The Skool of guitar excellence
RockSkool: Bar Chord Introduction
The technique for playing bar chords may take some time to master. Be patient, persevere and allow ample time to accomplish this.
It’s all about your first finger when playing bar chords, basically this finger lies across all six strings on a particular fret (try the 5th fret for this lesson).
To begin, place your first finger only across all six strings on the 5th fret.
Your finger should be slightly bent and rolled back a little so as the side of your finger starts to come into contact with the strings.
Strum all the strings slowly and softly. How did they sound? Could you hear each string clearly?
You may find it hard or uncomfortable to begin with, STOP if the pain gets too much, but remember that it will take some time to allow your fretting hand to get stronger and be able to cope with this new position.
That’s the first finger, now add the rest of your fingers:
3rd finger to the 5th string, 7th fret.
4th finger to the 4th string, 7th fret.
2nd finger to the 3rd string, 6th fret.
Note: This is the basic E major chord shape.
Take time to set up your finger position, one finger at a time.
Become familiar with this position and work to a point where you can form the shape from memory without looking at your fingers.
Look at the next diagrams for more details.