BA Y
PRE S ENTS
Yah.h..e.-
C£,,,,JA
BAS I C
GUIDE
by COREY CHRISTIANSEN
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
@ 2002 BY MEt BAY PU8UCATIONS, INC. PACiflC, MO 63069
Atl RIGHTS RESERVED. INTERNATlONAL COPYRIGHT SECURED. B.M.I. MADE AND PRINTED IN U.SA
No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part. or in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any fomn or by any means. electronic, mechanical, photocopy. recording. or
otherwise, without 1he written permission of the publisher:
VIsit us on the Web ot www.melbGy.com - £-mall us ot [email protected]
Barre Chords
The Gig Savers"' series has been designed to give aspiring guitarists
answers to common questions in a brief, affordable, yet informative fashion. The volume deals with "Barre Chords". Barre chords get their name
because to finger the chord, one ftnger is laid (barred) across many strings
at once. Barre chord " shapes" are moveable shapes. This means that the
same fingering may be used to play a chord in any key. By moving the
chord shape to a different fret, the same chord in a new key is achieved.
Many guitarists in every style of music have used barre chords at one
time or another.
The root (R) is the letter name of a scale or chord. Since the diagrams
in this book have a moveable root, each chord diagram will show where
the root note is located. Since the two most popular categories of barre
chords have their root note on either the sixth of fifth string, a chart
showing the notes on these strings will be shown with the chord diagram. This will allow guitarists to see where to play each chord in al.l
twelve keys. For many, learning barre chords changes their life (as far as
playing guitar is concerned). By learning barre chords, a tune may be
played in any key and almost any chord can be played in at least two
places on the guitar. Many guitarists find that barring one fmger across
the neck difficult at first. If your hand starts to hurt, STOP AND REST. It
is good to give your hand a workout, but DO NOT OVER DO IT. For
those who find barre chords extremely difficult there are a couple courses
of action to take to make them easier to play.
2
1) Lower the action of the guitar. "Action" is a word that is used to
describe the ctistance between the strings and the fretboard. By
lowering the action, one does not have to press the strings as far
to make them sound clearly. Those playing electric guitars may
fi nd it easy to lower the action of their guitars as most electric
guitars have an adjustable bridge. These bridges allow the action
to be changed by the spin of a wheel or the tum of a screw. Acoustic guitars (steel-string and nylon-string) usually have to have
the bridge shaved down. It is recommended that a qualified guitar technician perform this adjustment. Be carefu l to not lower
the action too much, as this will cause the guitar to buzz or "fret
out". Also, "silk and steel" strings are made of material that give
a softer feel and can make barre chords easier to play.
2) Use a lighter (thinner) set of strings. It is more difficult to play
barre chords clearly when a guitar is strung with heavier strings.
Those playing acoustic guitars may want to try a set of strings
that start with a .010 or .011 for the first-string. Those who play
electric guitars may want to try using a set that starts with a .009
or even a .008. (Students using strings as light as .008 may find it
harder to keep their guitar in tune.)
3
An explanation of the chord diagram used in this book is shown below.
Mjnor
Major
+=Root note
R
R
\ ,..
Frets 1
Left-hand
fingers
2
3
1
04 )
\
1
\
I'
1
"
4~
4iU~
7
R
I'
"
0
Seventh
m
0
4)
0
4
5
Strings@@@@®
CD
Shown below are chord diagrams for barre chords with the root on
the sixth string.
~:1
Name
I: I ~ I~ I! I: I~ I: I~ I
Minor Seventh
Suspended
m7
sus
R
~---1
R
\
I'
1
"
R
\
"
1
0
\
~~-
..
Ninth
9
R
\,
R
1
4~
-~
jl_
1
'
_4U ~0
Minor-Major Seventh
m+7
Seventh Suspended
7sus
R
Add Nine
add9
\
1
"
n
4~
0
Remember: to sharp a note, play it one fret higher; to flat a note, play
it one fret lower (F# =2nd fret, Bb = 6th fret, etc.).
0
Minor Ninth
Minor Add Nine
m9
m/9
R
R
\
1
"
0
0
\
Thirteenth
l3
1
jl_
1
"
0
4)
4
_0
5
-~ 0
Use these chord progressions to become more famjliar with sixthstring barre chords.
Shown below are chord diagrams for barre chords with the root on
the fifth string. Notice that it is optional to barre and strum all six strings
even thought the root is on the fifth string.
