The barre is often the first real obstacle on guitar: the index finger has to press several strings at once, and some of them buzz. Yet it opens up the whole neck: with two barre shapes you can play any major or minor chord.
Why you cannot avoid them
F and B minor (Bm) appear in a huge number of songs and have no comfortable open shape. More generally, open chords only exist in a few keys; the barre lets you move a shape you know anywhere on the neck.
The two shapes to know
The E shape, root on the low E string: it is the E major chord with the index finger taking the place of the nut. On the 1st fret it is F; on the 3rd, G; on the 5th, A; on the 7th, B. The same idea with the E minor shape gives the minor chords.
The A shape, root on the A string: the index finger barres from the A string. On the 1st fret it is B flat; on the 2nd, B; on the 3rd, C; on the 5th, D. With the A minor shape you get B minor on the 2nd fret, C minor on the 3rd, and so on.
So to place a chord, all you need is the notes on the two lowest strings. The site's chord pages show all these positions, with the number of each finger.
Fretting-hand technique
Roll the index finger slightly onto its side, towards the thumb: the bony edge of the finger presses better than the fleshy part, and the creases of the joints are less likely to land on a string.
Put the index finger right next to the fret, and the thumb behind the neck, roughly opposite the middle finger. Rather than squeezing between thumb and index, let the weight of your arm pull the hand slightly towards you: it is less tiring and more stable.
Only some strings really depend on the index finger: in the E shape, those are the low E, the G (for the minor chord), the B and the high E strings. No need to press hard everywhere.
Step-by-step exercises
Start higher up the neck, around the 5th fret: the strings are under less tension and the barre is easier than on the 1st fret. Play A as an E shape on the 5th fret, then move down one fret at a time.
Before the full F barre, learn the small four-string F (xx3211): the index finger barres only the B and high E strings on the 1st fret. It already gets you through many songs.
Put the chord down, play the strings one by one and fix the one that buzzes. Let go completely, then put the chord down again. Repeat ten times or so: placement, more than strength, is what makes a barre work.
How long it takes
It usually takes a few weeks of regular practice for a barre to ring clean, and a little longer to play it in time. If nothing improves despite everything, have your guitar's setup checked: strings set too high above the neck make barres much harder.
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Updated on 2026-10-22