Session 17: Barre Chord Introduction

Duration: 50 minutes

Break: Put the guitar down for 5 minutes at the end of Segment 3. No stretch of playing is then longer than 30 minutes.

A barre is one finger laid across two or more strings at the same fret, so that it holds them all down at once. A barre chord is a chord built on a barre; in its full form the index finger lies across all six strings, acting like a moveable nut. Full barre chords take most players weeks of practice, and you do not need one in this course. Today you learn the F chord in its four-string form, using the small barre you have been building, and apply it to a simplified refrain chart for “Roop Tera Mastana”, sung by Kishore Kumar. It may not sound clean on your first day. That is normal. Be patient with yourself.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

1. Say what a barre is and which finger makes it
2. Play the simplified F chord (strings 4 to 1) with all four strings ringing
3. Change between C and the simplified F with a new chord every 4 beats at 60 BPM
4. Play a simplified refrain accompaniment for “Roop Tera Mastana” using the simplified F chord

Materials Needed

• Your Saga SF-600C-BK guitar
• A guitar pick
• A clip-on tuner or phone tuner app
• A metronome
• A phone that records sound
• Reference: Chord Chart, Glossary

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Segment 1 — Warm-Up and Stretch (5 minutes)

Hand Warm-Up

Open and close both hands loosely five times. Circle each wrist five times each way. Touch your thumb to each fingertip in turn. Shake the hands out.

Tune Your Guitar

Tune all six strings (EADGBE). Before you look at the tuner, guess: too low, too high or right? Then look.

Warm-Up

Play the Am pentatonic scale (Session 16) ascending and descending at 55 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes), with hammer-ons ascending and pull-offs descending. Then play the G–Em–C–D progression with the syncopated strumming pattern (Session 13) at 65 BPM, 8 measures. This warms up both hands thoroughly.

Spider crawl: frets 3-6, one finger at a time, all six strings, up and down. Stop if it pulls or aches.

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Segment 2 — Technique Focus: Barre Chord Mechanics (10 minutes)

Barre work: no more than 5 minutes a day in total. Pain rule: tender fingertips are normal. Pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles, numbness or tingling, any sharp pain, or pain that lasts into the next day means stop. The full rule is in START HERE.

The 5-minute limit is for your practice days. In today’s session the barre work is spread across three segments with other playing in between: release completely after every press, and stop a drill early if your hand tires.

Why Barre Chords?

Every chord you have learned so far is an open chord — it uses open strings and lives in one fixed position on the neck. This limits you to the chords available in the first three frets.

A barre, one finger laid across two or more strings at the same fret, is made with finger 1 (index). In a full barre chord, finger 1 lies across all six strings and takes the place of the nut, so your finger becomes a moveable nut. The remaining fingers form chord shapes relative to the barre. This means:

• You can play any major or minor chord anywhere on the neck
• You can play in any key, not just the keys that have convenient open chords
• You unlock hundreds of songs that require chords like F, Bb (B flat), Fm, and others that have no easy open shape

In this course you need only the smallest barre: finger 1 across two strings. The full six-string shape is shown at the end of Segment 3 as a look ahead.

How a Barre Works

A barre is not a squeeze. The pressure comes from the weight of your arm, not from pinching the neck.

1. Finger: lay finger 1 across the strings just behind the fret wire, rolled slightly onto its bony edge (the side nearer your thumb), with the tip reaching just past the last string it has to cover.
2. Thumb: rest your thumb lightly on the back of the neck, roughly behind finger 1 or finger 2. It steadies the hand. It does not press.
3. Arm: let your elbow hang close to your side and let the weight of your arm draw your hand gently back, so the finger sinks into the strings. Your strumming arm resting on the guitar’s body keeps the guitar still.
4. Press, pluck each string once, release completely, shake out the hand. Never hold a barre against a clock.

