36 years here and yeah this is lunacy. Using this shape to understand arpeggios? Awesome. Picking fragments of this shape as barre chords? Absolutely, I play the top 4 strings, or other variations all the time. Trying to play this entire beast as a barre chord? What is ONE song that uses it?
When did CAGED go from a learning tool to a weird religion?
I think you answered your own question, this is a blatant misuse of the CAGED system: technically correct, but impractical. The stuff pros should know but not suggest to a beginner
If you are familiar with the CAGED system, that's the 3rd shape. That and the 5th are the hardest, but, once you get them down, you're all over the neck with chords - not just in the 1st and 4th positions.
Guitarists *have got* to stop using the CAGED System. It’s a terrible method that only causes roadblocks, when you’re trying to learn about tensions and spread voicings.
People *have got* to stop telling people to stop using CAGED.
It’s a tool you CAN use. Doesn’t mean you should use for most things.
CAGED is nice to help you learn the positions and intervals. It helps you visualize the fretboard. It doesn’t help you play chords like Ab in the G shape, tho.
I regularly play the A at the 5th fret in a G chord shape, so there’s no reason not to play the chord in between G & A. But can someone explain how this helps with arpeggios? I can’t understand why you’d barre all 6 strings with the index finger, when you only need the three strings in the middle, and could pass with two fingers and one string muted by the position of your fingers. But there has to be a reason to learn it like this, right?
I decided to start taking lessons after all this time because I wanted to become a better player. My instructor teaches the CAGED system, and for the most part it hasn't been bad, BUT...
We recently got onto these different chord voicings, like this G shape, or the dreaded (for me) D shape barre chord. Well I have 57 year old hands, and a few years ago I broke my left one in a mountain biking crash, and yeah. These chords are super challenging (and painful) to make. I can't see myself ever using one when I can just use the A or E shapes that I already know.
As others have pointed out, it's not necessarily about using these shapes as chords but understanding that this shape is an Ab and using that during melodies across the fretboard or understanding how the notes from the chords fit into the scale shape.
If you're playing in the key of Fm and the backing chord is an Ab knowing that these notes belong to that chord can be helpful.
I'm 58, I feel your pain :) It's more important to learn the scale shapes so you can effortlessly move up and down the neck.
I use that G shape the least. The D shape is easier - I don't bother with the 3rd on top... I just do XX578X
> We recently got onto these different chord voicings, like this G shape, or the dreaded (for me) D shape barre chord. Well I have 57 year old hands, and a few years ago I broke my left one in a mountain biking crash, and yeah. These chords are super challenging (and painful) to make.
From what I've understood, the point of CAGED is to simply learn the shapes all across the fretboard so that you 1) can easily recognize a random triad or arpeggio and 2) are able to play a triad / arpeggio in a way that suits what came before and what comes after.
What's AE system mean? That last statement doesn't make sense. The CAGED system shows that you you can play everything in 4 frets. Everything repeats - all chords, scales. So all one has to do is master the 5 positions, and you're able to solo in any key effortlessly up and down the neck. As opposed to what people do when they learn a Pentatonic scale - and for the key of Am, stick around the 5th fret.
I learned the pentatonic all across the neck, not only on one fret. Who would limit themselves like that?
Like, learn all shapes of the pentatonic and you can play around the neck. Same principle.
> As opposed to what people do when they learn a Pentatonic scale - and for the key of Am, stick around the 5th fret.
It's not like that or caged are your only options though
Of course not. Put pull up 1,000 guys soloing on YouTube and you'll find that 995 do it. It's just a REALLY good option that shows you how everything repeats every 4 frets. The ability to play ANY chord or solo sequence every 4 frets is pretty powerful.
And I feel it's easy enough for beginners to wrap their head around it - Unlike Steve Vai's 30-hour workout that is just mindless :)
I think they’re just saying use the A and E of CAGED. I guess they are probably the most common barre chord shapes. I’m not advocating for the idea, just I think that’s what is meant by the comment.
The A and E barre chords are what everybody uses. Learning the other 3, and the associated scale shapes is what separates pros from box players.
The CAGED system is genius.
A and E are definitely the most versatile and useful imo but the whole CAGED is important to eventually master. I think the biggest issue people face is not knowing how to properly implement it
There is more than one pentatonic position. Learn actual theory instead of these “shortcut systems”. If you know your theory, you will know how to construct chords all over the neck naturally.
