Barre chords

A barre chord is an open-chord shape moved up the neck, with your index finger laid across the strings as a movable nut. Learn two shapes, the E shape (root on the low E string) and the A shape (root on the A string), and you can play major, minor and seventh chords in every key.

The idea: a movable nut

Play an open E. The open strings are part of the chord. Now imagine moving the whole shape up one fret: the fingered notes move, but the open strings can't. Laying your index finger across all six strings at the 1st fret moves them too, and the result is F. Your index finger is doing the job the nut does in the open chord, so you re-finger the E shape with middle, ring and pinky.

Slide that shape up to the 3rd fret and it's G; at the 5th fret it's A; at the 7th, B. The shape is the same everywhere; the fret decides the name, and the name comes from the note under your index finger on the low E string.

The E-shape forms (root on the 6th string)

Shown at the 1st fret, where they make F, Fm, F7 and Fm7. Move them to any fret; the chart below says which fret gives which root.

• F 1-3-3-2-1-1 major, from E Play F
• Fm 1-3-3-1-1-1 minor, from Em Play Fm
• F7 1-3-1-2-1-1 dominant seventh, from E7 Play F7
• Fm7 1-3-1-1-1-1 minor seventh, from Em7 Play Fm7

Compare each with its open form: major comes from E, minor from Em (lift the middle finger, and the barre covers the G string), 7 from E7 and m7 from Em7. The minor and m7 forms need fewer fingers than the major, so they are often easier.

The A-shape forms (root on the 5th string)

Shown at the 2nd fret, where they make B, Bm, B7 and Bm7. Don't play the low E string: the lowest note is the root on the A string, under your index finger.

• B x-2-4-4-4-2 major, from A Play B
• Bm x-2-4-4-3-2 minor, from Am Play Bm
• B7 x-2-4-2-4-2 dominant seventh, from A7 Play B7
• Bm7 x-2-4-2-3-2 minor seventh, from Am7 Play Bm7

The A-shape major is the awkward one: three notes on the same fret under the barre. The version drawn uses three separate fingers; many players instead flatten the ring finger across the D, G and B strings and let the high E string go quiet. Both are fine.

Which fret gives which chord

For an E-shape barre, the root is the note on the low E string under your index finger. For an A-shape barre, it's the note on the A string. Fret 0 is the open chord (E and Em; A and Am), and fret 12 is the same chord an octave up.

Sharp and flat names are the same pitch (the "/" column shows both); chord links use the usual spelling.

Most chords can be played both ways. Gm is an E-shape at the 3rd fret or an A-shape at the 10th. Cm is an A-shape at the 3rd fret or an E-shape at the 8th. Pick whichever is closer to the chord before it. Knowing the notes on the low E and A strings makes this instant.

Your first two barres: F and Bm

These two turn up constantly in beginner songbooks. F is in the key of C major, Bm in D major and G major.

• F1-3-3-2-1-1Play F
• Bmx-2-4-4-3-2Play Bm

Start with Bm. It's five strings, the barre sits at the 2nd fret rather than the 1st, and the shape above it is the Am you already know. F at the 1st fret is harder because the strings are highest there. A useful trick: practice the E-shape at the 7th fret first (B), then move it down one fret at a time as it gets easier, until you reach F.

Technique that makes barres ring

1. Roll the index finger slightly onto its thumb-side edge. The bony side is harder than the soft pad and doesn't have creases that swallow strings.
2. Sit right behind the fret wire. The closer to the wire, the less pressure you need.
3. Thumb low, behind the neck, roughly opposite your middle finger. Squeezing like a clamp with the thumb wears you out fast.
4. Pull with the arm, not the hand. Let the weight of your arm pull the neck gently back toward you. On an electric, try the barre with your thumb off the neck entirely to feel this.
5. Only three or four strings matter under the barre. In the E-shape major, the barre only has to sound the low E, B and high E strings; the other fingers cover the rest. Check those strings one at a time.
6. Place the shape, then add the barre. Or the other way round. Try both and use whichever lands faster.

If it hurts

Aching muscles in the hand after a few minutes are normal early on, and they settle within weeks. Sharp pain, numbness or wrist pain are signs to stop. Keep barre practice to short bursts of a minute or two between other playing, shake the hand out, and check your setup: a guitar with high action (strings far from the frets) makes barres far harder than they need to be. A shop setup is usually inexpensive and can transform an old guitar. Lighter strings help too.

Remember that you don't need a perfect barre to play. A chord with one slightly muted string, played on the beat, sounds better than a perfect chord that arrives late.

Related

• Guitar chords for beginners: the open shapes these barres come from.
• Power chords: the two- and three-string version, much easier, same root chart.
• Guitar capo: a clamp that barres every string for you, so open shapes play in any key.
• Chord progressions to practice barre changes in context.
• The full guitar chord library, including every chord's barre shapes.

Shapes come from the same engine as every chord page: each plays only the chord's notes with the root lowest. Updated September 2026.