Bar chords:

• Refinger each open chord so that your index finger is free (ie., use your middle, ring, and pinky fingers to make the chord).
• Lay your index finger across the strings, on top of the nut (the "bar" technique is defined as the index finger covering all of the strings).
• Move the new shape up the fretboard to the first fret. The index finger reaches across the fretboard as the shape is slid up the neck (taking the place of the nut), so there are no open strings in the shape.

Below is a collection of common bar chord shapes used in most styles of music.  All of these shapes are created from the open chords you know, using the process above.  The line across the fretboard indicates the fret covered by the index finger.  These shapes can be slid to any fret on the guitar:

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Naming Bar Chords:

Bar chords allow you to do two things:

1. play chords that you cannot play with open shapes.  Any chord with a sharp (#) or flat (b) symbol in the name will need to be played as a bar chord.
2. play chords in several different ways on the fretboard.

When you see a chord such as "G#7" or "Bbm", you need to play it as a bar chord.  In order to play these types of chords, you need to know how they are labeled.

• Bar chords are named by combining the sonority of the open chord shape (major, minor, 7th, etc.) with the letter name, which changes depending on where you slide it on the neck.

The sonority (type) of a movable shape always stays the same, wherever you put it on the fretboard.  Each shape has the same basic sound, or "sonority" at every fret (major, minor, 7th, etc.), just at a higher or lower pitch.  Every major, minor, and 7th shape stays major, minor and 7th, wherever you slide it on the neck.  Only the letter name of the chord changes when it is moved to a different fret.  The letter, or "root" note changes depending on which fret a shape is moved to.  In most chord diagrams, root notes are enclosed by squares, marked by the letter "R", or otherwise emphasized. When you move a bar shape to a particular fret on the guitar, the root note ends up on a specific letter (i.e., G#, Bb, C, etc.). The note you put the root on becomes the new letter name of the chord.  

To name a bar chord, combine the sonority (major, minor, 7th) with the letter name of the shape.  A minor shape moved up to the letter "C" is a Cm chord.  A major shape moved up to "C#" is called C# major.  A 7th chord with the square on "B" is called B7, etc. 

Below are some example bar chord progressions using the open chord shapes you know, so that you understand how to name and play these types of chords:

(EXAMPLES)

Making Bar Chords Sound Clearer:

Bar chords, and movable shapes in general, are perhaps the most important patterns on the guitar.  Understanding movable shapes and the concept of root notes is fundamental in playing any type of music.  Unfortunately, the technique required to play bar chords is difficult. When first confronted with bar chords, most players find it hard to imagine they will ever be easy to play.

Don't get decouraged, it typically takes several months to develop the strength and coordination needed to play clear sounding bar shapes. As with everything you practice, once you learn to do it, it's like riding a bike - you'll be able to do it forever, and it will continue to get easier. If you want to develop as a guitarist beyond the beginning stages of ability, you will have to work on bar chords. Here are some tips that will help make bar technique a bit easier:

• Press down the strings directly over the fret and then ROLL the finger over onto the side of the finger closest to the thumb. There is a harder surface on this side of the finger than on the front pad. This hard surface will allow you to press down on the strings more securely. In order to roll the finger over far enough, you need to really push your hand towards the headstock of the guitar. Rolling your finger in this way will help the sound of your bar more than any other guideline.
• Move the tip of the index finger up and down along the height of the neck so that none of the strings lie within the crease of a finger joint. Strings which sit inside a crease have more room to vibrate, and are more likely to buzz and deaden.
• Lay the index finger down on the fretboard using a hinging motion from the base of the finger. Then, using the weight of your left hand, pull down slightly on the strings. The pressure added to the strings by a slight downward pull is helpful in eliminating buzzes.
• Keep the bar as close to the fret as possible, without actually sitting on top of the fret. This will allow for the optimum amount of leverage against the fret.
• Try curving your index finger to various degrees. Depending on finger size and shape, some players need to keep bars completely straight, while others need a tight curve to produce clean sounding notes.
• Don't lay the middle finger on top of the index finger. To form the majority of bar chords, you need the 2nd finger to play other notes.
• Pluck each of the strings in the bar chord individually to see which ones are buzzing or not sounding. Repeat the above steps to help remedy the problem.

Naming Notes On The Guitar Fretboard:

Because bar chords are labeled by the note at a given fret, it is important to memorize the notes on every string of the guitar. Because it can take a long time to recognize every single note by memory, it is helpful to be able to figure out the notes on each string. The guidelines below will help you remember every note on the guitar by memorizing a few simple rules (this information is included in the lesson on music theory, but is repeated here because it is so important in the naming of bar chords).

The names of the open strings on the guitar are:

6th string: "E" (thickest string - low note)
5th string: "A"
4th string: "D"
3rd string: "G"
2nd string: "B"
1st string: "E" (thinnest string - high note)

You can remember the open notes, from low to high, using the first letters of the phrase below:

"Every Ape Does Get Banannas Every (day)"

Memorize that, along with the information below, and you will be able to figure out any note on the instrument:

There are seven letters in the musical alphabet: A B C D E F and G. The notes ascend alphabetically, and repeat on A once you get to G (A is always the next note above G). There are always a specific number of frets between each adjacent letter. E-F and B-C are always right next to each other (one fret apart). All of the other notes are two frets apart:

A     B   C    D      E     F    G     A (etc.)
  two one  two  two one  two two

You can find the name of any note on any string by combining the information above. Just start on an open string note, and work up the string by counting frets between each successive note. For example, the 6th string is called "E" (see above). An F is on the first fret (one fret up), G is on the third fret (two frets up), A is on the fifth fret (two frets up), etc.

Notes separated by two frets have a note in between. These "in between" notes are called "accidentals", and are labeled using "sharp" and "flat" symbols. A sharp symbol (#) moves a note UP a fret. A flat symbol (b) moves a note DOWN a fret. The note in between C and D, for example, could be called either C# and Db.

Below is a diagram of all the notes on the guitar fretboard for reference:

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Knowing the information on this page will allow you to play virtually every chord progression you see.  A further knowledge of advanced chord types is covered in the music theory lessons.