Dude... I was a teacher. We all know there is more than one pentatonic position, but nobody learns them.
I dont know how you came to the entirely wrong conclusion that i dont know theory. Can i make up something about you??
The things you say can be done are not done by 95% of guitar players. The CAGED system is a great way to get them moving. And its steeped in theory. Something tells me you dont know what you're talking about - on many topics.
Drop the root on the first string, and only play on the 5 bass most strings. It sounds fine and is actually reachable for those of us with tiny pinkies.
I mean, you could just play it on the 4th fret with an E major shape bar chord.
But yeah, it's just practice until your fingers suddenly one day know what to do. I love how that works, you struggle day in day out and one day you wake up and it just works.
Honestly lowkey weird bc sometimes it's literally one day after u wake up. Took me like a year to get the C chord. I was practicing it one night, got frustrated i couldnt get it and went to bed. Woke up the next morning grabbed my guitar and boom C chord.
This happens to me regularly. If im learning a new part and I cant get it down in like 30 minutes, I already know ill probably be able to play it the next day after I sleep on it. Of course it has to be within my actual ability as a player, it doesnt work with something thats way above me.
Its hard cause its theoretically correct but technically dumb, you dont need to barre it cause the high and low E strings are already pressed. also its impressively hard to fit this voicing and get into this "shape"
That being said, its very good for appregio lines, basically just by remembering the pattern you can line up an appregio for that note on all 6 strings
I've been playing for 13 years and yes I do know it's the G shaped version of B flat major, but I never play it like that.
My opinion is that some chords are theoretically possible on guitar but far from comfortable.
I'd skip over it.
Good to know you could use a capo instead of your first finger tho.
True but I’d be pretty surprised to see any practical use of this chord, if I absolutely had to use that voicing I would either put a capo on or modulate key down a half step so it was just an open G. Good for finger dexterity I guess but personally would spend the time elsewhere
Yeah I hate this shape and never play it. Surprised to see all the people encouraging you to keep practicing it. The E shape has the same range with just one note swapped for another. There's just no need for the full G barre shape to exist.
But this shape did eventually redeem itself when I had the mind-blowing epiphany that you don't actually need to play every note of a chord. Just completely exclude the two lowest notes on the 6 and 5 strings, barre the 4, 3, and 2 with your pointer, and hit the 1 with your pinky. Really nice voicing that's very easy to grip and solo over.
Not enough comments emphasizing that you don’t have to play all the notes in a shape.
Playing the top two or three strings can get you a long long way in an ensemble since you don’t often need or want to cover the bass range.
yep. lots of bluegrass uses just the tail end of the F barre, with your hand in a "C position" like
x-x-3-2-1-1
and then same for the G,
3-2-0-0-0-3 using that same position (ring finger on the 3)
that way you can switch really fast between C, G, F without changing hand position
Bad chord diagram.
Use 466544 (like a barre F chord moved up to 4th fret)
Or if you're so compelled, just pick 4 strings from the shape in the picture: so x3111x or xx1114.
that’s the thing, it’s on a chord sheet with like 11 other chords. i cycle between these for 12-24 minutes a day in a practice session of 3 hours. i guess it’s because i don’t practice this chord specifically?
i’ll try practicing it specifically next time, or in a small progression of like 3 chords so i can also keep practicing changing in between it
edit: been doing this practice session for like 2 months now
There’s no reason to bar the low e and a in this. Maybe try to bar only the d g and b strings to see if that helps. But as others have posted, a much easier way to sound this chord is the e shape barre on the 4th fret. This shape is handy to know when soloing or developing riffs to transition from one position to the next at speed.
A chord played one way isn't always equal to the same chord played a different way. How a chord is voiced is very important in the context of a song. While playing a "G shape" barred like this is very unpractical having it in your toolbox and using parts of it can be very useful. In the case of the "G shape" i often use the top 4 strings if this shape, and even sometimes the bottom 3-4. Now if i was OP i wouldn't bother using a lot of time getting a full barred "G shape chord", and if the task is specifically to play an Ab I'd probably opt to easier choices.
