How to Play Bar Chords in Rock Guitar

When you learn the proper technique for creating bar chords, you open up more possibilities for your guitar playing. Where normally-fingered chords give a certain sound, bar chords can give a more solid, rock-like sound while allowing you to change quickly and cleanly from chord to chord.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Make sure that you understand the rudiments of forming basic chords, especially chords like E, Am and A. You fingers need to be strong and, if possible, properly calloused through regular practice. The stronger your fingers are, the more easily you will be able to do bar chords.
2. Practice covering all the strings in the first fret with your index finger. Strum the guitar and press firmly, adjusting pressure as necessary, until you hear a crisp, clear sound from each string. If you need to, pluck each string individually to make sure that each sound is clear and not muffled in any way.
3. Do that same exercise up the entire fret board to get a good feel for how the strings will feel under complete pressure from your index finger. Keep strumming and plucking to make sure that you get a clear sound from each string.
4. Go back to the first fret, cover the strings on that fret with your index finger, and then use your remaining three fingers to make the formation of the traditional E chord, but on the second and third frets, as your index finger is occupying the first. Strum that, and you have an F chord.
5. Move your fingers, in that position, up one fret. If you strum that well, you have an F# chord. Move that formation up another fret, and you'll be playing a G chord. As you move up the fret, you change chords, even though you're maintaining the same finger position.
6. Finger an Am chord while covering the first fret with your index finger. This gives you a B-flat minor. Move it up one fret and you have a Bm. Up one more gives you Cm, and the next one up gives you C#m.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use this technique with other finger formations, as well. Experiment as you feel able, and your creativity can yield interesting results.