1 00:00:10,262 --> 00:00:12,074 Hi, how are you doing? Justin here. 2 00:00:12,074 --> 00:00:15,412 Welcome to the Intermediate Foundation 1 Course. 3 00:00:15,412 --> 00:00:19,020 In this first lesson we're going to be checking out the E shape barre chord. 4 00:00:19,758 --> 00:00:21,644 A lot of you guys will have come from the beginners course, 5 00:00:21,644 --> 00:00:24,638 and already had a little bit of a sneaky look at the F chord probably, 6 00:00:24,638 --> 00:00:27,644 but we're gonna go into a lot more detail on how to play these barre chords 7 00:00:27,644 --> 00:00:30,232 and how to move them around up and down the neck, etc. 8 00:00:30,771 --> 00:00:35,635 Before we start you need to know at least the notes on the thickest string (the 6th string). 9 00:00:35,635 --> 00:00:39,436 You should really know the notes on fifth string and the sixth string by now, but 10 00:00:39,436 --> 00:00:43,286 it's absolutely essential that you know the notes on the sixth string. 11 00:00:43,286 --> 00:00:47,485 A couple of you are probably a bit concerned about being able to play barre chords. 12 00:00:47,885 --> 00:00:51,785 Everybody struggles when they're learning barre chords pretty much, 13 00:00:51,785 --> 00:00:54,367 I've seen a few students over the years pick them up pretty quickly, 14 00:00:54,367 --> 00:00:58,499 but most people most of the time find it difficult and painful and it takes a while 15 00:00:58,499 --> 00:01:01,478 That's kind of normal, so don't freak out if that's you. 16 00:01:02,216 --> 00:01:08,017 Also, a lot of people are kind of concerned about having their hands too fat or too small 17 00:01:08,017 --> 00:01:11,483 or too thin or too long or the wrong shape, or whatever. 18 00:01:11,483 --> 00:01:15,178 I've never had a student or met anyone that just couldn't play barre chords. 19 00:01:15,178 --> 00:01:19,473 Some people have a bit of a struggle with it, those with big fat fingers, 20 00:01:19,473 --> 00:01:23,336 you'll probably find this a bit easier because your hands are probably quite strong. 21 00:01:23,336 --> 00:01:25,592 A lot of people have trouble pressing down all the strings, 22 00:01:25,592 --> 00:01:27,653 so you should be alright in that department. 23 00:01:27,653 --> 00:01:30,304 Those of you with thin fingers might have to work on the strength of it, 24 00:01:30,304 --> 00:01:32,550 but you'll get your fingers into a good place quickly. 25 00:01:32,550 --> 00:01:37,103 So whatever it is that you think is being the thing that's stopping you from playing barre chords, 26 00:01:37,103 --> 00:01:41,627 probably won't exist after the end of this lesson, it's just going to be about practice. 27 00:01:42,073 --> 00:01:46,250 So what we're doing in this lesson is just E shape Major and Minor. 28 00:01:46,250 --> 00:01:50,261 Now, E shape comes from the name of the E open chord. 29 00:01:50,261 --> 00:01:55,254 So really, what the idea is if we had -- I'm going to do a close up in a sec -- 30 00:01:55,592 --> 00:02:00,862 If we had a regular E shape open chord, E shape major chord, 31 00:02:00,862 --> 00:02:04,869 and we reposition our fingers so we're not using our first finger, 32 00:02:04,869 --> 00:02:10,269 slide it up the neck and use our first finger, almost like a capo, to press down on all of the strings. 33 00:02:10,915 --> 00:02:12,997 That's our E shape barre chord. 34 00:02:12,997 --> 00:02:18,470 So the barre is kind of functioning like a capo and the shape that we put in front of it 35 00:02:18,470 --> 00:02:19,889 is where we get our name from. 36 00:02:19,889 --> 00:02:25,407 And, like I said, we're doing E shape to start off with, you can do like C shape and A shape and D shape 37 00:02:25,407 --> 00:02:30,687 and all sorts of stuff, for the intermediate level I'd try and focus on the E shape and the A shape. 38 00:02:30,687 --> 00:02:32,647 So we're gonna be just working with the E shape, 39 00:02:32,647 --> 00:02:35,612 getting that really good to start off with, that's the kind of the point. 