# Barre Chord Question



## BSTheTech (Sep 30, 2015)

Showed up late to a group lesson and we learned the "C" shape barre chord and I'm told there is an "A" shape as well. I'm pretty good with the "E" shape and playing Minor barre chords. What would be the point of using the "C" and "A" shapes? Just the same range of chords played higher or lower on the neck? Different timber? I would have asked the instructor but we were quickly on to something else. I think a discussion of Paul and John's differing writing styles...ya it's a pretty eclectic lesson. Thoughts?


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

C shape bar is for when you want suffer while playing an E flat chord and you’re too dumb or too proud to use a fuckin capo.

A shape bar is your IV and V chord offa an E shape I bar chord.

And you can also use partials of those shapes up the neck an all.

If I got that right... lol


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

Knowing chord shapes allows you to easily transpose songs to different keys just by changing your position on the neck. Also a C chord played with E shape at the 8th position gives you very different tone from an open C which is different from A shape at the 3rd position. Depending on the song playing at a different position may sound better. If you are playing with other guitar players and you all play the same chord at the same position it only makes things louder. It doesn’t add anything. If you play an open C and the other player plays the A shape at the 3rd fret it will sound fuller. Knowing barre chords and being able to play up and down the neck gives you more options.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

Well, I came to play the C shape barred chord on third fret as Eb (E flat) chord.

To see where the topic comes from, you should throw an eye on the CAGED system.
The acronym CAGED comes from the chord shapes the C chord takes as you climb up the neck.
But it also works with other chords as A takes AGEDC shapes, E using EDCAG chord shapes, D DCAGE...
You could also simplify shapes using only the first four strings (for example, leaving bass strings to the base player).

The whole purpose is to see how you can climb up the neck and/or find a chord voicing that produces the sound you wish in a given chord progression.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

A major chord progression. E major and minor shape, A major minor shape. And major with one finger off to make E7. 
Etc. That’s where they’re going with it. I’m no expert btw, just learning the same stuff.
Not sure where the C shape comes in but it does in a similar way, but with the Estring muted.


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

If it helps, I only cover the g,b and e with my first finger.


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## BSTheTech (Sep 30, 2015)

Kerry Brown said:


> If you are playing with other guitar players and you all play the same chord at the same position it only makes things louder. It doesn’t add anything. If you play an open C and the other player plays the A shape at the 3rd fret it will sound fuller. Knowing barre chords and being able to play up and down the neck gives you more options.


Thanks Kerry, I remember him saying that now. It’s funny how on day one there was no way my fingers were making that shape. Day 2 it’s a little better. The human body is a wonder.


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## BSTheTech (Sep 30, 2015)

mawmow said:


> Well, I came to play the C shape barred chord on third fret as Eb (E flat) chord.
> 
> To see where the topic comes from, you should throw an eye on the CAGED system.
> The acronym CAGED comes from the chord shapes the C chord takes as you climb up the neck.
> ...


Thanks, I looked into the CAGED system and Circle of Fifths a while back but my brain melted. Might be time to check them out again.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

The C shape is probably one of the hardest for most people. The E and A are the easiest followed by the C and D. It’s good to know the shapes but other than E and A shapes I hardly ever play full barre chords. I just use parts of them. Learning the full shape will help when you are playing parts of them. The C shape for instance I often just play the second, fourth, and fifth strings muting the others unless there happens to be a G or E in the chord. Then I’ll let the open strings ring. You need to know the shapes first though before you can do that.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

I've been playing guitar for 17 years and have never played a c bar chord.


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## AlBDarned (Jun 29, 2017)

With the E and A shapes down (plus their various minors & 7ths etc), you can switch a lot of chord progressions back & forth quickly & fluently rather than having to slide all up & down the neck to do so, as if you were using E shape alone for example. You can get a lot funkier with some quick back & forths. C shape, well I guess that'd be cool too ... theoretically anyway.


