What are your favourite Bar Chords/Moveable shapes?

My favorite is definietly the G bar chord shape. Uh...2x432x. You can slide it anywhere and it'll sound great.

My favorite is definietly the G bar chord shape. Uh...2x432x. You can slide it anywhere and it'll sound great.

That's actually part of an F# chord - 244322. Slide it up one fret, you've got the G chord. If you play it like this....xx4322, with your index finger at the 2nd fret, middle finger on the 3rd fret, and ring on the fourth fret, you've a few options available. Put your pinky on the fourth fret of the top E string (leaving the other fingers where they are) and you've got the 9th chord (F#9 in this case.) Put it on the fourth fret of the B string, you've got F#6. Put it on the fourth fret of the G string, you've got F#sus4. There's three new easy chords, just by messing around with one shape! And if you can manage to get your pinky on the 5th fret of the B string, you've got F#7, although it's a bit of a stretch.

That F# chord - and a few variations of it - are the basis for the intro to Pinball Wizard. It's in the ESD, and when it was shown to me, I couldn't believe how easy it actually was! Quite a few different chords, but you're only changing one finger at a time for most of them. I suppose you could say that F# shape is one of Townshend's favourite chords!

:D :D :D

Vic

My favorite is definietly the G bar chord shape. Uh...2x432x. You can slide it anywhere and it'll sound great.

That's actually part of an F# chord - 244322. Slide it up one fret, you've got the G chord. If you play it like this....xx4322, with your index finger at the 2nd fret, middle finger on the 3rd fret, and ring on the fourth fret, you've a few options available. Put your pinky on the fourth fret of the top E string (leaving the other fingers where they are) and you've got the 9th chord (F#9 in this case.) Put it on the fourth fret of the B string, you've got F#6. Put it on the fourth fret of the G string, you've got F#sus4. There's three new easy chords, just by messing around with one shape! And if you can manage to get your pinky on the 5th fret of the B string, you've got F#7, although it's a bit of a stretch.

That F# chord - and a few variations of it - are the basis for the intro to Pinball Wizard. It's in the ESD, and when it was shown to me, I couldn't believe how easy it actually was! Quite a few different chords, but you're only changing one finger at a time for most of them. I suppose you could say that F# shape is one of Townshend's favourite chords!

:D :D :D

Vic
Ah yea...my bad. I just knew the shape. I play it with the thumb over the neck. And yea, I do use the pinky a lot with it. I love the flexibility of that chord. Thanks for the tips Vic. ;)

Vic - I thought about including that Chuck Berry thing as well....
Somehow, I knew you would take care of it :D

I'll have to agree with PTK - that G (usually open) to Bm Barre is quite common.
And since moving from open chords to Barre chords and back again usually presents a problem for many guitarists....
It would be great practice and a wonderful way to get several more songs in your inventory.

Two songs come to mind.
Bob Dylan's 'Lay Lady Lay',
and his 'O Sister'

I have seen Lay Lady Lay in other keys - I like it it starting out in G myself.

Also using the F Barre is quite tricky since the frets are spread out the farthest and being on the first fret, the strings are
hardest to press down and keep from buzzing (right against the nut).

Neil Young's 'Expecting to Fly' from the Buffalo Springfield days is a Beautiful song with some major 7th chords.
All open chords with 1 Barre (the F), although you can use the F open, it sounds better with the Barre version and
is great practice, as it goes to a Dm open.

If you can get that song down, it's a great primer for more intermediate songs like Cat Steven's 'Wild World'

As for that movable open D - Since I'm a horribly sloppy player, I probably tried that when I started playing and
not knowing much about anything, strummed all the strings and thought it sounded awful, then decided against
ever trying it again LOL :lol:

Maybe you CAN teach an old dog new tricks :wink:

Ken