Fingering Patterns - Major Bar Chords

So, you’ve learned some of the fingering patterns for major chords in another lesson. But, those aren’t the only types of major chords you can play. There’s another type called “bar chords” that can be played up and down the neck.

The Bar Technique is yet another way to build your chord vocabulary because the positions can be held on any fret up and down the neck to form even more chords. It takes finger strength to hold the positions, but once you can press down all the strings you need to, your playing will be more fluid.

Introduction to the Bar Technique

There are multiple fingerings for the major chords, but one of the easiest one to learn is part of the Bar Technique. In order to apply this technique successfully you need to develop the finger strength to press down all the strings across one fret with your index finger. Then, you use your other fingers to form certain patterns. Each pattern can apply no matter how far down the neck you go.

Once you develop the finger strength to hold the positions, practice strumming them. Make sure all your fingers on the fretboard are not touching other strings. A common problem with bar chords is that one finger could stretch across more than one string causing the sound to get muffled. The way to fix this is to hold the positions for longer until you develop enough finger strength to hold your fingers out of the way.

Bar Technique for Major Chords

There are two basic chord shapes for major bar chords. These are the sixth string bar chord shape and the fifth string bar chord shape. In the sixth string bar chord the root of the note is on the sixth string. In the fifth string bar chord, the root is on the fifth string and the sixth string is not played at all, as denoted by the x.

Here are the positioning diagrams:

Major Bar Chord 	Major bar chord
on the sixth string	on the fifth string

F Major		B Major
	

It is important to master both of these chord shapes. Not only that, but you should also remember the note names on both the sixth and fifth strings. This will help you know what chord you are actually playing. For example, the first diagram shows that the first fret is pressed. This note on the sixth string is an F so therefore the chord is F Major. Here is a listing of the notes on the strings.

Gaining Proficiency with Major Bar Chords

As you can see, learning each of these chord shapes essentially widens your chord vocabulary by 24 chords. You’ll learn different ways for playing some of these chords which means you can apply them to multiple situations. Different songs and improvisational situations may require different positioning on the neck.

Here is a basic rundown of how you should practice these bar chords.

1. Practice stretching your index finger across five strings and all six strings. Make sure you can press them firmly. You will know if you aren’t pressing it well because the sound will be muffled. If you aren’t used to doing this, it will hurt at first. But, you will build the necessary calluses needed to prevent the pain. You will also build your finger strength.
2. Once you master step one, move on to forming the chord shape. Depending on your finger strength and dexterity, this can also take a little while. Holding the position will help build finger dexterity, calluses, and finger strength.
3. After you are confident you can hold the positions, strum the chord. Make sure each of the notes is being sounded and none of your other fingers are brushing across the other strings.
4. Once you can sound the chord accurately, practice holding position at each of the other frets. Also practice strumming the chord. Once you are able to hold each position up and down the neck, you can practice switching from one position to the other quickly and accurately. Once you progress to this stage, you may want to practice with a metronome to build speed and rhythmic accuracy.

As you will notice, bar chords can be challenging at first. You need to develop the necessary calluses and finger strength and dexterity to hold the positions. But, you should already have a good amount of that developed from working with the other chord positions and practicing the scales from previous lessons.

Once you learn these bar chords, you can apply them in your song writing, during improvisational and jam sessions, and during live performances if you want to embellish the music for the benefit of the audience.