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## Jim9guitars (Feb 15, 2016)

Most players I've encountered play the "A" shape with just the first and third fingers. I barre the first 5 strings with the first finger and mute the 6th string with the tip of that finger, the third finger barres the 2nd, 3rd and 4th. strings and bends up just enough to mute the 1st string. This is super useful for I - IV chord changes, say "A" at 5th fret with "E" shape, roll your fingers into "A" shape, still at the 5th fret and you're playing "D", the IV. I use a modified "C" shape by barring only the first 3 strings with my first finger, and forming the "C" shape with the rest, leaving the 6th string out. This is not easy either but it leaves you with the lowest note as the root.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Guncho said:


> I've been playing guitar for 17 years and have never played a c bar chord.


I've been using it since about 1980... I learned it because I didn't know there was such a thing as a capo. For what it's worth, it's just a pinky away from a Am7 shape barre chord.


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

Rik uses it to play a D in the chorus. That’s probably where I learned it around 85 or so.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

There's no substitution for the hard work of learning chord fingerings, but make it easier on yourself by practicing every possible voicing (fingering). Start with something familiar.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Learn all your open chords without your index finger, then barre chords become pretty easy.


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## NoTalentHack (Jun 17, 2017)

Ive rarely used the c shape for anything but the "under the bridge" intro. I tried using the capo but it felt like i lost something, just didnt feel limber for a few parts. Might just be me.

That being said, i prefer the voicing of the c shape to the a.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

If you want something weird (play strings individually) move an open C chord from 3rd fret to 8th.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Budda said:


> If you want something weird (play strings individually) move an open C chord from 3rd fret to 8th.


There are a couple other positions where you can do that. Especially if you beef it up by playing the 6th string at the same fret as the 5th (pinky & ring finger) instead of leaving the 6th open. (there's probably a proper term for that  )


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## JazzyT (Nov 1, 2017)

Learn barre chords, wind up playing in bars.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

bw66 said:


> I've been using it since about 1980... I learned it because I didn't know there was such a thing as a capo. For what it's worth, it's just a pinky away from a Am7 shape barre chord.


Why would you need to though. Is there a chord you can't play with open barre e or a chords?


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Guncho said:


> Why would you need to though. Is there a chord you can't play with open barre e or a chords?


You don't NEED to but it does offer some interesting voicings. There are also times when you're trying to learn a song but just can't make it sound right. Often it's because you're using a regular chord instead of some unusual chord voicing for the same chord that the original musician used.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Guncho said:


> Why would you need to though. Is there a chord you can't play with open barre e or a chords?


What @JBFairthorne said. 

Also, sometimes it makes the transition to or from another chord easier. As I mentioned, it is just a pinky away from an Am7 shape barre chord, so transitioning from, say, a C#m to a C-shaped E is dead easy, once you get used to it.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

Here is an illustration how "barred" chords would spice up the guitar tones...

"Deux Frères CAGED"

This very popular two brothers duet (francophones from Quebec) shows how CAGED system can pump up harmony of two guitars (though they use capos to bar strings instead of actually using barred chords barring the strings with index finger).

Let's look at this video :





The player on the left, Sonny, plays open strings while Erik (on the right) set a capo on fifth fret. When Sonny plays an F chord, Erik plays a C shape (x87568). Also, a D minor in open position will meet an A minor shape with the capo on fifth fret (x5453x).

Here is another one :





Érik (left) strums chords with capo on sixth fret while Sonny (right) plays fingerstyle arpeggios with capo on first fret.

We hear them better on this take :





On this last one, Erik has capo on first fret, while Sonny plays in foruth fret:





P.S. Official website of the duet : https://www.2freres.com/


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Learning the E & A ones will also relate to the main power chords--at least it did for me.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Seems like the idea has been well covered. I think what may confuse people in general is the different terminology used for the same thing.



Mooh said:


> There's no substitution for the hard work of learning chord fingerings, but make it easier on yourself by practicing every possible voicing (fingering). Start with something familiar.


Quoted for truth. Thanks @Mooh 

You don't have to specifically know or even understand the theory behind them, but it does help to lead you to a sonic place you may otherwise not get to. These types of voicings also lend you a way to get to certain scale positions when you get to that point in your playing. But that's a larger topic.

Here's a good example of using the idea of different voiced "barre chords" , "caged" system chords, or otherwise known as chord shapes and inversions. School's now in session!


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

I use the C shape up the neck all the time. Most of the time I use just the triad on strings 2-4 though. Sometimes I add the low root on the 5th string and/or alternate that note with the 5 on the low E string above it with my pinky.


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