[Home] [Up] | http://www.openguitar.com | Revision: Sep 5 2010

Bar Exercises

David Raleigh Arnold

First Steps

Download

Understanding the Page

If anything there confuses you, see the CAGED reference. Once you figure out the “C” chord example given there, you might do the CAGED examples on this page. They are:

C The first
A Three sharps
G One sharp
E four sharps
D two sharps

Don’t give up because they are hard. An easy exercise can’t be good. You will find that the order given on the printed page makes more sense for further practice.

Overview

These exercises are completely written out in proper notation. The CAGED mnemonic may be put to work nevertheless. The exercises work the same chord shapes in all of the keys. There are only the five chord shapes on the whole page, so matching the chords to the notes should be no problem even if you are not a very good reader.

All of the pairs of five-note major chords can be fingered as a single six-string chord except for the “D” form. The order of the notes in each pair is changed when descending to encourage the retention of the common notes in each pair. If you find it impossible to finger any of the forms other than “D” as a six-string chord, there is always the option of fingering two five-note chords instead, but except for the “D” shape, that’s cheating. ☺

For the majors, the highest full bar is at position X and the highest bar is at XI.

Diagrams

It might be helpful to repeat the diagrams in another way. These five or ten shapes, however you want to count them, are all there are in the exercises–except the last chords, which are root position chords, to sound better.

     C       A       G       E      D
  o  o o  oo   o    ooo   o   oo   oo
  ╒╤╤╤╤╕  ╒╤╤╤╤╕  ╒╤╤╤╤╕  ╒╤╤╤╤╕  ╒╤╤╤╤╕
  ││││0│  ││││││  ││││││  │││0││  ││││││
  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤
  ││2│││  ││023│  │0││││  │23│││  0││2│3
  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤
  │3││││  ││││││  2││││4  ││││││  ││││4│
  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤
  ││││││  ││││││  ││││││  ││││││  ││││││
  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤

    D♭      B♭      A♭      F       E♭
  ╒╤╤╤╤╕  ╒╤╤╤╤╕  ╒╤╤╤╤╕  ╒╤╤╤╤╕  ╒╤╤╤╤╕
  0││0│0  00│││0  ││000│  0│││00  │00│││
  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤
  ││││2│  ││││││  ││││││  │││2││  ││││││
  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤
  ││3│││  ││234│  │2││││  │34│││  2││3│3 (Move the
  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  2nd finger)
  │4││││  ││││││  3││││4  ││││││  ││││4│
  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤

The Minors

The minor triads lack a possible six-string “C” form. Not even two five-note chords are possible unless you have more than the usual number of fingers. Needless to say, that chord is omitted. For the minors then, we are left with the AGED system. ☺ Both the Dm (D minor) form and the Gm form demand different fingerings for the two five-note pairs, but you still should retain as many notes as you can within the pairs just as you did when playing the majors.

Diagrams for the Minors

They are all here. C♯m is not movable, and its two additional possible positions with open strings are not included.


    Am      Gm      Em      Dm      C♯m
  oo   o    oo    o  ooo   oo     o    o
  ╒╤╤╤╤╕  ╒╤╤╤╤╕  ╒╤╤╤╤╕  ╒╤╤╤╤╕  ╒╤╤╤╤╕
  ││││0│  │0││││  ││││││  0││││2  │││0││
  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤
  ││23││  ││││││  │02│││  │││3││  ││2│3│
  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤
  ││││││  2│││34  ││││││  ││││4│  ││││││
  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤
  ││││││  ││││││  ││││││  ││││││  │4││││
  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤

    B♭m     G♯m     Fm      E♭m
  ╒╤╤╤╤╕  ╒╤╤╤╤╕  ╒╤╤╤╤╕  ╒╤╤╤╤╕ (For G♯m, move
  00│││0  ││00││  0││000  │00│││ 3rd, 4th
  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤ fingers.)
  ││││2│  │2││││  ││││││  2││││2
  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤ (For E♭m, move
  ││34││  ││││││  │34│││  │││3││ 2nd finger.)
  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤
  ││││││  3│││44  ││││││  ││││4│
  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤  ├┼┼┼┼┤

The minors: [unaged.pdf]

[Home] [Up]