E-bar Chords

Bar Chords are chords with a common shape that can be played anywhere on the neck. There are 2 basic bar chord shapes, one taken from the E Major Chord and one taken from the A Major Chord. Below is an example of an E-bar chord:

E-bar Chords:
Chord String Note Interval Chord String Note Interval
E Major: E E Root F Major Chord (E-bar): E F Root
A B 5th A C 5th
D E Root D F Root
G G# 3rd G A 3rd
B B 5th B C 5th
E E Root F F Root

If you look at these chords tabbed out, they look like this: 

 E Major         F Major (E-bar)

E--0--             E--1-- (i)
B--0--             B--1-- (i)
G--1-- (i)         G--2-- (m)
D--2-- (r)         D--3-- (p)
A--2-- (m)         A--3-- (r)
E--0--             E--1-- (i)
As you can see, the F Major is up one fret on every string. Notice the fingering of the F Major. (The letters in parenthesis represent which fingers hold the string down. i = index, m = middle, r = ring, p = pinky) In order to get the index finger to hold down both E strings and the B string, you must "bar" your index over all 6 strings, pushing them to the fretboard so as not to let the strings buzz. The hardest part about bar chords is getting the finger strength to hold down the "bar". When you are first starting out with bar chords, practice the bar first and play every string making sure they do not buzz. After you get the bar working add your other fingers to make the chord. I have tabbed out a few more E-bar chords below to give you a better idea of how this works. 

F# Major (E-bar)     G Major (E-bar)     A Major (E-bar)     E Major (E-bar)

   E--2-- (i)          E--3-- (i)          E--5-- (i)          E--12-- (i)
   B--2-- (i)          B--3-- (i)          B--5-- (i)          B--12-- (i)
   G--3-- (m)          G--4-- (m)          G--6-- (m)          G--13-- (m)
   D--4-- (p)          D--5-- (p)          D--7-- (p)          D--14-- (p)
   A--4-- (r)          A--5-- (r)          A--7-- (r)          A--14-- (r)
   E--2-- (i)          E--3-- (i)          E--5-- (i)          E--12-- (i)
Since all of the chords use the same fingerings, # (sharp) or b (flat) chords are a cinch and sliding between chords becomes a possibility. Another great thing about bar chords is that you can easily tell what chord it is by looking at the position your bar is at. (3rd fret = G, 5th fret = A, etc.) Also notice that you can take these chords to the 12th fret and beyond.

If you think that you have the E-bar down, how about trying the A-bar chords.


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