40 00:02:35,612 --> 00:02:39,073 Ok, so let's get to a close-up, have a close-up look at the shape, 41 00:02:39,073 --> 00:02:41,235 and then I'll go through and look at the techniques, 42 00:02:41,235 --> 00:02:43,202 then we'll go through and explain some of the 43 00:02:43,202 --> 00:02:45,356 common problems people have with them, and how to solve it. 44 00:02:45,356 --> 00:02:46,994 So, let's get to a close-up. 45 00:02:47,733 --> 00:02:50,893 The way that I'd recommend you start off playing your barre chords 46 00:02:50,893 --> 00:02:54,924 is first of all to put down a regular open E chord, an E Major chord. 47 00:02:55,262 --> 00:02:59,033 Now what we're going to be doing is kind of changing the fingers around, 48 00:02:59,033 --> 00:03:03,154 so we're playing the same dots, but we're not using our first finger. 49 00:03:03,154 --> 00:03:08,377 So your gonna lift off the first finger, move the 2nd finger to where the 1st finger was, 50 00:03:08,377 --> 00:03:12,933 the 3rd finger to where the 2nd finger was, and the little finger to where the 3rd finger was. 51 00:03:12,933 --> 00:03:17,706 So what we end up with: 2nd finger in the 1st fret of the 3rd string, 52 00:03:17,706 --> 00:03:20,687 3rd finger on the 2nd fret of the 5th string, 53 00:03:20,687 --> 00:03:24,469 and the little finger on the 2nd fret of the 4th string. 54 00:03:24,469 --> 00:03:27,413 It should sound exactly the same as your regular E chord. 55 00:03:27,413 --> 00:03:28,283 So if we play it that way: 56 00:03:28,283 --> 00:03:29,797 ♪ 57 00:03:29,797 --> 00:03:31,505 Change the fingering around and play it again: 58 00:03:31,505 --> 00:03:32,526 ♪ 59 00:03:32,526 --> 00:03:34,507 It should sound exactly the same. 60 00:03:34,507 --> 00:03:37,004 Now to actually start with our barre, 61 00:03:37,004 --> 00:03:40,286 what I recommend you do is you slide the shape up, 62 00:03:40,286 --> 00:03:43,795 so that your 2nd finger is in the 4th fret. 63 00:03:43,795 --> 00:03:47,844 Now some of you may have well tried to play an F barre chord as your 1st barre chord, 64 00:03:47,844 --> 00:03:51,708 and that's OK, but it's also the hardest place to play a barre chord, 65 00:03:51,708 --> 00:03:54,396 because the strings are the highest point here at the nut. 66 00:03:54,396 --> 00:03:58,509 So if you move it up here to the 2nd finger in the 4th fret, 67 00:03:58,509 --> 00:04:01,677 you should find putting your barre down a little bit easier. 68 00:04:02,046 --> 00:04:06,199 The first and probably most important technical thing that you need to think about 69 00:04:06,199 --> 00:04:09,742 is what part of your finger creates the barre. 70 00:04:09,742 --> 00:04:14,353 Now, the flat part of your finger, like this, is very soft and fleshy. 71 00:04:14,353 --> 00:04:18,777 And it's very difficult to get a solid barre down if you're using the flat. 72 00:04:18,777 --> 00:04:21,532 So really what we're using is kind of the outside, 73 00:04:21,532 --> 00:04:25,679 like 45 kinda degree angle there, of 1st finger. 74 00:04:25,679 --> 00:04:28,294 And the way to achieve this, the way you think about it, 75 00:04:28,294 --> 00:04:33,294 is when you put it on the actual guitar neck, put it down flat right on the fret. 76 00:04:34,032 --> 00:04:38,536 So you can see that the fret is underneath, I know normally that you try and put your finger just behind the fret, 77 00:04:38,536 --> 00:04:41,639 but what you want to do is put if flat of the fret, 78 00:04:41,639 --> 00:04:43,920 and then roll it onto the side. 79 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:47,258 So I'm actually kind of twisting the finger around 80 00:04:47,258 --> 00:04:51,234 so instead of being flat on the fleshy part, I'm using this little part here, 81 00:04:51,234 --> 00:04:54,239 and it's a lot harder you can feel it yourself with your other finger, 82 00:04:54,239 --> 00:05:00,211 that the edge of it, the 45 degree angle of the finger is a lot harder than the flat part. 83 00:05:00,211 --> 00:05:06,058 So, put it down flat, roll it over onto the side and then put your chord shape down. 84 00:05:06,058 --> 00:05:10,916 So that's probably the most important part that you want to get used to, 85 00:05:10,916 --> 00:05:12,233 is the rolling of the finger. 