The Two-String Barre

Use those four steps on the smallest barre there is. Work down the neck, because a barre is easier further from the nut:

1. Fret 5. Lay finger 1 across strings 2 and 1 at fret 5. Pluck string 2, then string 1. Release completely. 5 presses. Tuner check: E, then A.
2. Fret 3. The same at fret 3. 5 presses. Tuner check: D, then G.
3. Fret 1. The same at fret 1. 5 presses. Tuner check: C, then F.

If the tuner shows the right letter but the note is dull or buzzing, do not press harder. Move the finger closer to the fret wire and try again.

Adding Fingers 2 and 3

Now build a chord on the barre at fret 1, one finger at a time:

1. Place the two-string barre at fret 1. Pluck string 2, then string 1.
2. Keep it there and add finger 2 (middle) on string 3, fret 2. Pluck strings 3, 2 and 1.
3. Add finger 3 (ring) on string 4, fret 3. Pluck strings 4, 3, 2 and 1.
4. Release completely and shake out the hand.

Do this 5 times. The shape you finish on is the simplified F chord.

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Segment 3 — New Learning: The F Major Chord (15 minutes)

Barre work: no more than 5 minutes a day in total. Pain rule: tender fingertips are normal. Pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles, numbness or tingling, any sharp pain, or pain that lasts into the next day means stop. The full rule is in START HERE. In today’s session, release completely after every press and stop a drill early if your hand tires.

F Major — Simplified Version (Four Strings)

This is the F chord of this course. It is the two-string barre from Segment 2 with fingers 2 and 3 added:

F (simplified)

XX

1

2

3

EADGBe

Step-by-step:

1. Lay your index finger (1) across strings 2 (B) and 1 (high e) at fret 1, as you did in Segment 2.
2. Place your middle finger (2) on string 3 (G), fret 2.
3. Place your ring finger (3) on string 4 (D), fret 3.
4. Strum strings 4 through 1 only. Rest the pick on string 4, then strum from there.

Sound check: Pluck each string, one at a time, with your tuner on:

• String 4 (D): Fret 3, finger 3. The tuner shows F
• String 3 (G): Fret 2, finger 2. The tuner shows A
• String 2 (B): Fret 1, finger 1 (barre). The tuner shows C
• String 1 (E): Fret 1, finger 1 (barre). The tuner shows F

If a string is dead or buzzing:

What you hear	Cause	What to do
String 2 dead	Finger 1 does not reach far enough	Move it a little further across
String 1 dead	It has fallen into a crease of finger 1	Shift the finger slightly up or down and roll onto its edge
String 3 dead or buzzing	That is finger 2, not the barre	Move it closer to the fret wire
String 4 dead or buzzing	That is finger 3, not the barre	Move it closer to the fret wire

This simplified F sounds full and correct. Many professional guitarists use this shape in certain contexts. It is a legitimate chord, not a cheat.

Transition Practice: C → F → C → F

Using simplified F:

Chord:  C                                   F (simplified)
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
Strum:  D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U       D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U

The C → F transition: finger 1 stays on string 2, fret 1, and flattens so that it also covers string 1. Finger 2 moves from string 4 to string 3, staying at fret 2. Finger 3 moves from string 5 to string 4, staying at fret 3. Fingers 2 and 3 move together.

Drill: C → F → C → F, 20 slow changes, no clock; place every finger before you strum. Then take the change test (Session 3) for this pair: metronome at 60 BPM, a new chord every 4 beats, one downstroke on beat 1 of each measure, 8 chords in a row. If 60 BPM is too fast, drop to 50 BPM and climb back in fives. When that is steady, play the pattern above at 55 BPM, strumming D/U (down on the click, up between clicks), one measure per chord.

Transition Practice: F → G → F → G

F (simplified) → G → F → G: 20 slow changes, no clock. Then with the metronome at 50 BPM, one measure per chord: strum once on beat 1 and use the other three clicks to move.

This requires a bigger move — all fingers change position. It is the main change in today’s song.

