E Shape Minor Barre Chords

Intermediate Grade 4 E Shape Barre Chords
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Minor E Shape Barres are harder than Major E Shape Barres - but here's how you'll nail them!


View the full lesson at E Shape Minor Barre Chords | JustinGuitar

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I have a question regarding the barre chords. I think I am pretty comfortable with most of my major barre chords. But can anyone please help me by specifying how much comfortable should one get to move on to the minor ones?

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Hi there welcome to Community. You should be able to play them nicely so all notes ring out during perfect chord changes, you should be able to switch between different chords and barre chords at least 30 times a min and you should be able to play some songs using a barre, if you can do it you are good to go.

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Iā€™m surprised a search didnā€™t reveal any other topics on this one.

So whatā€™s the trick to hitting the F minor chord? Obviously itā€™s not a case of just lifting a finger, as the G string is then muted using the bent finger bar taught by Justin. Iā€™ve tried straightening my finger, moving it up and down, using the bottom and side, but I just canā€™t seem to find any position in which I get all strings to ring out cleanly. On the rare occasions I manage to get the G string to ring out, something else is dead instead.

I do have pretty bony fingers, but Iā€™m sure there are plenty of players out there that share this genetic trait! Any tips on how I can solve this problem?

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Try F#m itā€™s a more common chord and being played on the second fret itā€™s a little easier. If thats still not working you can move to up the neck to Am (5th fret). I find using the bent index finger to barre minor chords work for me.

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Tried everything suggested but STILL not hitting that 3rd string!!!
Any other tips? Or is it just stick with it and practice

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Craig

Are you rotating the index finger so you barre with the side of the finger where its bonier? Then adjust the finger up or down to get the barre ringing out.

:sunglasses:

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I find Sitting on the Dock of the Bay a good song to practice E shape barre cords. Start on G, slide up to B, then C, back down to B & then A etc. For the bridge ( Iā€™m sittinā€™ on the dock of the bay, Watchinā€™ the tideā€¦"), change to open chords to give your fretting hand a rest.

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What does Justin mean by ā€œlift the barre up toward the sky about 3-5mmā€ as a way to get the 3rd string to ring out clearly in Step #1?

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Most times with E Shaped minor chords the 3rd string will land right in the crease of the knuckle on the index finger. If you move your hand up ever so slightly the string wonā€™t land in the crease and will ring out properly.

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Thanks Stitch! Iā€™ll try that.

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The ā€œtowards the skyā€ bit is to differentiate it from moving up in pitch which would require moving your hand towards the floor. I.e. the strings get thinner and therefore higher in pitch as you move down towards the floor.

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Thank you Chris! That makes sense.

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Still trying to get to grips with this. I can make the shape and play it ā€˜okauyā€™ but moving to and from it during a song is not there yet

One thing Iā€™ve noticed Justin saying is about ā€˜curvingā€™ the index finger so that itā€™s only actually barring the low E, the B and the high E strings and not actually barring the other 3 (not needed of course as you are fretting them anyway)

Does anyone else do this/how? I can only seem to make it work by barring all six strings

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11 posts were split to a new topic: WHat songs can I use to practice 5th string root minor barre chords

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I have the very same problem. I can play the major barre chords reasonably well, though, not well enough or fast enough in songs; however, it seems impossible to not mute the third string as it raises up when I lift my finger from the major chord (from F to F minor, for example). The problem is not another finger; I just canā€™t seem to find the right position for my index finger. Moving up the neck is only a minor help. Could it be that my hand just isnā€™t strong enough?5

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For that Fm, sometimes F#m for me too. I for sure agree, roll your finger to the side where itā€™s bonier.
That said.
Iā€™ll also lay the driving finger over my bar for more pressure.
Sometimes this works ok.

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This is done by rolling your index finger a little onto its side edge, where it is more bony and the strings are less able to fall within a finger crease and buzz.
Note - for E-shape minor chords, you need to be barring four strings, not three.

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No, it is not about strength. It really is all about micro adjustments to your hand position. Plus other considerations of arm, wrist and hand position.
Are you rolling your index finger a little onto its side?
Check these resources and tips:

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thanks Richard
Iā€™ve always been trying to barre all 6 strings so ā€˜onlyā€™ barring the 4 instead is a challenge ha

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