86 00:05:12,233 --> 00:05:17,366 It also helps to think of the angle pressure as being kind of across. 87 00:05:17,366 --> 00:05:19,945 It's not directly in, if you're pressing directly in, 88 00:05:19,945 --> 00:05:23,818 you're really going to hurt this muscle here in between your first finger and your thumb, 89 00:05:23,818 --> 00:05:25,264 it's gonna get really sore. 90 00:05:25,264 --> 00:05:30,323 So what you're trying to really do is angling the pressure kind of sideways, 91 00:05:30,323 --> 00:05:32,921 45 degree angle into the wood, 92 00:05:32,921 --> 00:05:36,240 not just pressing flat, that'll just make your hand sore 93 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:38,399 and it'll be difficult to get the chord nice. 94 00:05:38,399 --> 00:05:42,261 So, finger on flat, roll it 45 degrees, 95 00:05:42,261 --> 00:05:44,572 then place the rest of the fingers. 96 00:05:44,572 --> 00:05:47,810 Now, also while we're talking here about placing the rest of the fingers, 97 00:05:47,810 --> 00:05:49,378 don't let them do this: 98 00:05:49,378 --> 00:05:52,365 especially with the angle kind of going 45 degrees. 99 00:05:52,365 --> 00:05:56,963 A lot of people end up rolling all their fingers and they collapse over the top. 100 00:05:56,963 --> 00:06:02,482 That just makes it really difficult to play and difficult to change chords, and all sorts of problems. 101 00:06:02,482 --> 00:06:07,694 So, really what we're doing there is making sure that the fingers are kind of nice and squarely on. 102 00:06:07,694 --> 00:06:09,813 You can see there that wrong, move them out, 103 00:06:09,813 --> 00:06:13,986 just think about pulling your knuckles, here, towards you a little bit, 104 00:06:13,986 --> 00:06:17,580 and that should help get the fingers nice and square, 105 00:06:17,580 --> 00:06:21,086 The barre can still be kind of... so much like dividing the pressure 106 00:06:21,086 --> 00:06:22,551 The bar pressure is going over there 107 00:06:22,551 --> 00:06:25,123 The fingers are pointing kinda back towards you a little bit 108 00:06:25,123 --> 00:06:27,880 Another really important thing to be aware of right at the start, 109 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:30,353 is the angle of your wrist. 110 00:06:30,353 --> 00:06:33,375 Now, lots of beginners when they start trying to do barre chords 111 00:06:33,375 --> 00:06:38,630 end up with their wrist in this really weird kind of contorted shape like this 112 00:06:38,630 --> 00:06:42,960 and that really doesn't work, you know, having that angle there. 113 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:45,393 Really what your after is this kind of shape 114 00:06:45,393 --> 00:06:49,264 where the angle between the arm an the wrist is quite flat. 115 00:06:49,264 --> 00:06:50,374 There's a little bit of angle, 116 00:06:50,374 --> 00:06:52,212 you know,a little bit is OK, but just not this. 117 00:06:52,212 --> 00:06:54,781 Really avoid pushing that thing... 118 00:06:55,766 --> 00:06:58,917 You'll probably find that all of your shoulder and stuff is tense. 119 00:06:58,917 --> 00:07:02,876 Really, what you want is that your hand is flat, level with your arm, 120 00:07:02,876 --> 00:07:05,047 and then when you go to do the barre chord, 121 00:07:05,047 --> 00:07:07,597 it kind of just folds around, but the arm is still... 122 00:07:07,982 --> 00:07:11,264 it's the fingers that make that 45 degree angle. 123 00:07:11,264 --> 00:07:13,647 You kind of see the angles of my fingers there. 124 00:07:13,681 --> 00:07:18,300 It's not like I'm doing this and keeping my hand and my fingers flat like that to do the barre, 125 00:07:18,300 --> 00:07:22,777 it's the fingers that make the 45 degree angle to the hand 126 00:07:22,777 --> 00:07:25,563 That's really important. A lot of people muck that up. 127 00:07:25,563 --> 00:07:28,682 A good way of think of it is just like I said, to try and keep that 128 00:07:28,682 --> 00:07:32,649 hand kinda apart, the hand and the arm flat 129 00:07:32,649 --> 00:07:33,924 and then relax the shoulder 130 00:07:33,924 --> 00:07:35,829 A lot of people put a lot of tension in there. 