14 Barre Chords Guitar Players Should Know (5th string root)

Why are they called barre chords? It is due to your first finger creating a “barre” by pressing down across all five (or six) strings on the guitar. The spelling as either “barre” or “bar” chords is used interchangeably.

What are barre chords? Barre chords are foundational chords for guitar players to learn. Similar to power chords, barre chords are commonly used in rock and pop music. They are more difficult to play for beginner players due to the finger strength required to play them. 

If you would like to visualize the notes for each guitar barre chord chart below, take a look at my post on the notes on the guitar fretboard.

Please note, because these barre chords are played from the 5th string, the 6th string on the guitar should be muted and not played.

If you would also like to play barre chords from the 6th string, check out my post here.

C Barre Chord (Major)

This C Barre chord is played from the 3rd fret on the guitar. 

It is a Major chord made up of these notes: C, E, G

Here is how to play this C barre chord on guitar:

C Barre Chord (Minor)

This C Barre Minor chord is played from the 3rd fret on the guitar.

It is a Minor chord made up of these notes: C, Eb, G

Here is how to play this C barre chord on guitar:

D Barre Chord (Major)

This D Barre chord is played from the 5th fret on the guitar. 

It is a Major chord made up of these notes: D, F#, A

Here is how to play this D barre chord on guitar:

D Barre Chord (Minor)

This D Barre Minor chord is played from the 5th fret on the guitar. 

It is a Minor chord made up of these notes: D, F, A

Here is how to play this D barre chord on guitar:

E Barre Chord (Major)

This E Barre chord is played from the 7th fret on the guitar. 

It is a Major chord made up of these notes: E, G#, B

Here is how to play this E barre chord on guitar:

E Barre Chord (Minor)

This E Barre Minor chord is played from the 7th fret on the guitar. 

It is a Minor chord made up of these notes: E, G, B

Here is how to play this E barre chord on guitar:

F Barre Chord (Major)

This F Barre chord is played from the 8th fret on the guitar. 

It is a Major chord made up of these notes: F, A, C

Here is how to play this F barre chord on guitar:

F Barre Chord (Minor)

This F Barre Minor chord is played from the 8th fret on the guitar. 

It is a Minor chord made up of these notes: F, Ab, C

Here is how to play this F barre chord on guitar:

G Barre Chord (Major)

This G Barre chord is played from the 10th fret on the guitar. 

It is a Major chord made up of these notes: G, B, D

Here is how to play this G barre chord on guitar:

G Barre Chord (Minor)

This G Barre Minor chord is played from the 10th fret on the guitar. 

It is a Minor chord made up of these notes: G, Bb, D

Here is how to play this G barre chord on guitar:

A Barre Chord (Major)

This A Barre chord is played from the 12th fret on the guitar. 

It is a Major chord made up of these notes: A, C#, E

Here is how to play this A barre chord on guitar:

A Barre Chord (Minor)

This A Barre Minor chord is played from the 12th fret on the guitar. 

It is a Minor chord made up of these notes: A, C, E

Here is how to play this A barre chord on guitar:

B Barre Chord (Major)

This B Barre chord is played from the 2nd fret on the guitar. 

It is a Major chord made up of these notes: B, D#, F#

Here is how to play this B barre chord on guitar:

B Barre Chord (Minor)

This B Barre Minor chord is played from the 2nd fret on the guitar. 

It is a Minor chord made up of these notes: B, D, F#

Here is how to play this B barre chord on guitar:

Further reading

1. 14 Bar Chords Guitar Player Should Know (6th string root)
2. 8 Power Chords Guitar Players Should Know
3. Five Easy Guitar Chords You Should Know: F Chords
4. F Power Chords Guitar Players Should Know
5. Power Chord Alternatives: Five Voicings to Try
6. Guitar Fretboard Notes Chart: What The Notes Are & How To Memorize Them