
3 Part Series, plus a BONUS SPECIAL!
Barre Chords 101
Build hand strength to the MAX! (For beginners and intermediates - How tos.)
Part 1
This is the "Make It Happen" part!
Part 2
This is the FUN PART!
Do you ever have issues, trouble changing from one barre chord to another? Maybe
There is a series of Learn'em tracks and DRILLS tracks. You work on the
It is virually impossible for you to work this workshop and not dramatically
WORKING the workshop means doing ALL of the exercises! Don't skip any!
HOLD ON! I have a trick for you!
There are THREE ways to change from chord to chord. One, you probably have This is where you'll jump to when you click the TOP upper link that says
DO NOT practice ANY DRILL TRACKS faster than you can play accurately.
So, you will do "part" of each DRILL track 3 times. In time, you'll get
Alternate between Full Barre and Dbl Barre.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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just a few chord shapes give you trouble. Especially newer players.
BUT NOT ONLY NEW PLAYERS HAVE PROBLEMS
CHANGING AND USING BARRE CHORDS!
And not just trouble making the chords. How about knowing what each shape
is, what chord is it on what fret! When should you use the 6th string root E
shape, or the 5th string A shape?
This series of workshops is going to change all of that! And for the better!
Because I'm going to eliminate ALL of these problems for you . . .
Assuming you WANT to eliminate them, and you are . . .
WILLING TO WORK THE WORKSHOP!
This is a 2 part workshop. Plus, there's a "101" full workshop for those
who either haven't yet started working on barre chords, or are in the very
beginning stages of learning how to play them.
Part 1 is for those who can at least MAKE a barre chord, and want to start
using them more proficiently!
NOTE: If you cannot FLY with barre chords - if you struggle at all - if you
don't have "positions and chord names" down 100% pat - Part 1 is for you, too!
Part 1 will take you from "struggling" to COMPLETE DOMINATION . . .
TOTAL CONTROL of the basic barre chord forms!
Part 2 is kinda weird because on one hand, it's a REALLY easy part! But also
weird because - it takes you WAY BEYOND the novice barre chord level!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IMHO, everyone should start with Part 101! If you have a decent handle on barre
chords already, it will still be time well spent! You'll pick up some tricks
and maybe even learn some things you didn't know you didn't know!
NOTE: The 101 Workshop is a super STRENGTH BUILDER!

BARRE CHORDS 101 - The Hand Strength Builder!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stick with me. There's just a little more reading before we get to work.
And you'll skip all of this next time you come back to work the workshop!
This is a pretty short workshop, by comparison to many of my others. But
only because there isn't much TEXT! So not much reading or learning! You
will just be applying a few simple chord shapes to a series of cool
exercises, via audio tracks and a handful of diagrams.
I won't go into detail now becasue I cover this in other workshops and
tutorials. But the practice and DRILLS exercises are based on SCIENCE!
It's how many of my students have gone from being a "this is a pick"
novice, to playing in bands within a few MONTHS! It's called . . .
The Power Of Permutations! The exercises are . . . KILLER! And effective!
There is a series of Learn'em audio exercises, followed by a series of
DRILLS exercises.
The 1st time you work through this workshop, it'll take longer because
you're reading, and learning "the routines". The 2nd time through, you
can just click the link at the very TOP of this page! It'll jump you right
to the Learn'em tracks!
So, THIS time through will take a while! But it'll be worth it! Trust me!
ALSO . . . for those who work through this entire workshop . . . There is a
SPECIAL BONUS! And it'll literally propel you to the next level!
OK, let's go!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Learn'em Tracks
Learn'em tracks first. They are very slow! This is to develop accuracy,
while you're developing muscle memory.
The DRILLS tracks are cool! Each track starts at a slow tempo, and plays a
pattern, a note phrase, or a chord pattern. Then it repats the pattern several
times, each repeat increases in tempo. And is a workout!
improve in a pretty short amount of time! It all depends on YOU! If you DO IT!