131 00:07:35,829 --> 00:07:37,415 So try and get the chord on it, just 132 00:07:37,415 --> 00:07:40,525 wobble your elbow out a little bit, and just kind of try and relax. 133 00:07:40,525 --> 00:07:44,174 Some time helps to push your shoulders down first and then relax, 134 00:07:44,174 --> 00:07:48,359 because, often when you push your shoulder down, actually that's the most relaxed position, so 135 00:07:48,359 --> 00:07:51,062 don't let your shoulder be kinda up like this or whatever, 136 00:07:51,062 --> 00:07:55,409 just try and relax the shoulder down, you know, keep the hand flat, 137 00:07:55,409 --> 00:07:58,825 grab the chord and make sure the angle is on the fingers. 138 00:08:00,133 --> 00:08:03,312 Another really good hint about putting your barre chords down 139 00:08:03,312 --> 00:08:07,555 is to make sure you realize what notes are actually being played by the barre. 140 00:08:07,555 --> 00:08:10,747 'Cause you should notice that the 3rd string, 4th string and 5th string 141 00:08:10,747 --> 00:08:12,531 are covered by these fingers, so 142 00:08:12,531 --> 00:08:15,282 the barre is not actually having to hold those notes down, 143 00:08:15,282 --> 00:08:20,317 really all it's covering is the thickest string and the thinnest two strings. 144 00:08:20,317 --> 00:08:23,835 So they are the kind of the points where you really need to be 145 00:08:23,850 --> 00:08:26,115 holding your barre down really tight. 146 00:08:26,115 --> 00:08:29,426 Is having that note and the two thinnest strings, 147 00:08:29,426 --> 00:08:31,323 the thickest and the thinnest two 148 00:08:31,323 --> 00:08:34,614 from your barre, that's really important. So what can be a good test for your barre 149 00:08:34,614 --> 00:08:38,462 is, can you do the 6th string and the thinnest two, straight away. 150 00:08:38,462 --> 00:08:41,495 If you then put your fingers on, (plays) 151 00:08:41,495 --> 00:08:45,755 and one of the notes isn't ringing out, you know it's the fingers' fault, not the barre's fault. 152 00:08:45,755 --> 00:08:48,568 Some people also find it helpful -- I know I did when I was learning -- 153 00:08:48,568 --> 00:08:51,751 to think of the pressure in the barre as being in the middle. 154 00:08:51,751 --> 00:08:55,686 So it's kinda... I'm thinking about focusing my pressure 155 00:08:55,686 --> 00:08:57,985 into the middle of the barre. 156 00:08:57,985 --> 00:08:59,635 I know that it sounds ridiculous, but 157 00:08:59,635 --> 00:09:03,421 especially if the notes that we want to play are the ones in the outside, 158 00:09:03,421 --> 00:09:05,249 but if you focus your pressure in the middle, 159 00:09:05,249 --> 00:09:09,006 it kinda seems to press both of the edges down at the same time. 160 00:09:09,006 --> 00:09:13,105 So that can be a really, really good way of kinda thinking about your barre. 161 00:09:13,105 --> 00:09:16,693 You're pressing sideways, but you´re also thinking of the pressure 162 00:09:16,693 --> 00:09:21,042 is being in the middle of the finger, that's where you "focus your energy, man" 163 00:09:21,042 --> 00:09:23,683 as you're trying to get the barre chord down. 164 00:09:24,575 --> 00:09:27,437 Now, let´s go through some of the really common mistakes. 165 00:09:27,437 --> 00:09:29,041 What you should be practicing is 166 00:09:29,041 --> 00:09:30,499 putting your chord down, you know, 167 00:09:30,499 --> 00:09:34,186 get your barre up, put it on, roll it back, put the chord, the fingers down, 168 00:09:34,186 --> 00:09:37,572 and then strum: (plays) pick out the notes one at a time: 169 00:09:37,572 --> 00:09:40,509 . . . 170 00:09:40,509 --> 00:09:42,913 And then strum again 171 00:09:42,913 --> 00:09:47,493 Now, what you are likely to find is that some of the notes don't ring out properly, 172 00:09:47,493 --> 00:09:50,443 and so what I'm gonna try to do is show you the really the common ways. 173 00:09:50,443 --> 00:09:52,862 Now this is the first mistake that people get and it sounds like this: 174 00:09:52,862 --> 00:09:54,901 . . . 175 00:09:54,901 --> 00:09:59,196 and the thinnest two strings don't ring out, and that's nearly always the fault of the barre. 