Free Guitar Mastery Simplified: How Anyone Can Quickly Become a Strumming, Chords, and Lead Guitar Ninja by Erich Andreas

in Open Major Keys
    Key of A

    Key of C

    Key of D

    Key of E

    Key of G

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Bar
Chords
     
    Barchords, also known as barre chords , are
any chord that requires at least one finger to press down multiple strings
simultaneously (at the same time).  Bar chords allow guitarists to play
chords that are not restricted to the open strings.  Bar chords are known
as movable chords as each form can be moved up and down the neck in a linear
fashion.  That is, one bar chord formation will allow the guitar player to
play a chord in any key by merely moving it up or down the neck.
    Bar chords can be used in conjunction with open chords or
with other bar chords .  Bar chords are sometimes necessary when a song
requires a chord to be played that cannot otherwise be played open.  Any
chord played in the open position can be replicated as a bar chord further up
the neck, given of course that the guitarist has built the strength and
dexterity to do so.
    “So hold on Erich!  You are saying that anything I
play in the open position can be played further up the neck in bar chord
fashion to produce the same chord in every other key?”  Yes!  That
one concept alone will open your playing up quite a bit.  That means that
many of those open chords that you know already are going to become our
patterns or “templates” for the first set of bar chords that you should learn.
    As you probably know already from watching my instructional
videos on my YouTube channels, many of my lessons are based around open chords
and the use of a capo.  I try to keep things as simple as possible when
teaching.  My philosophy is, “ there’s no need in complicating something
that’s not complicated. ”  There are plenty of intricate guitar parts
that cannot be simplified.  In those cases there is no way around it;
however, sometimes even the simplest of songs call for bar chords and there’s
no way around that, either.  The capo can be used to limit bar chords or change the forms of the open chords that you would use, but sometimes you
just have to play a bar chord.  In those cases wouldn’t it be nice to have
that ability?
    Some guitar players might skip this section fearing the
dreaded bar chords.  While others may feel that their playing does not
lack without bar chords.  But that’s not you!  You want to excel as a
guitarist and I am going to help you!
    That being said, bar chords are challenging for guitarists
who have never played them.  Remember you and your hands are
learning a new concept!  Please be patient with yourself during this process
and understand that everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Steve Vai had difficulty with bar chords in the beginning.
    I have taught hundreds of students over several decades and
have never met a student, even my best, who got this concept immediately.
  So be encouraged , take your time , watch the videos and
enjoy the process.  There are literally thousands of bar chords, but here
we will only be using the ones that you will use the most.  The more you
practice them, the faster and better you will become.
    I like to break the subject of bar chords down into two
sections:
Understanding the forms
Playing the chords
    Understanding the Forms
    Check out the bar chord diagrams
that follow the description below.  You will notice that I have separated
these as 6th string roots and 5th string roots in the bar chord diagrams later
in this chapter.  That means that the root, or
letter name of the chord is located on either the 6th or 5th string.  For
this first example see the 6th string bar chords page.  Now locate the
first major chord.  Does anything look familiar about that form?
 That form comes from our open E major or E chord.  Now look at the
minor chord form that is 2 chord forms to the right.  Now play an E minor
chord.  Do you see the similarity?  If not,