(j)
DSfr lflrfr. lm3fr.
R
R
Fret
Root Name
R
Am
C
G
tl
F
3
A
8
c
...
1
Sixth
-s.
R
1
-
B~
F
G
A
Minor
3
~
0
..."
Opt.
~
Opt.
0
0
Seventh
7
-"
1
3
0
Major Seventh
R Maj7
\
1
•
00
R
~
4t
4
]
~
Major Seventh
R Maj7
1
lt
(I.
Opt.
1
0
m
."
Seventh
7
"
--Opt.
--~
R
•••
E
0
~
Minor Seventh
R
m7
...
~~
R
6
--
Opt.
12
~~
R -l
~
10
1
3
Opt.
8
X
Opt.
~
7
R
-s.
~
5
D
Major
R
Am
G
2
Major
Am
4 rtrf tTif Iffff t:t:ff IITff ffif Ifff.([!ff(I
Ra••
4Cfff Cfffl C££f C£fJ' IC££f C£fJ' Iffff tTifII
0
....
1
Opt.
0
3
0
Am7
B~
C7
1
1
1
4rrr rrr rrr err err ar err rrr
Major Seventh
Maj7
F
=ll o
II
X
1
lf
R -l
6
Minor-Major Seventh
R m+7
\
~~
~
Opt.
....
1
n
7
4~0
R
f i
~
Opt.
Suspended
sus
"
4. 4,
~3
1
Major Ninth
R Maj9
Seventh Suspended
R 7sus
\
1
C.llll[
I
I
.
Opt
Opt.
4~
0
m9
R
\
-~
I
0
I
.
.)
Opt
Eleventh
11
0
<
1
R
\
Jt
.•
1
I
.
Opt
00
c
F
Om
rr• r I•
F
a• rI• a•r I• a• r I
.•..
,.
om
Om
c
sb
F
~ t Cf t pIt [( 1 pIt Lf t pI* ty * r =II o
u
Thirteenth
13(7/6)
®
X
<
·a·· ·rmr
~~n
add9
{I
'
0
I
Add Nine
X
X
<D
1
I
0
Minor Add Nine
m/9
Use the following chord progressions to learn fifth-string barre chords.
Minor Ninth
1
0
·m·· .•.. ..,.
ollm1
c~
B
d
ollm
~ " Effi'lfl'l crrrrrrr rrrrtrrf1 rrrrtm'=ll()
l
l
8
II
9
II
Having two places on the fretboard to play each barre chord makes it
possible to play many chord progressions without have much horizontal
movement in the left hand. The fo llowing chord progressions make use
of both categories of barre chords. The frrst progression uses R6 and R5
to indicated whether the chord to be played has the root on the sixth
string (R6) o r the fifth string (R5).
E R5
c!lm RS
B R6
E RS
B
Chord Embe~hments
[
Major, sus4, 6th, add9 (Sus 2), 619, Maj7, Maj9, Maj 11, Majl3
ii
minor, m6, m7, m7sus, m9, m619, m+7 (use judiciously), m7\,s (ii chord in
minor keys), mll, m13
iii
minor, m7, m7sus
iv
Major, Sus4, 6th, add9 (sus2), 619, Maj7, Maj9, Maj#ll, Majl3
v
MajoG 7, 7sus, 9, 11,13, 7bs, 7b9,7#S, 7#9, 7bSb9, 7bS#9, 7#Sb9, 7#S#9 (any
altered dominant including altered 9, 11, and 13 chords)
vi
minor, m7, m7sus, m9, mll, m+7 (use judiciously)
vii
dimdnisbed, m7bS, dimn7
G#7 R6
~ l l r01fffl r CFff£r'l r m1 r rma1
A R6
The chart below shows commo n embellishments for each chord
derived from the major scale.
R6
E
11
~ rt:f=Em'lfrroo rr.rm:r 1rrnr:rr=
1
Q
11
Use both categories of barre chords to play the fo llowing progression.
Use the most logical fingerings from each category.
Gm7
Cm7
07
Gm7
~ n fff( ITff IIT£( t:fff Ifff( ffff Ifff( fff( I
B~
E~
F7
Gm
~ car oo 1m em 1crrr rra 1rm oo
10
11
·.
11
One of the nice things about barre chords is they allow guitarists to
play every chord in every key. The following charts show the chords,
and their function (the Roman numeral), for every major and minor key.
