Learn to play barre chords, and using movable chord shapes to create chords up and down the neck. Learn the CAGED system and how to play open chords in different positions.

Note: If you have not viewed the lesson on open chords, it is highly recommended you do so before going through this course.

Introduction to Barre Chords

Barre Chords are essentially open chords that are transposed to another part of the guitar to create a new chord. By placing our index finger across the strings behind an open chord shape, we can change the pitches of the open strings and transpose the chord to play a Barre Chord. Barre Chords are extremely challenging to play at first, as they require a lot of strength to bar across the guitar neck while pressing down on the chord shapes.

Five tips on how to play Barre chords:

1. Make sure to keep your thumb behind your first finger. Place your thumb directly behind the lower part of your first finger.

2. Your index and thumb should form the shape of a guitar capo, with your index finger extended straight with no bend in your joints and your thumb pressing against the base of your index finger.

3. Use the side of your 1st finger to barre across the fret to get an even sound on all six strings.

4. Press down with a lot of pressure on each string with your index finger.

5. Play one string at a time to hear each string instead of strumming the chord.

6. Never use your index fingertip. It should be resting slightly above the guitar neck

F Major - The First Barre Chord

The F major chord requires two notes to be played with the index finger. This is our first introduction to BARRE chords. The notes in the F major chord are F, A, and C. The F Major chord contains the 3rd fret of the 4th string (F), the 2nd fret of the 3rd string (A), and the 1st fret on both the 2nd (C) and 1st strings (F). The 5th and 6th strings are not played in the F Major chord.

How to Play the F Major Chord

1. Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the 4th string.

2. Place your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the 3rd string.

3. Place your 1st finger on the 1st fret of the 2nd string.

4. Roll your 1st finger across the 1st fret to the 1st string.

The CAGED System

The CAGED System is an acronym for the chord shapes that can be transposed to barre chords (C, A, G, E, and D chords) For example, an E major chord can be moved up 2 frets to play an F# Chord by placing a bar on the second fret and playing an E major chord shape in front of the bar as if it were an open chord. By changing the root of the chord, we can change the sound of the chord. This allows us to play many chords that cannot be played as open chords on the guitar.

How to Find Any Chord with the CAGED System

• Find the root of the CAGED shape: E and G shapes have their root on the Low E (6th) string. A and C Shapes have their root on the A (5th) string, and D shapes have their roots on the D (4th) String.

• Use the root diagrams to find the new root of the transposed chord shape and place the root there to create the chord in the new key.

• Adjust the fingering of the voicing to free up your index finger to create the barre.

CAGED SYSTEM - Finding The Roots

In order to use the CAGED system, we will need to find the correct root for each chord. Use the following fretboard diagrams to find the root for the chord you are looking for. Remember that the E, A, and D shapes will have the root as part of the barre, while the C and G shapes use a fretting finger for the root.

For example, if you want to play an F# chord using an E Major Shape, find the F# on the 2nd fret of the Low E (6th) string and place the barre on the 2nd fret. Then add the E major shape in front of it to complete the chord.

The E Major CAGED Shape

The E Major Shape is built from the low E (6th) string root, and uses the same strings and frets as the major chord. the white dots on the E major shape below are the root notes, and each of these chords is moved up and down the guitar neck

How to Play Barre Chords With The E-Shape

• Find the Root: use the root diagram below to find the correct root note on the 6th string.

• Place the chord shape: Using your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers, place the E major chord fingering two frets in front of the fret with the root note. For example, if your root note is on the 6th fret (Bb), place the chord on the 7th and 8th frets.

• Form the Barre With Your Index Finger: while the chord shape is in place, form the barre shape (imitating the shape of a capo) and press down on the fret with the side of your index finger.

E Major Shape Barre Chord Exercises

Practice locating and playing E Major shape barre chords by playing the exercises below. No strumming pattern is required, but it is important to be able to learn to move each shape up and down the fretboard to play different chords using the E major shape.

The E Minor CAGED Shape

The E Minor Shape is built from the low E (6th) string root and uses the same strings and frets as the Major chord. the white dots on the E major shape below are the root notes, and each of these chords is moved up and down the guitar neck

How to Play Barre Chords With The E-Shape

• Find the Root: use the root diagram below to find the correct root note on the 6th string.

• Place the chord shape: Using your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers, place the E major chord fingering two frets in front of the fret with the root note. For example, if your root note is on the 6th fret (Bb), place the chord on the 7th and 8th frets.

• Form the Barre With Your Index Finger: while the chord shape is in place, form the barre shape (imitating the shape of a capo) and press down on the fret with the side of your index finger.

E Minor Shape Barre Chord Exercises

Practice locating and playing E Minor shape barre chords by playing the exercises below. No strumming pattern is required, but it is important to be able to learn to move each shape up and down the fretboard to play different chords using the E major shape.

The A Major CAGED Shape

The A Major Shape is built from the low A (5th) string root, and uses the same strings and frets as the open A major chord. The white dots on the A major shape below are the root notes, and each of these chords is moved up and down the guitar neck.

The A major CAGED shape can be played with two different fingerings. The diagram on the right is the standard A Major CAGED shape. The shape on the left is a common variation of the A major CAGED shape that is better suited to chords on the higher frets, but omits the 1st string. In this variation, the 3rd finger is used to barre across the 2nd, 3rd and 4th strings, and mute the open 1st string.

How to Play Barre Chords With The A-Shape

• Find the Root: use the root diagram below to find the correct root note on the 5th string.

