What a barre chord is
An open chord like E major uses the open strings as part of its sound. A barre chord takes that same shape and clamps your index finger flat across all six strings at one fret — replacing those open strings with fretted ones. Because nothing relies on the open strings anymore, the whole shape becomes movable: slide it up one fret and the chord goes up one semitone.
That is the big payoff. Memorise one shape and a little of the fretboard, and you can play 12 different chords with the exact same fingers in 12 different positions.
The E-shape barre (root on the low E string)
Start from an open E major chord, but play it with your middle, ring, and pinky fingers instead of your usual fingers, leaving your index finger free. Now slide that shape up and lay your index finger flat across all six strings behind it. The note your index finger lands on, on the low E (6th) string, is the root that names the chord.
- Index barre at the 1st fret → F major
- Index barre at the 3rd fret → G major
- Index barre at the 5th fret → A major
- Index barre at the 8th fret → C major
To make it minor, use the E-minor shape instead (lift the note that makes the 3rd major). The same root on the 6th string now names a minor chord — so the 1st fret becomes F minor, the 3rd fret G minor, and so on. Knowing the notes on the low E string is what lets you find any chord instantly.
The A-shape barre (root on the A string)
The second essential form is built from the open A major chord. Barre your index finger across the top five strings, and use your ring finger (or a partial barre with the ring finger) to fret the A-shape behind it. Here the root sits on the A (5th) string.
- Index barre at the 2nd fret → B major
- Index barre at the 3rd fret → C major
- Index barre at the 5th fret → D major
Using the A-minor shape turns these into B minor, C minor, D minor, and so on. The A-shape is how most players first learn the dreaded B minor chord. Between the E-shape and A-shape you have two roots — on the 6th and 5th strings — covering the whole neck, which is the core idea behind the CAGED system.
The full movable vocabulary
Major and minor are where everyone starts, and they are not where the system ends. Hold the barre still, change one or two fingers behind it, and the same movable shape becomes a 7th, a minor 7th, a 6th, a 9th or a 13th. Nothing about the barre changes — which is why learning these as a family is far less work than learning them as separate chords.
There are only three anchors worth knowing, one for each string that can carry the root: the 6th, the 5th and the 4th. Every shape below is grouped by its anchor, and each one is labelled with the interval each string plays, low to high, so you can see what you are actually holding rather than memorising dots.
6th string root (E-form)
The lowest root available, so the chord sounds in its fullest register and all six strings can ring.
Every shape below is drawn for G, whose root sits at fret 3 on the 6th string. Slide the same grip to another fret and it names another chord without changing a finger — that is what "movable" means.
Low to high: R 5 R 3 5 R
The whole barre system in one grip: the open E major shape with the index finger standing in for the nut.
Low to high: R 5 R b3 5 R
One finger less than the major — lift the note that makes the third major and the same barre turns minor.
Low to high: R 5 b7 3 5 R
The blues workhorse: dropping the octave on the 4th string to the b7 costs nothing and adds the whole dominant sound.
Low to high: R 5 maj7 3 5 R
The same move as the 7th but a semitone higher, which is the entire audible difference between dominant and major seventh.
Low to high: R 5 b7 b3 5 R
Minor barre plus the b7 — the most-used movable shape in soul, funk and jazz comping.
Low to high: R 5 R 3 13 R
The 13th replaces the fifth on the 2nd string, giving the sweet, pre-war major sound without leaving the barre.
Low to high: R 5 b7 3 5 9
A dominant 7th whose top string reaches up to the 9th; the grip stays inside four frets.
Low to high: R 5 b7 b3 5 9
The m7 barre with the 9th on the first string — the shape that makes a minor vamp sound modal rather than plain.
Low to high: R 5 b7 3 13 9
Both colour tones at once: the 13th on the 2nd string and the 9th on the 1st, over a dominant 7th core.
Low to high: R 5 b7 b3 13 9
The minor counterpart — b3 and b7 underneath, 13th and 9th on top.
Low to high: R 5 maj7 3 13 9
The lushest six-string barre in the set: major 7th, 13th and 9th all sounding over a fretted root.
5th string root (A-form)
Reaches the same chord roughly five frets lower than the E-form, which is what makes smooth voice leading between two barre chords possible.
Every shape below is drawn for G, whose root sits at fret 10 on the 5th string. Slide the same grip to another fret and it names another chord without changing a finger — that is what "movable" means.