This information is very helpful when learning to transpose music into a
new key and write original chord progressions.
Every major key has a related minor key that has the exact same key signature
(number of accidentals}. The relative minor is the vi chord (Am for the key of C).
Therefore there are two keys, one major and one minor for each key signature.
Minor Keys
'•
Key Signature
Major Keys
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
j~
Key Sipature
~l¥~
iii
I
G
c·
Bm
,Am
•' . v
D(7}
'Y
"~
D
Flm
G:· ...
A(7)
,,_.. ,
• ' .• ;<f
A
~m
E
; flY~ _
G#m
B
:~Jm
D#m
Clm
...,~~: :: E(7)
.~
:... r.r~ rt :"<.
~t'.\{.
Gb
··,~fa .
Bbm
Db
,,.,7 ..
~ ~~
Fm
l{~Jt
. '/; ' ';~".
/{ ' '
'!Ibm,.
.
';:f
Ab
,Cbf!J/ Db(7) 1 :~·~ Fdim
~~~.:
em
..
em·.
Dm
' :"'.
,_
-, '.'
F
:-G~
-·: ·...
~
~
~
..,_,., t<;.' ,.
Bb
•
i
ii~
m
iv
*v
Vf· *viiO
Am
~
c
Dm
E(7)
F
G#dim
Em
~
G
Am
B(7)
c
D#dim
-~
D
Em.
F#(7)
G
A#dim
Bm
~1~5
F#•7~~
Q.#m%5
~ -
1.
A
Bm
Cl(7)
D
E#dim
E
rt~
G#(7)
A
B#dim
~
B
ctm
D#(7)
E
**
Fxdim
Ebm
~
G~
Abm
Bb(7)
c~
Ddim
B~m
~
D~
&m . F(7)
G~
Adim
Fm
~
Ab
Bbm
C(7)
D~
Edim
Cm
~
EJ,
Fm
G(7)
Ab
Bdim
Gm
~
Bb
Cm
D(7)
Eb
F#dim
Dm
~
F
Gm
A(7)
B~
C#dim
F#m
elm
Gfm7~5
~-
D#na7bS
G#m
AIJD7bS
Fm7~5
.~m7bS
GO
Gm7b5
nm7bS
Am7b5
Em7b5
~
Relattve major
Am
~
Relative minor
12
*V dominant seventh chord and lhe vii diminished are derived from the harmonic minor scale.
**Fx = F double sharp. Enhannonic to G natural.
13
As with major keys, the V chord in a minor key is usually a dominant
seventh (7) chord and the vii chord is a diminished chord. Both of these
chords are derived from the harmonic minor scale which has a raised
seventh degree while the other chords are built from the natural minor
scale. While a lengthy theoretical explanation can shed light on this
principle, for the purposes of this book just remember: The five chord
in a minor key is usually a dominant seventh chord and the vii chord
is usually a diminished chord.
Transposition
Many singers will transpose songs from the original key to a key
higher or lower to accommodate their vocal range. By using these charts,
the process of transposition is very simple. First, determine what key the
music is in. This can be done by looking at the key signature (the last
column of the charts provide the number or accidentals in each key).
Many times the tirst chord in a chord progression will reflect the key.
But this is not always the case. Trust the key signature more than the first
chord. After the key has been determined, simply assign each of the chords
a Roman number. Once this is done, a new key can be chosen and each
chord may be transposed respectively. The progression below shows the
process of transposition.
Note: Numbers in a chord a carried over to the new chord.
CD
Old key signature has 2bs
\
Assign Roman Numerals
B~
,~ e
(I)
Cm7
(ii)
(V) Knumber 7)
lo
lo
lo
0
B~
*~
(with a
~~~ (with m7)
F7
E~
(IV)
(V)
8~
(I)
lo
lo
lo
F7
=II
®
New key signature has I#
\
4'
07
(ii)
(V)
0
lo
io
lo
G
e
G
4'~
14
Em7
(vi)
Am7
(I)
c
D7
(IV)
(V)
G
(I)
lo
lo
lo
15
=II
When writing original chord progressions, use the chart to determine
which chords go together well. Chords in a key will always sound good
when they are used in progressions together. Good luck and have fun
with barre chords.
For more information on transposition, check out Mel Bay's Guide
to Capo, Transposing, and the Nashville Numbering System by Dix Bruce
(MB#98413).