If you put in the time, and do each section as instructed, you will see
noticeable improvement within DAYS! Not months - not years!
And . . . DO THEM IN ORDER!
We're concentrating on 4 chord shapes in Part 1 of this workshop. 6th string
and 5th string root major and minors. Once you get through this workshop,
you won't have trouble playing of them again! And you'll KNOW the chord names!
Trust me on this!
After the 1st few exercises, it'll get easier. They're all done the same
way, basically. And there will be less text instructions. Stick with me!
NAILED! SLOPPY and not in time! You struggle to get to the next chord in time.
The 2nd way is to have your chord changes down pat! Which is why you're here,
NOW! Because you WANT to be able to do that! Right!?! OK, well, here's the
3rd way to change chords! And it's going to IMMEDIATELY work for you! And you
will almost instantly start playing ALL of your songs better. Play ALL of your
chord progressions better! Check this out!
If you're playing in 4/4 time (four-four time - 4 beats to a measure) then
you're strumming a pattern and counting 1 2 3 4. And after you strum that 4
count, you rush - try to get to the next chord, and are usually late!
That always sounds BAD! Because the ONE count is the most important! Hitting
the chord on ONE is critical if you want to sound good! But guess what beat
is almost insignificant? FOUR! So you can strum 1 2 3, then start making your
chord change on the FOUR COUNT! And no one will even notice.
So instead of strumming 1 2 3 4 chord change 1 2 3 4, strum like this . . .
1 2 3 change 1 2 3 change! Don't strum on 4! Now you have a full count
to make your chord change! Once you have that particular chord down, you
can go back to 1 2 3 4.
BRILLIANT! RIGHT???
This is what the sound looks like in the strum pattern in the clip beloow . . .


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
F Major, 6th String Root, E Form

So let's start this thing off with a Learn'em track, then a DRILLS track!
There is a 1 2 1234 count-in. Get your E form barre in place, playing G on
the 3rd fret. You will play G 1 measure/bar, 4 counts, then slide the
chord up one fret to G# (Ab) for 4 counts, Then back to G for 4 counts.
LIKE THIS:
Strum G 234 G# 234 G 234 G# 234 G 234 G# 234 G HOLD
It sounds like this . . .
Take your hand off the fretboard on "HOLD". Just take it off, give it a
quick, easy shake, and put it right back on, ready for the ONE COUNT!
This track is about 2 minutes long. Do it for as long as you can. In time,
you'll be able to play it all the way through! That's why you WORK the
workshop over a period of time. Ideally, until you can play ALL of the
DRILLs ALL THE WAY THROUGH! Right now you're building up hand
and finger strength! As well as developing accuracy!
Thumb positioned between the barre finger and finger 2 for maximum strength!
![]()
Your barre finger is "rolled" slightly toward the headstock. This brings the
bone in your finger closer to the strings! The soft part of your finger is the
WRONG part to use to press down strings for the barre! Also, slightly
bend your finger. Don't keep it straight!


The count looks like this . . .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SKIP THE INTRO TEXT.
Now YOU play along!
EX 1 Learn'em: G''' G#''' G ''' G#''' G''' G#''' G HOLD
OK, after you do the following drill, there isn't going to be much text!
And the progressions get really cool!
Here's how you work DRILLS tracks . . .
You play until you mess up. Then . . . STOP! Start the track over from
the beginning. Don't practice SLOPPY! When it gets too fast for you to play
ACCURATELY - STOP! Start over. You do this THREE TIMES! Each time you go
through the workshop, you'll get farther into each DRILL track.
If you're having trouble with a DRILL track and can't get beyond a couple
measures, GO BACK to the Learn'em Track! WORK it a few more times!
Playing sloppy and fast will add time to your learning curve!
through the whole tracl!
This is the same as the above track, except the tempo changes every other
iteration. OK, your turn!
