Barre chords
Required in v1 — not on day one. A barre is the index finger standing in for a capo: one finger, many strings. Beginners preview F and Bm. Intermediate and advanced players move both shapes around the neck and change them on the click.
E-shape — F major
Take open E, slide it up one fret, and barre fret 1. That is F. The same shape at fret 3 is G; at fret 5, A.
A-shape — B minor
Take open Am, slide it up two frets, barre fret 2 from the A string. That is Bm — the missing chord in many G-major songs.
Movable map
Berklee names these the E-type and A-type movable grips. The index is the capo. Slide the whole shape; the letter follows the root on the low E (E-shape) or the A string (A-shape).
| Barre at fret | E-shape major | E-shape minor | A-shape major | A-shape minor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | Fm | B♭ | B♭m |
| 2 | F♯ / G♭ | F♯m | B | Bm |
| 3 | G | Gm | C | Cm |
| 5 | A | Am | D | Dm |
| 7 | B | Bm | E | Em |
Beginners only need to own F and Bm. Intermediate players add the matching minor and major of each shape. Advanced players use the map as I–IV–V in any key — not as a CAGED course.
Three tracks
Beginner
Index-only barre on fret 1 until it rings. Then F. Four clean downs, shake out. Preview Bm. Tick both on the first-ten list when they last one full bar.
Intermediate
Slide the F shape to fret 3 (G) and fret 5 (A). Change F → Bm on the click. Play Am–F–C–G on Play along without stopping the right hand.
Advanced
I–IV–V all barre in G: E-shape at 3 (G), A-shape major at 3 (C), A-shape major at 5 (D). Eight bars, no shake-out. Then the same loop in A (frets 5 / 7 / 10). Silence between strums is part of the drill.
How to practise it
- Index first. Barre fret 1 with no other fingers. Strum. Fix buzz before you add the E-shape.
- Then the other three. Add middle, ring, pinky on F. Compare to open E on this page — same grip, one fret higher.
- Short bursts. Four clean strums, shake the hand out. Hal Leonard treats F as a week, not an afternoon.
- Common misses. Thumb creeping over the top; index flat on the pad instead of the bony edge; barre sitting on top of the fretwire instead of just behind it.