Guitar lessons, learning barre chords. This article has the sole purpose of explaining what a barre chord is, and how it can enhance the structure of a melody.
If you have mastered all the basic chords such as, C. D. G. E. F. A, and maybe a few sevenths, and minors chords, then it is time for you to learn how to play barre chords.
The barre chords take their name from the first finger because it stretches across the fret forming a bar, while the other fingers fit into the frets directly below the barred fret.
For example, if you play the normal E, major chord and slide down one fret keeping the shape of the E chord, but stretching your index finger across the first fret above, you will form the F, chord.
Now if you move that same shape down one step which is a half fret, this gives you the F# sharp chord.
At this point it is vital to know that all the following E shape barre chords have their root note on the open, E, string. That is the first thickest string on the guitar.
Moving the same shape up a semi tone which is one fret will give you major and sharp chords.
If you move the same shape in reverse fret by fret you will have major and flat chords.
This is how it works. Chords moving down the shaft towards the bridge give you major and sharp chords, and coming back in reverse will give you major and flat chords.
The reason why you get flat notes on the way back up is because the note on the particular fret going back is lowered, while going forward the note is raised which is called a sharp.
The exception to this rule is when you arrive at the B. note. There are no sharps or flats between these two notes.
So you will move directly from the, B major up a half step and straight into the C, major note.
This also happens when you play the E, major note and move a half step up, you go straight into the F, major note.
So keep that in mind, when you come down the fretboard onto the B, note the next immediate note after that is the C, note.
Try out this movement and you will see exactly how it works.
Now just to inform you in case some guitar playing musician tells you that this is not always the correct terminology for the previous notes mentioned above, he is perfectly right, so you can agree with him and say yes you know that, but it is only in very special circumstances when the E note becomes E sharp, or E flat, and the B note becomes B sharp, or B flat.
This conversation is for another day when you have become more proficient at playing barre chords.