Barre chord

A chord played with one finger lying flat across several strings, so the remaining fingers can form a movable shape further up the neck.

It is the technique that turns open-position knowledge into something playable in every key, since a shape can be slid anywhere and the index finger supplies the nut. The difficulty is mechanical: the barring finger has to press all six strings without touching the ones that should ring open, which demands a flat finger, a thumb placed behind the neck, and often a slightly raised action on an acoustic. Partial barres and thumb-over grips are the usual compromises.

Example: the F shape barred at the fifth fret becomes an A chord, which is how one shape covers twelve keys.

Barre chord

See also