Movable shapes
Learn one fretted shape, then move it. The root’s fret names the chord — closed four-string grips you can slide, not a six-string barre system.
One shape, many frets
Open chords (C, Am, F, G) use open strings, and an open string cannot move — that is the whole reason those shapes are stuck where they are. Movable chords use only fretted notes, so the same grip works anywhere on the neck and the fret you put it on decides the chord's name. The classic gateway is Bb: a partial barre at fret 1, one fret up for B, two for C, and so on up the neck.
Slide it yourself
Three shapes cover most of what you need: a major, a minor and a dominant 7th. Pick one, move it up the neck, and hear what it becomes. The number beside the box is the fret the window opens at — put your index finger there.
Two things to notice. The shape never changes — only its position does, which is why one grip is worth more than ten open chords. And the higher you go the closer the frets get, so the same chord gets easier to hold and harder to hold cleanly.
Bb family map
| Root fret (index) | Major | Minor (Bm shape) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bb | Bbm |
| 2 | B | Bm |
| 3 | C | Cm |
| 5 | D | Dm |
| 7 | E | Em |
| 8 | F | Fm |
| 10 | G | Gm |
Details and drills: Barre & movable.
Practice
- Clean Bb → slide to C (same shape, fret 3).
- Alternate open C with movable C — hear the voicing change.
- Play I–V–vi–IV in C using open shapes, then again with movables only.
Open chords · Scales · Drills
Text twin: movable.md