Make Barre chords cleaner: And alternatives to barre chords

Barre chords maketh the guitarist. Once you're no longer a beginner at least.

So, how do you play them cleaner? Plus what if you cannot play barre chords yet?.

Skip to what you need

• Diagnose and fix
• Make the chord smaller
• Play each string individually before you strum
• Use your arm
• One finger at a time
• Practice tips
• What if I cannot play barre chords yet?
• What chords can I substitute?
• Final Thoughts
• FAQs

Diagnose and fix

Make the chord smaller

Before you play a F major or B minor shape, put only your index finger across one fret. Fret close to the fretwire - don't touch it, and pluck each string slowly, from low E to high E.

If anything hurts, stop, relax, try again later. If it keeps hurting, get it checked. (I'm not a doctor, not medical advice)

Play each string individually before you strum

Hold the barre shape with your left (if you fret with your left), and pluck each string. Make sure each rings clearly.

Use your arm

Make sure your thumb isn't stuck behind the neck; keep the wrist neutral, place your thumbs where your wrist doesn't hurt.

One finger at a time

Once your index finger is clean, build the chord step by step. For an E-shape major barre, add the ring and pinky; check if strings ring clearly every time.

Catches your fretting fingers touching neighboring strings.

Practice tips

• Stretch your fingers/ move your hands/ wrists before and after every session.
• Try playing barre chords around the 5th fret, the narrower spacing makes it easier to play than at the first fret.
• Make the barre, check each string, release completely, shake the hand out, and repeat five times.
• Move the shape up and down.
• Stop if your wrist/ fingers hurt.

What if I cannot play barre chords yet?

That's very normal if you're new.

A full six-string barre is one voicing; you can play partial barres with just triads or play other voicings that don't use barres.

You can either play just the triad with same chord notes (same harmony) or try a voicing that's easier to play.

You can play Fmaj7 instead of F-barre. It's not the same chord, but an interesting color I like. Or G6 Or G9 instead of G-barre. G (open) is one of the easiest chords, (and it's not something you'll want to use substitutes for). Still, look at how much easier G6 or G9 are. Similary, you can play xx4432 or Bmin7 instead of Bminor barre shape.

Having fun is more important than learning to play music a certain way.

You can also remove the lowest strings from a chord; it's not really a shortcut - it makes space for a bass or vocal or another guitar, so it's fine.

Play what you can, not what looks flashy but hurts your wrists.

What chords can I substitute?

Good question. You want to make the chord easier to play without changing its harmony; look for a smaller voicing with same notes.

You can also use an easier chord with a different colour. For major chords, try maj7, sus2, sus4, or add9 voicings. For minor chords, minor 7 works fine. Check our awesome chord dictionary if you're curious about these voicings.

maj7, sus2, sus4, add9 aren't exact replacements and can make the chord sound softer, more nostalgic, and sometimes more interesting. Use your ear.

Final Thoughts

Make sure you master one barre chord shape before you move on to the next exciting shape. It's also a good idea to know what notes make the chord you're learning - super useful for soloing and improv.

FAQs

I cannot play a F-barre. What can I play instead of F-barre?

You can use F-maj7 instead of F-barre; easier to play, sounds nice.