Barre Chords: Tips on Technique

Barre chords while difficult at first, are definitely doable with practice. Knowing the correct technical requirements can help speed up the playing process. So when it comes to barre chord playing, tips are always welcome.

In a Nutshell

Knowing how to play barre chords can open up new areas of possibilites for your chord playing. They allow us to transform open chords (chords with open strings) into closed chords (chords with no open strings). Closed chords are transposable, which means they can be moved across the fretboard. This opens up new chords which cannot be played in open position.

What is a barre chord?

A barre chord refers to a type of chord shape that consists of a finger (typically the index finger) placed across more than one string which creates a barre. The index barre is the most common which is placed behind the open chord shape.

How do barre chords work?

The index finger barre placed behind the open chord shape closes all open strings found within that open chord. By cancelling out the open strings we now have movable chords that have the mobility to be played across the fretboard.

Dynamic Capo

We can correctly think of our barre as capo that is dynamic; being able to cover any number of strings and also movable across the fretboard. The strong clamp action that is similar to a capo is created by both the barred index finger and thumb behind the neck.

Why do we use barre chords?

Having the ability to transpose what was originally an open chord into a closed chord allows us to play chords which could previously not be played in open position.

Playing barre chords

The concept of how barre chords is quite simple, although it is physically more challenging to play than open chords. Playing barre chords involve a few technical considerations that require attention. Below specifically looks at the physical mechanics associated with playing barre chords, looking at the index finger and the thumb in particular.

Technique

All other fingers in the shape should follow the same technical method discussed in General Technique Tips.

Index Finger

1. Your index finger should be pressed flat across only the amount of strings necessary with the tip of your finger slightly over the string.
2. Your index finger should be slightly rotated anti-clockwise so you are using somewhere inbetween flat part of your finger and the side of your finger. This creates more room for the other fingers.
3. Pressure is not necessarily evenly placed across all strings - only for strings that are required pressure. This is because any note that proceeds the barre on the same string will cancel out the barred note.

Thumb

1. The thumb should be directly behind the barre shape.
2. Pushing against the back of the neck requires a lot of pressure.
3. The thumb should be placed in the centre position of the neck.
4. For extra strength the thumb should be bent (slightly backwards) and rotated horizontal so the tip of thumb is in the direction of the guitar’s head.

Which barre chords are the most commonly played?

The most commonly played barre chords are the Position 1 (E shape) and Position 4 (A shape) which can be seen on the CAGED Chord Catalogue.