Transition Practice: Am → F → Am → F

Finger 1 stays on string 2, fret 1, and flattens so that it also covers string 1. Finger 2 moves from string 4 to string 3, staying at fret 2. Finger 3 moves from string 3, fret 2, to string 4, fret 3. Drill: 10 slow changes, no clock.

If your hand tires before the end of a drill, stop the drill there. All three drills are in your practice plan for the rest of the week.

Beyond This Course: The Full F Barre Chord

This shape is not practised or tested in this course. If you start on it afterwards, begin at fret 5, where it is easier, use the press-pluck-release method, and keep to 3 minutes a day.

You do not need to try this shape today. Barre work: no more than 5 minutes a day in total. Pain rule: tender fingertips are normal. Pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles, numbness or tingling, any sharp pain, or pain that lasts into the next day means stop. The full rule is in START HERE.

It is shown here so that you know where the small barre leads. The full F uses a barre across all six strings:

F (full barre)

1

2

3

4

EADGBe

Step-by-step:

1. Lay your index finger across all six strings at fret 1, just behind the fret wire, rolled slightly onto its bony edge. The thumb rests lightly behind the neck.
2. Place your middle finger (2) on string 3 (G), fret 2.
3. Place your ring finger (3) on string 5 (A), fret 3.
4. Place your little finger (4) on string 4 (D), fret 3.
5. Strum all six strings.

Sound check: Pluck each string:

• String 6 (E): Fret 1 — barre (finger 1)
• String 5 (A): Fret 3 — clear (finger 3)
• String 4 (D): Fret 3 — clear (finger 4)
• String 3 (G): Fret 2 — clear (finger 2)
• String 2 (B): Fret 1 — barre (finger 1)
• String 1 (E): Fret 1 — barre (finger 1)

If strings buzz: This is expected. In this shape the barre itself only has to sound strings 6, 2 and 1; the other three strings are held by the other fingers. If string 2 or string 1 is dead, it is probably lying in a crease of your index finger: shift the finger slightly along its length so that the crease falls between strings, and roll onto its bony edge. If string 3 buzzes, the cause is finger 2, not the barre: move it closer to the fret wire.

Break: 5 minutes. Guitar down.

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Segment 4 — Song Workshop: “Roop Tera Mastana” — Kishore Kumar (15 minutes)

“Roop Tera Mastana”: refrain chords (simplified, in G)

Credits: Written by S. D. Burman (music) and Anand Bakshi (lyrics). Recorded by Kishore Kumar for the film Aradhana (1969).

Listen first: Find Kishore Kumar’s recording of “Roop Tera Mastana” (Aradhana, 1969) and listen to the opening refrain, the first two sung lines, three times before you pick up the guitar. Listen for: (1) the harmony under the voice rocking back and forth between two chords one step apart (in this chart those two chords are G and F); (2) how much quicker the recording is than your practice tempo.

About this arrangement: Simplified chord accompaniment for the refrain only: one common harmonisation. The refrain is the mukhda: in a Hindi film song, the opening refrain that keeps returning, like a chorus. The chord order comes from two independent published charts, moved to the key of G. The lengths of the last two measures are this course’s reading. Not yet play-tested. This chart is in G. On the recording the home note is about C sharp, so this version will not match the recording’s pitch and you cannot play along with it. The recording is also far quicker than the practice tempo.

What you are learning: A simplified chord accompaniment for the refrain, which rocks between G and the F chord you have just learned. It is your first song chart that uses a barre-chord shape.

Tempo: Start at 50 BPM and work up to 60 BPM, strumming D/U (down on the click, up between clicks). In the session: slowly, without the metronome. End-of-week target: 60 BPM. Strumming pattern: D U D U D U D U (gentle eighth notes)

Chord Chart (refrain, simplified)

Key: G (home chord G major). Time: 4/4 (four beats in a measure).

