subject: Guitar For Kids -- Barre Chords: The E Form [print this page] Hey gang! Hey gang!
Today, we're gonna talk about another movable chord form -- the E chord form.
Now, remember -- Your guitar neck is a chromatic scale starting from whatever note (or chord) you happen to choose.
Also remember that all of the chords that you have learned so far are not just mere chords, but chord forms that can be moved.
When you move a chord form, you can either play only the notes of the form that you used (the open strings being just a teensy bit of a problem), OR you can "move the nut" the same number of frets that you moved the form so that you can now play these "open' strings.
We're gonna move the nut for this chord.
Take a look at the chord fingering below for the E chord. This is the standard, ordinary, run-of-the-mill fingering that everyone uses.
[ 0 2 2 1 0 0 ]
1st finger 3rd string 1st fret
2nd finger 5th string 2nd fret
3rd finger 4th string 2nd fret
But the world won't come to a sudden end if you finger the thing in a different way. At least, I don't think it will.
So. Instead of fingering the E chord with fingers 1, 2 and 3, finger it instead with fingers 2, 3 and 4 thus freeing your 1st finger for other more important duties.
That all important duty will be to create a new nut at whatever fret location suites your fancy.
But, one step at a time right?
Okay, so re-finger your E chord with fingers 2, 3 and 4. Once you've done that (and it might feel a little strange at first), move that whole chord form thingy up 1 fret. Then, create your new nut by barring the 1st fret.
Remember this important thing. However many frets that you move the chord form -- that's how many frets you have to move the nut.
So I've moved this puppy up one fret. What does that give us?
The F chord, that's what.
Remember the chromatic scale. What's 1/2 (1 fret) up from E?
E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Bb B C C#/Db D D#/Eb E
Ya better say F!
Now, what if I moved it up 1 more fret (another 1/2 step). Now what have I got?
An F#.
And if I move it up so that I'm now barring the 3rd fret, now what have i got?
A G chord.
4th fret -- G#/Ab chord
5th fret -- A chord
6th fret -- A#/Bb chord
7th fret -- B chord
8th fret -- C chord
Etc...
When ya'll practice this, make sure that all of the notes are clear.
Now...
1. Practice going back and forth with these chords and memorize their locations.
2. Practice these things along with the A form that you learned earlier.
And...
Realize that you now have 3 different ways to play each chord name.
1. As the original chord that you learned
2. The chord using the A form
3. The chord using the E form
These different ways to play the same chord are called "voicings". That just means that the order of the notes played on each "voicing" is different.
For example, a G chord is a G chord is a G chord (G B D). It's just that the order of the notes played from top to bottom will change as you change chord forms. But they are all G chords.
Got it?
Cool.
Professor Bruno Noteworthy
by: Professor Bruno Noteworthy: Toon Music Professor