176 00:09:59,196 --> 00:10:04,457 Because, as they roll it back, they roll it back too far at the beginning and 177 00:10:04,457 --> 00:10:07,666 here you'll see that it's kinda too far away from the fret. 178 00:10:07,666 --> 00:10:10,557 So make sure that your barre, even though it's rolled over, 179 00:10:10,557 --> 00:10:13,015 is really nicely lying down with the fret. 180 00:10:13,015 --> 00:10:15,752 From your eyesight -- wich should be just kinda in there -- 181 00:10:15,752 --> 00:10:18,157 you should just see the fret, but only just. 182 00:10:18,157 --> 00:10:20,820 Make sure it's not too far back, or you'll have to press too hard. 183 00:10:20,820 --> 00:10:23,686 So, that's the first really, relly common thing. 184 00:10:23,686 --> 00:10:25,126 Second thing. 185 00:10:25,126 --> 00:10:28,141 What you'll find is what you feel is that your fingers collapse, 186 00:10:28,141 --> 00:10:29,260 we have already talked about that a bit, but 187 00:10:29,260 --> 00:10:33,618 when your fingers collapse they tend to lay down and mute up other strings. 188 00:10:33,618 --> 00:10:36,583 So, as I said, check that you've got your 1st string 189 00:10:36,583 --> 00:10:38,242 and your 5th and 6th string there, 190 00:10:38,242 --> 00:10:39,535 . . . 191 00:10:39,535 --> 00:10:42,212 that they are ringing out fine before you get your shape. 192 00:10:42,212 --> 00:10:43,859 If your shape is collapsed, 193 00:10:43,859 --> 00:10:45,078 . . . 194 00:10:45,078 --> 00:10:46,926 you'll probably get this kind of sound, 195 00:10:46,926 --> 00:10:48,742 where half the notes aren't really ringing out. 196 00:10:48,742 --> 00:10:51,728 And generally it's that underneath of the second finger, 197 00:10:51,728 --> 00:10:54,929 might be muting the second string, that's a really common mistake. 198 00:10:54,929 --> 00:11:00,298 Also, the little finger is sometimes lying over and muting the third string. 199 00:11:00,298 --> 00:11:04,203 That's a really common mistake there, 200 00:11:04,203 --> 00:11:04,844 so make sure... 201 00:11:04,844 --> 00:11:06,735 The way I think of it with the barre chord, 202 00:11:06,735 --> 00:11:09,212 is to make sure that the fingers are nice and round 203 00:11:09,212 --> 00:11:11,493 as they're going onto the guitar neck. 204 00:11:11,493 --> 00:11:14,728 Think of it as being on the tips, don't let them lay too flat. 205 00:11:14,728 --> 00:11:17,896 If they lay too flat there, it can be really awkward. 206 00:11:17,896 --> 00:11:22,864 If I just turn around a little bit, sou you can see the angle of the fingers, 207 00:11:22,864 --> 00:11:25,080 you can see they are nice and round. 208 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:28,214 It's not like that when the fingers are kinda flat on. It doesn't work. 209 00:11:28,214 --> 00:11:31,359 So the fingers have to be nice and round, like that. 210 00:11:31,359 --> 00:11:33,883 That's the way to get your barre chord. 211 00:11:33,883 --> 00:11:37,001 It can sometimes help to think of pushing that kind of 212 00:11:37,001 --> 00:11:39,664 the knuckle where your little finger joins your hand, 213 00:11:39,664 --> 00:11:41,263 to push that up towards the guitar neck, 214 00:11:41,263 --> 00:11:44,064 that can help to keep your fingers nice and round there. 215 00:11:44,064 --> 00:11:48,524 That's an important... important trick that one. 216 00:11:49,093 --> 00:11:51,205 And the other thing I want to mention here, 217 00:11:51,205 --> 00:11:56,271 is not having your first finger extended over the top of the neck too much. 218 00:11:56,271 --> 00:11:58,787 It's another really common beginner problem, 219 00:11:58,787 --> 00:12:02,061 is where they put the barre right over the end. 220 00:12:02,061 --> 00:12:04,704 Now, it´s OK to kind of experiment a little bit, 221 00:12:04,704 --> 00:12:07,849 in fact, many of you will have to move it up and down a little bit, 222 00:12:07,849 --> 00:12:12,462 just to try and get to the point where it's holding all of the strings down properly. 