Refrain (mukhda), 8 measures
| G    | F    | G    | F    |
| G    | F    | D    | D    |

F = the simplified F from this session. Each chord lasts one measure, and one strumming pattern fills one measure:

Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
Strum:  D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U

Down on every number, up on every ”&”, gently. On F, strum strings 4 to 1 only.

The song also uses the simplified F, for three measures in every eight. It is not counted in the 5 minutes of barre work a day, because the finger rests during the other five measures. If your hand, wrist or thumb aches during the song, stop the song for today: the pain rule comes before the plan.

Form

Eight measures. Play them twice (16 measures), then strum G once and let it ring. This chart covers the refrain only.

How to Learn This Song

In the session, the goal is Steps 1 and 2, slowly, without the metronome, pausing before each F if you need to. The metronome steps are for your practice days.

Step 1 — One strum per measure: Play G → F → G → F → G → F → D → D. Strum once, downwards, on beat 1 of each measure and use the rest of the measure to reach the next chord. Use the simplified F. On practice days: metronome at 50 BPM, eight measures, twice.

Step 2 — Focus on the G and F change: This is the challenge of this chart. You drilled it in Segment 3; if it is still slow, drill it again: G → F → G → F, 10 slow changes. Then F → D → F → D, 10 slow changes: every finger moves. Keep the C to F drill from Segment 3 as a separate exercise.

Step 3 — One downstroke on every click: 50 BPM, one strum per click. If F arrives late, strum beats 1, 2 and 3 and use beat 4 to move.

Step 4 — Down-up strumming: 50 BPM, then 55 BPM, strumming D/U (down on the click, up between clicks). Count aloud: “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &”.

Step 5 — End-of-week target: 60 BPM, strumming D/U, the eight measures twice without stopping. The recording is far quicker than this. It is not a target for this session.

What it should sound like: Unhurried. The harmony rocks between G and F, the chord one step below it; the D at the end of the second line leads back to G. Two checks:

1. Click check: play the eight measures twice with the metronome. You never stop and you finish with the click.
2. Recording check: record the eight measures once and listen for one thing. Can all four strings be heard in every F?

Performance Notes

• Use the simplified F for this song.
• The G and F change is the challenge of this chart. If it is not clean yet, that is fine — it will improve with daily practice. If you cannot change in time, leave out the strum on beat 4 and use that beat to move. The open strings will carry on ringing while you move; that is normal. Arriving on beat 1 of the new chord matters more.
• Keep the strumming soft and even. This song is about mood, not power.

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Segment 5 — Review and Practice Plan (5 minutes)

This session has more new material than most. If your end-of-week check is not all ‘yes’ after one week, take a second week on this session before you move on. The course then takes a week longer, which is normal.

What You Learned Today

• What a barre is: finger 1 laid across two or more strings at the same fret
• How a barre works: the weight of the arm and a relaxed thumb, not a squeeze
• The simplified F major chord (two-string barre on strings 1–2, plus fingers 2 and 3)
• C → F, F → G and Am → F transitions
• “Roop Tera Mastana” — a simplified refrain chart, your first song chart with a barre-chord shape
• A look ahead at the full F barre chord, which is outside this course

Common Mistakes

1. Laying the barre on the finger pad instead of its edge — Roll your index finger slightly onto its bony edge (the side nearer your thumb). The fleshy pad has too many soft spots.
2. Squeezing with the thumb — The thumb rests lightly on the back of the neck, roughly behind finger 1 or finger 2. It steadies the hand. It does not press. The pressure comes from the weight of your arm.
3. Expecting a clean F on the first day — A clean F usually takes days or weeks of short practice. If today you get two clean strings, tomorrow you might get three. Stopping for the day when your hand has had enough is never a mistake.
4. Holding the chord against the clock — Press, pluck, release completely, shake out the hand. Never hold a barre against a clock. Pain rule: tender fingertips are normal. Pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles, numbness or tingling, any sharp pain, or pain that lasts into the next day means stop. The full rule is in START HERE.
5. Thinking the simplified F is second best — The simplified F is the F chord of this course and is fully usable in songs. You do not need the full barre to move forward.

