28.1 · Movable Shapes
The barre
Open chords depend on the nut, so they're stuck at one spot. Lay your first finger flat across all six strings and your finger becomes the nut: the whole E shape slides anywhere on the neck.
E, slid up one
Same shape, one fret higher. The barre finger presses everything the nut used to hold, and every note rises one semitone: E major becomes F major.
Slide to the landmarks
The root rides the low E string under your barre, so the landmark frets name the chord: barre at 1 is F, at 3 is G, at 5 is A. One grip, twelve majors.
Quiz
1 / 3What does the barre finger replace?