EX 1 DRILLS: G''' G#''' G ''' G#''' G''' G#''' G HOLD
OK, now the work begins, and most of the text stops! By now you know how
the Learn'em and DRILLS exercises work. But remember the tips!
Thumkb placement, roll your 1st finger, and keep it bent a little. Use the
1 2 3 change thang when needed! And most of all . . .
DON'T PRACTICE THE DRILLS SLOPPY! Stop when you mess up and start again!
3 times! (It's OK to mess up while doing the Learn'em exercises!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EX 2 Learn'em: Cm''' C#m''' Cm ''' C#m''' Cm''' C#m''' Cm HOLD
EX 2 DRILLS: Cm''' C#m''' Cm ''' C#m''' Cm''' C#m''' Cm HOLD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EX 3 Learn'em: Gm''' G#m''' Gm ''' G#m''' Gm''' G#m''' Gm HOLD
EX 3 DRILLS: Gm''' G#m''' Gm ''' G#m''' Gm''' G#m''' Gm HOLD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


EX 4 Learn'em: C''' C#''' C ''' C#''' C''' C#''' C HOLD
EX 4 DRILLS: EX 4 Learn'em: C''' C#''' C ''' C#''' C''' C#''' C HOLD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Play F ' F# ' F ''', then move up ONE fret, F# ' G ' F# '''' %%%
EX 5: F ' F# ' F ''' FULL BARRE.MP3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EX 6: Fm ' F#m ' Fm ''' FULL BARRE.MP3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A 251, ii V I is the 2, 5 and 1 chord of a key.
This is a very common turn-around.
C Dm Em F G Am Bdim
Read and SAY the chords as you play them!
Chords are below the track.
EX 7: 251 Dbl Barre (5th string root) C to F to Bb
Cm 3rd fret, F 1st fret, Bb 1st fret, then move up 1 fret
Cm ' F ' Bb ''' %
C#m ' F# ' B ''' %
Dm ' G ' C ''' %
Ebm ' Ab ' Db ''' %
Em ' A ' D ''' %
Fm ' Bb ' Eb ''' %
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Double Bar Bb 1st fret. Play Bb ' B ' Bb ''' - Move up 1 fret %
EX 8: M Bb B Bb Dbl BARRE.MP3
Double Bar Bb 1st fret. Play Bb ' B ' C ' continue up the neck
EX 9: M Bb Bb MAJOR Dbl BARRE.MP3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Same as EX 9 except minor chords. Bbm 1st fret.
EX 10: Bbm Bbm MINOR Dbl BARRE.MP3
1st fret: Bbm ' Bm ' Bbm ''' - move up 1 fret %
EX 11: Bbm Bm Bbm Dbl BARRE.MP3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Full Barre: Play E shape 1st fret F ''' then move up 1 fret. %
EX 12: MAJOR F - E FULL BARRE.MP3
Same as EX 12 except play minors. Fm ''' etc.
EX 13: MINOR Fm - Em FULL BARRE.MP3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Major minor 5th string root: Bb 1st fret.
Play Bb ''' Bbm ''' then move up 1 fret %
EX 14: MmMm DBL BARRE.MP3
Like EX 14 but Full Barre, F 1st fret.
Play F ''' Fm ''' etc.
EX 15: MmMm FULL BARRE.MP3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Almost done with the boring stuff! A couple more, then it gets fun!
After a couple more DRILLS, we start playing cool progressions. And
you're going to recognize some of them as fun songs!
DON'T FORGET . . . Shake your hand out on the 1 2 3 4 snare hits. And use
the 1 2 3 change when you need to!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HAND STRENGHTENING EXERCISES!
Full Barre Form (E Shape)
Play F 4 counts, then slide the F up ONE fret and play F# . . .
IT REPEATS F '''' F# ''' 3 times, then 1234 1234 - REMOVE YOUR
HAND on 1234, REPEAT! Learn'em! 1st and 2nd frets
F F# LearnEm.MP3
Same as above except play the F shape on frets 2 and 3. F# & G
F# G LearnEm.MP3
Same, frets 1 and 3, F & G
F G LearnEm.MP3
~~~~~~~~
This one is COOL! Play 3rd fret G, 2nd fret F#, 1st fret F and B 2nd fret!
