POWER CHORDS – BARRE CHORDS’ CHILL COUSIN
Alright, now that you’ve found the root notes, it’s time to bring in power chords. Think of these as the "barre chord-lite" version. Way less pressure on your poor fingers.
To make a power chord:
- Put your index finger on the root note.
- Put your ring finger two frets higher on the next string (like you’re just chilling, no stress).
For example:
- Bm power chord: Index finger on the 7th fret of the E string, ring finger on the 9th fret of the A string. Look at you go!
- A power chord: Index finger on the 5th fret of the E string, ring finger on the 7th fret of the A string.
- G power chord: Index finger on the 3rd fret of the E string, ring finger on the 5th fret of the A string.
- D power chord: Index finger on the 5th fret of the A string, ring finger on the 7th fret of the D string.
Congratulations, you're now halfway to rock stardom with power chords. And the best part? No full barres yet, so your fingers can stay happy.
STEP 3: MIDDLE FINGER TO THE RESCUE (LITERALLY)
Okay, we’re gonna take things up a notch. A, G, and D are major chords, which means they’re a little more extra than Bm. And that’s where your middle finger comes in.
To make these chords more “majory” (totally a word), place your middle finger on the G string, one fret higher than the barre chord shape. Trust us, your middle finger will be doing the heavy lifting here.
For example:
- A major: Index finger on the 5th fret of the low E string, middle finger on the 6th fret of the G string. Boom, major chord!
- G major: Index finger on the 3rd fret of the low E string, middle finger on the 4th fret of the G string.
- D major: Index finger on the 5th fret of the A string, middle finger on the 6th fret of the B string.
The middle finger is your best friend here. You’ll soon be wondering why it doesn’t get more credit.
Step 4: Full Barre Chord – Time to Flex (Literally)
Alright, the moment of truth. It’s time to go all in and play a full barre chord. Deep breath. It’s not as scary as it sounds. (Well, maybe a little, but you’ve got this!)
Here’s what you do:
- Take that brave index finger of yours and press it down across all the strings at the fret.
- Use your ring finger and pinky to complete the chord like you’re still playing a power chord. But this time, you’re pressing down more strings, like a true guitar ninja.
For example, for Bm:
- Barre the entire 7th fret with your index finger.
- Put your ring finger and pinky on the 9th frets of the A and D strings.
It might sound a little like a dying cat at first (totally normal!), but keep at it. Your fingers will toughen up, and eventually, you’ll sound like a rock god.
Here’s the deal: Barre chords are hard because everyone tries to play them all at once. It’s like going straight to the boss level in a video game without practicing on the easy levels. Take your time. Go step by step:
- Start with the root notes.
- Master power chords.
- Add the middle finger for major chords.
- Finally, tackle the full barre.
You’ll get there, and your fingers will stop feeling like spaghetti. Promise.
And if you would like to learn from me in person, click the link below!
