How can I get barre chords to ring out clearly?

As you ask the question, thousands of other beginners are nodding their heads emphatically, thinking, "Yeah, how do you do that?" Barre chords–those chord positions in which one of your fingers (usually the index) lies flat across several or all of the strings and heroically presses them down–have the reputation of being the single biggest hurdle that you have to clear in learning to play, and veteran players often remember their first clean F barre chord as a historic victory. But the truth is, players learn to tackle the dreaded barre chord every day, and contrary to popular belief, they don’t all have Olympian finger muscles. You need some finger strength, it’s true, but what you need even more is good technique–hands and arms placed correctly and energy used efficiently.

A series of building blocks prepares you for understanding barre chords and playing them clearly, which is why most guitar teachers introduce them well into the lesson plan. "There’s a time for it," says Bill Purse. "You’ll know when you’re ready. You’ve got to get a whole series of chords in first position under your belt first. At that point you will have built up enough strength in the fingers." He also drills students on the notes on the fifth and sixth strings, which are the root notes of the basic barre chord forms and therefore tell you the name of the chord you’re playing.

Cathy Fink uses the analogy of the capo to help players understand what’s going on in a barre chord. "After people know their E chord or their A minor or their A chords, and they understand the use of the capo–how moving the capo up and down the neck changes what chords they’re playing or what key they’re playing in–then we can demonstrate barre chords and how they work pretty simply." For instance, play an E chord with this alternate fingering, using your middle, ring, and pinky fingers:

Your index finger becomes available to take on the role of the capo. You can move the E chord up a fret, with your first finger barring the whole first fret:

And then you can keep moving that up, just as you might move the capo into different positions on the neck. "I think once people use their imagination that the finger is like a fake capo," says Fink, "it just snaps right into place how barre chords really work."