223 00:12:12,462 --> 00:12:16,352 But, you know, don't be poking it right off the end. 224 00:12:16,352 --> 00:12:20,221 I wouldn't have thought any more of, say, five millimeters off the end, 225 00:12:20,221 --> 00:12:22,174 like the quarter of an inch, or something like that. 226 00:12:22,174 --> 00:12:25,043 That's enough. Don't let it get right over. 227 00:12:25,043 --> 00:12:26,512 Unless it's the ONLY way you can do it, 228 00:12:26,512 --> 00:12:29,765 if it's the only way you can do it, then you have to adapt some things later on, 229 00:12:29,765 --> 00:12:32,989 but that would be the basic tip. 230 00:12:32,989 --> 00:12:35,503 We are also going to check out the Minor shape today. 231 00:12:35,503 --> 00:12:40,576 Hopefully, most of you remember that this was your regular E chord there, 232 00:12:40,576 --> 00:12:42,211 and if you lift off your first finger, 233 00:12:42,211 --> 00:12:44,518 you get to an E minor chord. 234 00:12:44,518 --> 00:12:47,140 So, it's actually exactly the same with the barre chord, 235 00:12:47,470 --> 00:12:50,731 when you've got your -- this would be a -- G barre chord. 236 00:12:51,238 --> 00:12:56,768 When you want to play a G minor, you simply lift the second finger off the shape, 237 00:12:56,768 --> 00:12:59,619 so you're just left with the bare and you 3rd and 4th fingers. 238 00:12:59,619 --> 00:13:02,170 . . . 239 00:13:02,170 --> 00:13:04,839 Now this presents a couple of interesting problems, 240 00:13:04,839 --> 00:13:08,554 the first one being that we've got another note that we have to play with the barre, 241 00:13:08,554 --> 00:13:12,820 so before we were just covering the 6th string and the 2nd and 1st strings, 242 00:13:12,820 --> 00:13:16,470 now we've got to cover the 6th string and the 3rd, 2nd and 1st strings. 243 00:13:16,470 --> 00:13:20,170 So, for most people, they find this quite tricky 244 00:13:20,170 --> 00:13:23,169 compared to doing the regular major shape. 245 00:13:23,169 --> 00:13:24,836 You should work on the major shape first and 246 00:13:24,836 --> 00:13:29,269 be kinda comfy with that before you even think doing the minor chord, but 247 00:13:29,269 --> 00:13:32,852 as soon as you can, then have a go at lifting off that second finger. 248 00:13:32,852 --> 00:13:34,270 Now, when you lift it off, 249 00:13:34,270 --> 00:13:37,570 it is OK if you want to put it down on top of your first finger. 250 00:13:37,570 --> 00:13:40,860 It's not ideal, really, but it's OK. 251 00:13:40,860 --> 00:13:43,389 I do it sometimes if I'm playing barre chords for a long time, 252 00:13:43,389 --> 00:13:44,986 and fingers are getting sore a bit, 253 00:13:44,986 --> 00:13:48,616 then I'll often use my second finger as support the first finger there a bit. 254 00:13:49,832 --> 00:13:54,825 So, that can be quite a good plan, otherwise just leave it hanging around. 255 00:13:54,825 --> 00:13:58,064 Now, what you will find is to get the note on that third string, 256 00:13:58,064 --> 00:14:01,119 it takes a little bit of manipulation with the first finger. 257 00:14:01,119 --> 00:14:04,679 With the major shape you can kinda be a bit, (plays) 258 00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:07,225 you know, there's bit of leeway there with the first finger. 259 00:14:07,225 --> 00:14:08,310 With the minor chord, 260 00:14:08,310 --> 00:14:08,891 . . . 261 00:14:08,891 --> 00:14:12,241 And I have to actually lift my finger up just a couple of milllimiters, 262 00:14:12,241 --> 00:14:15,625 it's not that much, but just a little bit more up, 263 00:14:15,625 --> 00:14:17,924 in order to get that note nice and clear. 264 00:14:17,924 --> 00:14:19,130 . . . 265 00:14:19,130 --> 00:14:21,710 You will find sometimes too, this is the string to check, so 266 00:14:21,710 --> 00:14:24,976 when you'r doing your strum, and picking it out, 267 00:14:24,976 --> 00:14:26,369 . . . 268 00:14:26,369 --> 00:14:28,621 It's that third string... that's the note, 269 00:14:28,621 --> 00:14:30,283 that's the note that makes it minor. 270 00:14:30,283 --> 00:14:33,237 Major: (plays). Minor. 271 00:14:33,237 --> 00:14:36,571 So, just checking that note, the third string is good. 272 00:14:37,310 --> 00:14:38,940 Sometimes the little finger 273 00:14:38,940 --> 00:14:42,347 can lay down a bit flat and mute the third string, so that's the... 274 00:14:42,347 --> 00:14:45,425 That's kinda the most common problem there with the Minor. 