• Place the chord shape: Using your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers, place the A major chord fingering two frets in front of the fret with the root note. For example, if your root note is on the 6th fret (Eb), place the chord on the 7th and 8th frets.

• Form the Barre With Your Index Finger: while the chord shape is in place, form the barre shape (imitating the shape of a capo) and press down on the fret with the side of your index finger.

A Major Shape Barre Chord Exercises

Practice locating and playing A Major shape barre chords by playing the exercises below. No strumming pattern is required, but it is important to be able to learn to move each shape up and down the fretboard to play different chords using the A major shape.

The A Minor CAGED Shape

The A-Minor Shape is built from the low A (5th) string root and uses the same strings and frets as the open A minor chord. the white dots on the A minor shape below are the root notes, and each of these chords is moved up and down the guitar neck.

How to Play Barre Chords With The A-Shape

• Find the Root: use the root diagram below to find the correct root note on the 6th string.

• Place the chord shape: Using your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers, place the A minor chord fingering two frets in front of the fret with the root note. For example, if your root note is on the 6th fret (Eb), place the chord on the 7th and 8th frets.

• Form the Barre With Your Index Finger: while the chord shape is in place, form the barre shape (imitating the shape of a capo) and press down on the fret with the side of your index finger.

A Minor Barre Chord Exercises

Practice locating and playing A minor shape barre chords by playing the exercises below. No strumming pattern is required, but it is important to be able to learn to move each shape up and down the fretboard to play different chords using the A minor shape.

The D Major CAGED Shape

The D Major Shape is built from the D (4th) string root, and uses the same strings and frets as the major chord. The white dots on the D major shape below are the root notes, and each of these chords is moved up and down the guitar neck

How to Play Barre Chords With The E-Shape

• Find the Root: use the root diagram below to find the correct root note on the 4th string.

• Place the chord shape: Using your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers, place the D major chord fingering two frets in front of the fret with the root note. For example, if your root note is on the 6th fret (Ab), place the chord on the 7th and 8th frets.

• Play the root with your index finger: There is no barre necessary for the D major shape as it only contains the top four strings.

D Major Shape Barre Chord Exercises

Practice locating and playing D Major shape barre chords by playing the exercises below. No strumming pattern is required, but it is important to be able to learn to move each shape up and down the fretboard to play different chords using the D major shape.

The D Minor CAGED Shape

The D MInor Shape is built from the D (4th) string root, and uses the same strings and frets as the open Dm chord. The white dots on the D minor shape below are the root notes, and each of these chords is moved up and down the guitar neck.

How to Play Barre Chords With The E-Shape

• Find the Root: use the root diagram below to find the correct root note on the 4th string.

• Place the chord shape: Using your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers, place the D major chord fingering two frets in front of the fret with the root note. For example, if your root note is on the 6th fret (Ab), place the chord on the 7th and 8th frets.

• Play the root with your index finger: There is no barre necessary for the D major shape as it only contains the top four strings.

D Minor Barre Chord Exercises

Practice locating and playing D Major shape barre chords by playing the exercises below. No strumming pattern is required, but it is important to be able to learn to move each shape up and down the fretboard to play different chords using the D minor shape.

The C Major CAGED Shape

The C major CAGED shape uses the 5th (A) string as the root of the chord and uses the same strings and frets as the open C major chord. The white dots on the C major shape below are the root notes, and each of these chords is moved up and down the guitar neck.

How to Play Barre Chords With The C-Shape

• Find the Root: use the root diagram below to find the correct root note on the 5th string.

• Place the chord shape: Place your 4th finger on the root of the C major chord, place your 3rd finger one fret behind your 4th finger on the 4th string, and your 2nd finger on the 2nd string on the fret behind your 3rd finger. Place the bar with your first finger so it sits three frets behind the root. For example, if your root note is on the 6th fret (Eb), place the bar on the 3rd fret.

• Form the Barre With Your Index Finger: while the chord shape is in place, form the barre shape (imitating the shape of a capo) and press down on the fret with the side of your index finger.

C Major Shape Barre Chord Exercises

Practice locating and playing the C Major shape barre chords by playing the exercises below. No strumming pattern is required, but it is important to be able to learn to move each shape up and down the fretboard to play different chords using the C major shape.

The G Major CAGED Shape

The G Major Shape is built from the low E (6th) string root and uses the same strings and frets as the open G major chord. the white dots on the G major shape below are the root notes, and each of these chords is moved up and down the guitar neck

How to Play Barre Chords With The E-Shape

• Find the Root: use the root diagram below to find the correct root note on the 6th string.

• Place the chord shape: Place the 3rd finger on the root of the G major chord, then place the 2nd finger one fret behind your 3rd finger on the 5th string. Place the bar with the 1st finger so it sits three frets behind the root. For example, if the root note is on the 6th fret (Bb), place the bar on the 3rd fret. Place the 4th finger on the same fret as the root but on the 1st string.

• Form the Barre With Your Index Finger: while the chord shape is in place, form the barre shape (imitating the shape of a capo) and press down on the fret with the side of your index finger.

G Major Shape Barre Chord Exercises

Practice locating and playing E Major shape barre chords by playing the exercises below. No strumming pattern is required, but it is important to be able to learn to move each shape up and down the fretboard to play different chords using the G major shape.

Barre Chords Review

The following exercises will use our CAGED barre chord shapes. Make sure to use the correct chord shape for each chord, using the fingerings in the diagrams above.

Chord Progressions With Barre Chords

The following chord progressions will use our CAGED barre chord shapes. Make sure to use the correct chord shape for each chord, using the fingerings in the diagrams above.