lesson 1 - sitting to play the guitar lesson 2 - have fun learning e minor and d minor chords lesson 3 - a basic overview of a 3rd chord in g lesson 4 - different fun rhythms and basic picking lesson 5 - playing in a major lesson 6 - scales - introduction to the scale of a major lesson 7 - which ones are a must and what they are lesson 8 - Answers to common guitar learning problems lesson 9 - a song with 3 chords - margaritaville lesson 10 - folk/60's tune - love the one you're with lesson 11 - Fingering Patterns - All Major Chords lesson 12 - Fingering Patterns - Minor Chords lesson 13 - Fingering Patterns - Major Scales lesson 14 - Fingering Patterns - Minor Scales lesson 15 - Song Structure - Verses,Choruses,and Bridges lesson 16 - Fingering Patterns - Major Bar Chords lesson 17 - Fingering Patterns - Minor Bar Chords lesson 18 - Exotic Sounding Chords - Augmented and Diminished lesson 19 - Classic Guitar Songs - Stairway to Heaven lesson 20 - Basic Melodic Playing - Basic Lead Guitar

Fingering Patterns – Minor Bar Chords

 

 

By now your chord vocabulary should be pretty vast. You’ve learned the fingering positions for major chords, minor chords, and major bar chords. Your next step is to learn the fingering for the minor bar chords.

 

As explained in a previous lesson, bar chords are chords where you use your index finger to hold down all the string. Some have their root on the sixth string and others have their root on the fifth string. These root notes determine which chord you are playing.

 

From working through the major bar chord positions and practicing those until you master them, your finger strength and calluses should be built up enough so you can form these minor chord positions with relative ease.

 

The advantage of the Bar Technique for minor chords is that you can play any chord between the two fingering patterns. This essentially increases your chord vocabulary by 24 chords once you gain the confidence and dexterity needed to hold these positions throughout the neck.

 

Remember that minor chords are characterized by having a minor third above the root note, as opposed to major chords which have a major third above the root. Minor chords have a distinct sound. But, if you are working through the lessons in order, you should already be well acquainted with both the sound of the minor chord and the minor scales.

 

It is also important to learn the minor chords in the bar technique and the other minor chord positions. Both have their uses in a song or with improv or in a jam session. The more you practice and the more you play, the more comfortable you will be with when to use which chord.

 

Bar Chord Positions for Minor

 

While working through these patterns, it is important make sure all the fingers are pressed down. Memorize the pattern shape while holding it in the first fret. When you can hold it and play it in that fret, move down to the second, etc.

 

Also, don’t try to go too fast. If you do, this will hurt your playing in the long run because you will be known for your sloppiness, which isn’t good. At the very least, train guitar players can spot sloppy playing and it is important to not only write and play good music, but to make sure you are the best player you can be.

 

Here are the patterns:

 

  
Minor Bar Chord	Minor Bar Chord
Sixth String Root	Fifth String Root
F Minor		B Minor

Pay special attention to your fingering. Follow the guidelines for fingering listed on the diagrams. If after practicing you still find it awkward, you may need to adapt according to your finger and hand shape and length. Some people have smaller or larger hands than others and this can affect certain things.

 

In order to know which note you are playing, you need to know the notes that are up and down the fifth and sixth strings. Here is a diagram to help you. It is a review from the last lesson but I’ve placed it again here for convenience.

 

Sixth String		Fifth String

Fret	Note	Fret	Note

1	F	1	A#/ B Flat
2	F#/G Flat	2	B
3	G	3	C
4	G#/A Flat	4	C#/ D Flat
5	A	5	D
6	A#/B Flat	6	D#/ E Flat
7	B	7	E			
8	C	8	F
9	C#/D Flat	9	F#/ G Flat
10	D	10	G
11	D#/E Flat	11	G#/ A Flat
12	E	12	A

Memorize this list as you play the minor chords in the different positions.

 

 

Your Practice Schedule

 

As you may have noticed, bar chords can be tricky. That’s why it is so important to develop a practice schedule that has you working on these constantly. It takes a while to build calluses and finger strength and dexterity. It takes longer still to get the chord to sound perfect each time. But, just as it takes a long time to build these skills, after a week of not practicing they can quickly be forgotten. Calluses fade, fingers can get weaker, and memory can fail as all of our hard work goes to waste.

 

That is why it is so important to develop a consistent practice schedule. It is best to practice thirty minutes to one hour each day. However, most people don’t have that kind of time. Instead of devoting one hour a week, for example, to practice only on one day, how about break that time up? Even just five or ten minutes a day can do a lot to build your skills consistently. And, you won’t need to spend a lot of time reviewing and remembering information you’ve already learned.

 

Using Bar Chords

 

As you go through and learn various songs, keep in mind that most of them will simply list the chord. Then, it is up to you to decide how you want to finger that chord. Bar chords are excellent in this situation as long as you have the positions and notes memorized. It takes time, but this can help minimize time spent going from one chord to the other and help the songs flow more easily.