275 00:14:46,502 --> 00:14:49,626 We've talked an awful lot now about about how to play a barre chord, 276 00:14:49,626 --> 00:14:53,793 so let's now have a little look at WHERE to play your barre chord. 277 00:14:53,793 --> 00:14:57,543 I mentioned already that knowing the notes on the 6th string was very important, 278 00:14:57,543 --> 00:15:02,539 and this is because this is how we get the note name of our barre chord. 279 00:15:02,939 --> 00:15:06,215 So, assuming that you know the notes on the 6th string already, 280 00:15:06,523 --> 00:15:10,757 you'll notice we were playing before a G barre chord, 281 00:15:10,757 --> 00:15:14,616 and the reason that our G barre chord was found at the 3rd fret, 282 00:15:14,616 --> 00:15:18,975 is because the note on the 6th string, the thickest string, 283 00:15:18,975 --> 00:15:20,717 at the 3rd fret is the note G. 284 00:15:20,717 --> 00:15:25,549 So, putting that chord there on the 3rd fret is a G chord, 285 00:15:25,549 --> 00:15:30,532 because the root note is found on the thickest string at the 3rd fret. 286 00:15:30,532 --> 00:15:31,916 . . . 287 00:15:31,916 --> 00:15:35,733 Now, if we want to move that around and let's say play a B chord, 288 00:15:35,733 --> 00:15:40,665 then all we would have to do is find a B note on the 6th string, 289 00:15:40,665 --> 00:15:44,641 which happens to be, in this case, on the 7th fret of the 6th string, 290 00:15:44,641 --> 00:15:47,688 and put our shape down, put our barre down on the 7th fret 291 00:15:47,688 --> 00:15:50,215 which is where the note B is found under the first finger, 292 00:15:50,215 --> 00:15:51,660 put the rest of the fingers down and 293 00:15:51,660 --> 00:15:53,194 . . . 294 00:15:53,194 --> 00:15:55,529 We've got ourselves a B chord. 295 00:15:55,529 --> 00:15:58,529 This also works for sharps and flats, of course, so 296 00:15:58,529 --> 00:16:02,092 hopefully you remember about finding the notes with the power chords and stuff. 297 00:16:02,092 --> 00:16:04,827 If we're looking for, say, the chord Ab (A flat), 298 00:16:04,827 --> 00:16:08,154 we would find A, which would be at the 5th fret. 299 00:16:08,154 --> 00:16:12,238 Ab -- Flat tire goes down, we go down the fret, 300 00:16:12,238 --> 00:16:14,956 so we'd move down there to the 4th fret, 301 00:16:14,956 --> 00:16:17,358 put our shape down, 302 00:16:17,358 --> 00:16:19,706 and we've got our Ab chord. 303 00:16:19,706 --> 00:16:22,890 Now of course we can also add into that Minor. 304 00:16:22,890 --> 00:16:26,056 So if we wanted to find a C Minor barre chord, 305 00:16:26,056 --> 00:16:28,807 we would find C, which would be at the 8th fret, 306 00:16:28,807 --> 00:16:33,522 put down the shape for Minor, so in other ways leaving the second finger off 307 00:16:33,522 --> 00:16:34,589 . . . 308 00:16:34,589 --> 00:16:37,480 and playing it we've got our C Minor barre chord. 309 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:40,223 So, we have two shapes: the Major shape and the Minor shape, 310 00:16:40,223 --> 00:16:43,128 there are twleve available notes. 311 00:16:43,128 --> 00:16:45,688 -- playing the barre chord right up near the 12th fret is quite kinda tricky -- 312 00:16:45,688 --> 00:16:47,422 But in theory, there are twelve notes, 313 00:16:47,422 --> 00:16:52,159 so in effect, by doing this one lesson, you've in fact learned 24 new chords, 314 00:16:52,159 --> 00:16:53,809 which is kind of funky. 315 00:16:53,809 --> 00:16:56,697 And probably one of the best things that you can do 316 00:16:56,697 --> 00:16:59,105 to be practicing now for your barre chords, as part of the course now, 317 00:16:59,105 --> 00:17:01,688 if you want to set aside five minutes, 318 00:17:01,688 --> 00:17:03,972 or ten minutes to do this exercise. 319 00:17:03,972 --> 00:17:08,472 what you want to do is either find a bit of sheet of music, or a song that you like 320 00:17:08,472 --> 00:17:12,409 and be able to play every chord in that song as a barre chord. 