Self-Check Questions

1. Can you say what a barre is and which finger makes it? (One finger laid across two or more strings at the same fret; in this course, finger 1.) If not: read “Why Barre Chords?” in Segment 2 again and try again the next day.
2. Can you play the simplified F chord with strings 4 to 1 all ringing? Check: pluck the strings one at a time; the tuner shows F, A, C, F. Pass: three times in a row, releasing in between. If not: use the table under “If a string is dead or buzzing:” in Segment 3, and try again the next day.
3. Can you pass the change test for C and the simplified F at a new chord every 4 beats at 60 BPM? Check: all 8 chords land on their click with every string that should sound ringing, twice on the same day. If not: drop to 50 BPM, as Segment 3 says, and try again the next day. If a string in the F does not sound, use the table under “If a string is dead or buzzing:” in Segment 3.
4. Can you play the refrain chart of “Roop Tera Mastana” as the Form gives it (the eight measures twice, then one G) at 60 BPM, strumming D/U (down on the click, up between clicks), without stopping? Check: you never stop and you finish with the click. Recording check: record it once and listen for one thing. Can all four strings be heard in every F? If not: go back to 55 BPM (Step 4 in Segment 4) and try again the next day. If a string in the F does not sound, use the table under “If a string is dead or buzzing:” in Segment 3.

Practice Plan for Week 17 (each practice day, 25 minutes)

Block	Time	Activity
Warm-Up	3 min	The warm-up from this session’s Segment 1, then tune. On practice days that means the hand movements, the G–Em–C–D progression with the syncopated pattern and the spider crawl; the Am pentatonic scale has its own row below
Simplified F	2 min	Simplified F: press, pluck four strings, release. 8 times. If a string is dead, use the table in Segment 3
Transition Drill	3 min	C → F → C → F, F → G → F → G, F → D → F → D and Am → F → Am → F with the simplified F: 10 slow changes each. From the third practice day, add the change test for C and F: a new chord every 4 beats at 60 BPM
Roop Tera Mastana	7 min	Refrain chart at 50–60 BPM, following the steps in Segment 4. Focus on the G and F change. 3 full repetitions
Fingerpicking Maintenance	2 min	Alternating-thumb pattern on Em and Am, 4 measures each at 50 BPM. Repeat until the time is up
Scale Maintenance	4 min	C major scale at 55 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes). Then Am pentatonic at 55 BPM, then 60 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes), with hammer-ons ascending and pull-offs descending. Repeat until the time is up
Melody Maintenance	4 min	The Session 16 melody study, all eight measures, twice. Then one phrase from “Mere Sapno Ki Rani” (Session 14). Repeat until the time is up

Barre work: no more than 5 minutes a day in total. Pain rule: tender fingertips are normal. Pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles, numbness or tingling, any sharp pain, or pain that lasts into the next day means stop. The full rule is in START HERE. The Simplified F and Transition Drill rows are your barre work for the day. The song also uses the simplified F, for three measures in every eight. It is not counted in the 5 minutes, because the finger rests during the other five measures. If your hand, wrist or thumb aches during the song, stop the song for today: the pain rule comes before the plan.

This is your plan for the whole week. The end-of-week check is in Weekly Plans Phase 3 4, Week 17.

Guitar Tip — Saga SF-600C-BK

Fret 1 is the hardest place on any guitar to play a barre, because you are pressing right beside the nut, where the strings give least. That is why you met the two-string barre at fret 5 first and worked back down to fret 1. If the simplified F is still much harder to press at fret 1 than the two-string barre was at fret 5, do the string-height check in Guitar Guide. Nut slots that are cut too high are a common cause, and a guitar shop can lower them as part of a setup. It is a routine job.