Root 6 Major Bar Chord
The Root Note
The root note is the note after which the chord is named. It is indicated by a square placed around the note on the fretboard diagram.
The root note of an F major chord is an F note. In the F major bar chord shape illustrated in the previous section, this root note is on the first fret of the 6th string. Because the root note is on the 6th string this bar chord shape is called a root 6 chord. This bar chord shape will always have its root note on the 6th string.
e.g.:
- If the open E chord shape is played with the first finger bar at the third fret it will be a G major chord.
- If the open E chord shape is played with the first finger bar at the fifth fret it will be an A major chord.
- If the open E chord shape is played with the first finger bar at the eighth fret it will be a C major chord.
G
A
C
If this bar chord shape was played at the 12th fret it would be an E major chord. After the 12th fret the names of the notes (and chords) will start repeating. If this bar chord shape was played at he 15th fret it would be a G major chord.
Play the following root 6 bar chord progression using an open chord shape for the E major chord and root 6 bar chord shapes for the G major, A major and C major chords.*
Rhythm Pattern
When changing between chord shapes release the pressure of your left hand but do not let your left hand fingers loose contact with the strings. This will make the chord changes easier because your fingers are still in the correct shape and all you have to do is glide them along the strings to the next chord position. These root 6 bar chord shapes are sometimes called E formation because they are based upon an open E chord.
The following two chord progressions use only root 6 bar chords. The D chord is played with the first finger barring the 10th fret. The B flat (Bb) chord is played with the first finger barring the 6th fret.
Rhythm Pattern
Rhythm Pattern
Enharmonic Notes
A sharp ( # ) raises the pitch of a note by one semitone (one fret). A flat ( b ) lowers the pitch of a note by one semitone (one fret). So it is possible for a note on the fretboard to have two names. For example, The note on the second fret of the 6th string can be called F sharp (F#) or G flat (Gb). Both names are correct but depending upon which key you are in only one name would be used. On each bar chord diagram the most used names of each note have been placed on the string containing the root note.
F# has the same position on the fretboard as Gb
G# has the same position on the fretboard as Ab
A# has the same position on the fretboard as Bb
C# has the same position on the fretboard as Db
D# has the same position on the fretboard as Eb
See the Appendix for all the notes on the Guitar fretboard.
* If you are not familiar with Rhythm Patterns or reading chord progression charts see Progressive Guitar Method: Rhythm .
