Barre chords

[lobotomyactivist]

so I'm playing bowie's rebel rebel, but I don't know bar chords too well (at all) and you're supposed to play all the chords in it barred...

so, uh, what exactly are the barre chords for d, a, b, and e?

[weelie]

Of course you can play them using the open chords, if you don't know the barres! But you *really* should know the barres (which basically means knowing the notes on the two fattest strings). A, D, E you know open, play the B like this: 24442.

Barre means fretting more than several strings with one finger, so in essence for a full barre you use your first finger as a nut but higher up. And you can play all the chords you mention in many different positions.

The basic barres are 1) playing like the open E chord but barring with your first finger to get higher on the neck B) playing like the open A chord, but barreing with you first finger.

If you know how to tune your guitar, you know that the fifth fret on the E string is A, so play the E on the fifth string, you get an A:
e5
b5
g6
d7
a7
E5

If you know how to tune your guitar, you know that the fifth fret on the A string is D, so play the A on the fifth string, you get an D:
e5
b7
g7
d7
a5
(E5)

and
B is two frets higher than A, E is two frets higher than D.

[Caper]

Learning barre chords will open the door to playing a lot of songs you thought were out of reach before. I know my hand ached when I first started to practice but I tried each day until it became more comfortable. Practice them for 2 to 5 minute intervals then go on to whatever else you work on then come back to them for another 2 to 5 minutes. Don't over do it, give yourself time to develope your technique. Like weelie said learn the E based and A based patterns. Learn to recognise the root notes and pretty soon you will know all the notes on the E A and e strings.

[BLACKCAT69]

Once you get the hang of it you'll laugh how easy it really is. I just learned it myself a few months back. But yes, practice the barre chord. Once you have that lots of doors open up.

[thrasher]

you can also move the Em and E7 chords up the fretboard, and suddenly you know tons of chords! it's a really good thing to practice, for sure. acutally you can really move any open chord up to get differnt voicings of other chords, but a lot are hard to get.

strum it slowly to make sure all the strings are ringing, have fun

[Ben Harmless]

If it makes you feel any better, I've been playing in bands for 8 years, I've played with some pretty big names in the punk rock world (where barre chords are king) and I've toured across national boarders.

I'm just now beginning to be able to play barre chords with the root on the A string. Untill now, I usually just mashed my fingers down on the other strings at the right fret, but the high e doesn't really ring out that way.

It's tough... Fingers are big, and strings are small and close together...

[weelie]

In punk I think I'd just play the power chords, which in essence are just reduced forms of the above A and E forms:
x
x
x
2
2
0

x
x
2
2
0
x

The Amajor-form could be played fretting the D, G, B, and e strings with just one finger (possibly muffling the e or not playing it at all, if it's played it's basically A6 instead of A), for example the 3rd finger. So for C it'd be:
e: X or 5
B: 5
G: 5
D: 5
A: 3
E: X or 3

Not that I really play punk, nor know anything about playing it! :D The only "punk" I play is some old Ramones songs.

[lobotomyactivist]

Originally Posted by weelie

In punk I think I'd just play the power chords, which in essence are just reduced forms of the above A and E forms:

the sex pistols played all barre chords. the clash played very weird open chords. it's a misconception that all punk bands did was play power chords.

[schickman]

So what are you doing, Ben Harmless,
to get those A-root chords to ring out the
note on the e-string? I have the same "problem"
but it's usually not a problem, depending upon
the song. But I'd really like to be able to get
a clean A-style barre to ring out. I know I'm
supposed to bend my second barring finger
till the E can ring clear, but I can't get it to work.
Sometimes I use my three fingers instead of
the second barre (if you know what I mean)
but that's a difficult form for me to grab when I'm
really playing.
Thanks,
Schickman

[Ben Harmless]

It's those 3 fingers that do it for ya sad to say. Barring with just two fingers may eventually work for you, but you won't have the versitility to pull off things like minor chords, etc.