321 00:17:12,409 --> 00:17:14,771 So, let's say the first chord was G, 322 00:17:14,771 --> 00:17:17,984 We go: "OK. Well, third fret, that was G, there we go" 323 00:17:17,984 --> 00:17:19,793 OK, there we go (plays) 324 00:17:19,793 --> 00:17:23,655 Now let's say that the next chord was a Bb Minor. 325 00:17:23,655 --> 00:17:26,655 You're gonna go... First of all find the note names, 326 00:17:26,655 --> 00:17:29,706 so you find B, and you got all this B-Bb, 327 00:17:29,706 --> 00:17:32,473 there's Bb, and then you put down the MINOR shape. 328 00:17:32,473 --> 00:17:33,706 So think of it is a two stage thing: 329 00:17:33,706 --> 00:17:38,239 The note name, is it a Bb or an F#, or G, or C, or whatever, 330 00:17:38,239 --> 00:17:41,639 and then is it a Major or Minor shape that you put down in front of it. 331 00:17:42,639 --> 00:17:44,812 And each time you play the chord, 332 00:17:44,812 --> 00:17:47,472 you should play the chord -- in this case Bb Minor -- 333 00:17:47,472 --> 00:17:48,629 . . . 334 00:17:48,629 --> 00:17:51,939 Strum, then pick out the notes one at a time 335 00:17:51,939 --> 00:17:54,252 . . . 336 00:17:54,252 --> 00:17:57,064 Make sure all of the notes are good, if any of the notes are not good, 337 00:17:57,064 --> 00:18:01,160 try and fiddle with the chord and make sure you've got it right, OK? 338 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:02,131 . . . 339 00:18:02,131 --> 00:18:05,322 If it's a bit like this (plays), 340 00:18:05,322 --> 00:18:07,756 then look down and see if you can figure out 341 00:18:07,756 --> 00:18:12,557 what it is that is going wrong. Now the barre is too far away, so I'll just manipulate that around 342 00:18:12,557 --> 00:18:13,838 (plays) Ah, now we got it. 343 00:18:13,838 --> 00:18:17,713 That's really the best way to practice, and just go through, 344 00:18:17,713 --> 00:18:19,742 randomly playing barre chords. 345 00:18:19,742 --> 00:18:21,514 It does take a bit of practice 346 00:18:21,514 --> 00:18:22,689 I wouldn't really recommend 347 00:18:22,689 --> 00:18:25,922 practicing your barre chords for longer than 5 minutes in one sitting. 348 00:18:25,922 --> 00:18:27,504 Five minutes is quite a long time, 349 00:18:27,504 --> 00:18:30,038 you should find that you can give that little muscle there 350 00:18:30,038 --> 00:18:31,890 in between your thumb and your first finger 351 00:18:31,890 --> 00:18:34,110 quite a workout within the five minutes. 352 00:18:34,110 --> 00:18:36,524 So, that's what I'd recommend for your practice. 353 00:18:36,524 --> 00:18:38,356 I know this has been a very long lesson, 354 00:18:38,356 --> 00:18:39,989 but the barre chords are really... 355 00:18:39,989 --> 00:18:44,786 probably one of the most fundamental parts of the Intermediate Foundation stage, 356 00:18:44,786 --> 00:18:47,008 and really, once you can do your barre chords, 357 00:18:47,008 --> 00:18:50,492 you're kinda graduating out of the intermediate level as a guitar player. 358 00:18:50,492 --> 00:18:55,025 So, really this is something to spend quite a lot of time on 359 00:18:55,625 --> 00:18:57,441 It's gonna take a bit of practice, you know. 360 00:18:57,441 --> 00:19:00,590 Don't expect to get this right away. It is going to be a little bit tough. 361 00:19:00,590 --> 00:19:02,546 It'll be a bit frustrating, but stick at it. 362 00:19:03,607 --> 00:19:07,226 Everyone can do it, so you know, just be patient and get stuck into it. 363 00:19:07,226 --> 00:19:10,344 So, I hope you've enjoyed that look at barre chords, 364 00:19:10,344 --> 00:19:14,207 and that you are getting them kind of right and feeling comfortable with them. 365 00:19:14,207 --> 00:19:17,457 If you've got any question still, wander over to the forum, 366 00:19:17,457 --> 00:19:21,691 at justinguitar.com/forum and there's plenty of people, including me, 367 00:19:21,691 --> 00:19:24,707 that can come along and help you out and answer any of your questions. 368 00:19:24,707 --> 00:19:27,657 I hope you've had fun with that 369 00:19:27,657 --> 00:19:30,130 and I'll see you for another lesson very, very soon. 370 00:19:30,130 --> 00:19:31,907 Take care of yourselves, bye-bye.