G ''' F# ''' F ''' F# ''' G ''' F# ''' B ''' 1234%
G F# F B7 LearnEm.MP3
Part 2 - The Fun Begins Now!
8TH FRET TO START.
Play C ' Bb ' C ' Bb ' C ' Bb ' C tacit
Play F ' Eb ' F ' Eb ' F ' Eb ' F Dbl Barre
MOVE DOWN 1 FRET
B A Full Barre
E D Dble Barre
CONTINUE DOWN TO G
EX 16 DRILLS: HP 2 forms in 5ths.MP3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A 5th fret, C#m 4th fret, G 3rd fret, Bm 2nd fret
A ''' C#m ''' G ''' Bm ''' %
EX 17: LLL DRILL 1.MP3
Using the same "pattern", play the same thing again,
starting on A. Move the pattern UP one fret after 2 times each.
EX 18: LLL DRILL 2.MP3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Full Barre/Dbl Barre 12-bar exercise. Starting on 1st fret,
Play F' Bb' F ''' F' Bb' F''' Move to 6th fret and play
Bb' Eb' Bb''' Back to F Then move up to 8th fret,
C' F' Bb''' F' Bb' F ''' %
EX 19: LLLL DRILL F.MP3
Same as EX 19 but start on 3rd fret, G
EX 20: LLLL DRILL G.MP3
Same as EX 19 but start on 5th fret, A
EX 21: LLLL DRILL A.MP3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Start on 5th fret, play Am' G' F' E' 3X end on E. %
EX 22: Am G F E7 DRILL.MP3
Same as EX 22 except play from Dm, 5th fret.
EX 23: Dm C Bb A DRILL.MP3
Same as EX 23 except play from Em, 7th fret.
EX 24: Em D C B DRILL.MP3
Put them all together and play them like a 12-bar
Am' G' F' E'
Am' G' F' E'
Dm C Bb A
Dm C Bb A
Am G F E
Am G F E
Em D C B
Dm C Bb A
Am G F E E''' E '''
EX 25: Am G F E7 12-BAR DRILL.MP3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Way . . . To . . . Go . . . !!!
Here's a Special BONUS!!
It's The Grand Finale!
Click here to go to a special Page with a KILLER BONUS! And it's FUN!
This bonus PUTS IT ALL TOGETHER! Ties it all together! It's a Master
Class inside a Master Class!

The Grand Finale!
OK, sit back a minute and think this over. Was it worth the time? Did
you learn anything you think you can use? Will it be fun? And one more
thing . . . Can you play Barre Chords better than before you WORKED this?
If the answer is YES to any of these questions, then please do 2 things.
1). Drop me an email, or PM me on Facebook. Let me know what results you got!
2). DO THIS ALL AGAIN! But this time, it's gonna be WAY easier and faster!
Because you can skip over most of the text! Next time you come back to the
workshop, click the link at the very top of the page!
It looks like this . . .

Please feel welcome to contact me any time you have questions, or to
suggest a workshop topic! And comments are always welcome!
Email me any time! ~/~
Wayne on Facebook
WORKING a workshop means doing it every day for 60 to 90 days. Or 60
to 90 practice sessions. You can do SOME every day. Start where you left off.
Or buckle down and do the whole workshop EVERY DAY for 2 to 3 months! You'll
be amazed at how much better you play guitar!
There are MANY workshops on the Wayne's Corner site! I hope you work a
bunch of them! There are also a bunch of tutorials! You can read them as
time permits! Check them out here . . .
Tutorials & Workshops Directory Index Page

Back to the Tutorials Directory Index Page
5-Position Pentatonic MASTER CLASS Workshop

5-Position Pentatonic MASTER CLASS Workshop
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