Low to high: x R 5 R 3 5
The open A shape moved up. It reaches any major chord about five frets below its E-form twin, so the two together cover the neck.
Low to high: x R 5 R b3 5
How nearly every guitarist first plays B minor, and the reason the A-form is worth learning early.
Low to high: x R 5 b7 3 5
The b7 sits on the 4th string here, which frees the index finger to bar only five strings.
Low to high: x R 5 maj7 3 5
A semitone above the 7th on the same string — the same one-note distinction, moved to the A-form.
Low to high: x R 5 b7 b3 5
The five-string minor seventh: the standard comping grip when the E-form would sit too high on the neck.
Low to high: x R 5 R 3 13
The 13th on the first string turns the A-form major into the sixth chord that ends a jazz or western-swing tune.
Low to high: x R 5 R b3 13
Minor triad with a major 6th on top — the sound of a minor chord that has somewhere to go.
Low to high: x R 3 b7 9 5
The canonical funk 9th. The fifth moves to the top string so the 3rd, b7 and 9th can stack in the middle.
Reaches one fret below the barre, so the index finger is not the lowest note in this one.
Low to high: x R 3 b7 9 13
The 5th is dropped so the 13th can sound on the first string inside a four-fret span.
The 5th is left out so the colour tones fit inside one hand.
Reaches one fret below the barre, so the index finger is not the lowest note in this one.
Low to high: x R 3 maj7 9 13
The major-seventh reading of the same stack, with the 5th dropped for the same reason.
The 5th is left out so the colour tones fit inside one hand.
Reaches one fret below the barre, so the index finger is not the lowest note in this one.
4th string root (D-form)
The top-four-string anchor: quiet, uncluttered, and the one that stays out of a bass player's register.
Every shape below is drawn for G, whose root sits at fret 5 on the 4th string. Slide the same grip to another fret and it names another chord without changing a finger — that is what "movable" means.
Low to high: x x R 5 R 3
The top-four-string major. Quiet and uncluttered, it is what you play when a bass is already covering the root.
Low to high: x x R 5 R b3
The same four strings with a flattened third — the minor voicing that stays out of everyone else's way.
Low to high: x x R 5 b7 3
A four-string dominant: root, fifth, b7 and third, with the guide tones on the two highest strings.
Low to high: x x R 5 maj7 3
The D-form major seventh — compact enough to sit above another guitarist without crowding them.
Low to high: x x R 5 b7 b3
The four-string minor seventh, and the highest-register barre in this set.
Where the barre goes: the three root strings
A shape does not name a chord until you know which note your index finger has landed on. These are the only three strings you need, because every shape above is anchored to one of them.
| Fret | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note | E | F | F# | G | G# | A | A# | B | C | C# | D | D# | E |
| Fret | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note | A | A# | B | C | C# | D | D# | E | F | F# | G | G# | A |
| Fret | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note | D | D# | E | F | F# | G | G# | A | A# | B | C | C# | D |
Technique: getting a clean barre
Roll the index finger
Press with the bony outer edge of your index finger rather than the soft flat pad. Rolling slightly toward the headstock side puts harder bone behind the strings and avoids the creases where strings buzz.
Thumb behind the neck
Place your thumb roughly in the middle of the back of the neck, opposite your index finger. This lets you squeeze in a pinch rather than relying on arm strength alone.
Barre close to the fret
Lay the barre just behind the metal fret wire, not in the middle of the fret space. The closer you are, the less pressure you need for a clean note.
Keep the wrist low
Drop your fretting elbow and let the wrist come forward a little. A straighter finger across the strings beats a collapsed knuckle that mutes a string.
Troubleshooting buzzing and dead strings
Almost every barre-chord problem is one of these:
- One string buzzes: a crease in your finger is over that string. Roll the finger slightly or shift the barre a hair toward the fret.
- The B string is dead: the most common culprit. The B string tends to fall in a knuckle gap — adjust the angle of your index finger until that string rings.
- Whole chord sounds muffled: you are barring too far from the fret, or pressing too softly. Move closer to the fret and pinch a little harder.
- Your hand cramps fast: you are squeezing too hard. Find the lightest pressure that still rings cleanly — barre chords need far less force than beginners assume once the angle is right.
Build strength gradually. Play the barre, release, and replay it a few times a day rather than holding it until your hand aches. Higher up the neck (around the 5th fret) the strings are easier to press, so practising there first can build confidence before you tackle F at the 1st fret.
Related on String Warrior
Find shapes to barre, then take the movable idea further.