Ukulele · Chapter 18 of 24
Barre Chords and Movable Shapes
With a barre, one finger does the work of the nut. Learn a few barre shapes and you can play any chord in any key.
A barre (say “bar”) is one finger, usually the index, pressed flat across two or more strings at the same fret. You’ve used one already in D7 and B7. Now we’ll use barres on purpose.
How to make a barre
Lay the index finger straight across the strings, just behind the fret, and press with the side of the finger that faces the headstock, which is a little firmer than the soft middle of the pad. Your thumb sits behind the neck, roughly opposite. Use only as much pressure as it takes to make every string ring; if one buzzes, roll the finger slightly or move it closer to the fret. Building a barre takes practice, so work at it in short sessions and rest if your hand gets tired.
B♭: the A shape moved up
Look at the A chord, 2100. Now slide it up one fret, and put a barre at the 1st fret where the open strings were: you get B♭, 3211. The open strings of the A shape have become the barre.
Slide that B♭ shape up one more fret (barre at 2) and it’s B, 4322. Up again, C, 5433. The same shape, wherever it is, is a major chord named after where it sits.
Families of movable shapes
| Open shape | Up 1 fret, with a barre | Up 2 frets |
|---|---|---|
| A (2100) | B♭ (3211) | B (4322) |
| Am (2000) | B♭m (3111) | Bm (4222) |
| A7 (0100) | B♭7 (1211) | B7 (2322) |
Changing to a barre
Bm turns up in many songs in D and G, and F♯m is its neighbor (2120). In the Canon in D, the chords go D, A, Bm, F♯m, G, D, G, A, one per beat. Practice just Bm to F♯m and back until it flows.
Here the chord changes every bar so you have time; in the Canon it changes every beat.
Remember
- A barre: one finger flat across the strings, close to the fret.
- Move an open shape up and barre the open strings: A → B♭, Am → B♭m, A7 → B♭7.
- A movable shape is named after where it sits.