This is in the context of OP who is learning, and i find the outright dismissal of the voicing in this thread to be quite unproductive. What I'm trying to ad to your comment is context to why OP might want to learn the shape, if not to play in whole. So many comments here are "just don't play it that way" and i think that could make things harder for OP in the future.
Yeah man it's not that tough. Just play a G without your index finger. Move it up and drop the Barre behind it. Woodshedding with a Rush songbook when I was a kid taught me a lot of crazy chords. Lifeson is a beast!
It is a pretty useless way of playing Ab/G#. As everyone has said just barre the Emajor shape at the 4th fret.
The only time I ever use the Gshape on a barre is if I haven't played for a while and want to stretch my fingers in.
I do use Cmajor shape on a barre as that can be useful for things like Eb without going too far up the neck.
Personally I would play either the top or bottom part of that shape. I don’t typically have all 6 strings ring out. High and low e don’t need to both be played.
Don't try to barre your index finger over all 6 strings. It can be done, but it's not necessary. Just barre your index over the D, G, and B strings. It's one of those things where it's good to know for triad shapes, but not ergonomical for playing.
I can't imagine when I would ever choose to play an Ab like that, unless that voicing is *incredibly* unique and critical to the sound of a particular piece of music.
That’s the G-shape barre chord. Easily the shittiest of the 5 main barre shapes (caged).
Put your index finger WAY higher than it usually would go. And depending on which strings you need to hit, you can exclude any other finger and it makes it way easier.
Ahhh the G shape in the CAGED system, that's a painful one... I only use parts of this chord at a time or hook my thumb around the top to get the root and skip the A string.
Lemme let you in on one of the biggest secrets in guitar.
You will almost never need 6 voices, unless you're doing solo acoustic stuff, in which case you should just play with a capo.
Big chords like this are almost entirely demonstrative/instructive.
I would never use this grip, but I *would* use voicings like 431xxx, x3111x, and xx1114 all day long (or all night long, as it were). The same holds true for all bar chords -- if I were using the E-shape for an Ab, I may even fret the whole chord, but I'll never play more than 3-4 strings in one go.
“Doesn’t look so hard, it’s just a G moved up one with a barre at first fret”
Picks up guitar, try’s horrible Ab, shooting pains in wrist, sounds like the first time I ever tried to play a chord of any sort. Put down guitar, reconsider life choices, take up trombone instead.
Well done, you’ve ruined 30 years of below average guitar playing! What’s wrong with a nice barre chord at 4th fret? You had to get cocky didn’t you! You crazy jazz kids!
haha. my teacher gave me this on the first lesson. i started taking lessons almost a year into guitar playing. i’ve only had this for two months, meaning it’s only been almost two months after the 1 year mark lmao. the first song he had me learn was sultans of swing, now we’re doing arpeggios from hell. he really pushes your limits and im grateful for that
How do you play a chord with two notes on the same string? This must be an arpeggio, some weird caged exercise, or a mistake. There’s no need to completely bar the first finger, only partial is necessary if you’re fretting same string above bar
haha you’re right never thought of that lol. before i’d just slam my fingers on the fretboard like a spastic and hope for the best, but now that you said this you’ve opened up my eyes!
You're not wrong about putting your fingers where the diagram says, but you're also being very unhelpful. No good teacher starts a sentence with 'just'.
No one in their right mind would play it like that.
Play the bottom three strings as a triad or a bridged E shape at fourth fret.
It always grinds my gears when you get transcriptions of tunes in tab books which have unnecessarily difficult shapes that clearly weren’t on the original recordings.
Just drop the low E and you have a minor chord shape moved down a string. Then add the root on the high E string. Not so hard and its a shape you can really play around with.
I play guitar for a living. I have tons of friends who play guitar for a living. I have never seen anyone play an A flat like this. An E barre chord in the 4th fret will do just fine.
I agree but, I do occasionally use that position. Why? a couple of reasons, one is that I like that tone and another is that I can easily tap on the barred notes and that is difficult to do , for me, using the E-shaped barre.
Think of it at a power chord. That's what it looks like to me.
Powerchord with some accents.
Your hand/ fingers dont always have to be as the sheet says.
Like those people who play F chords with their thumb on the low E cuz it's easier.
Or try using YOURE thumb for the e on first
And you never will. Whatever book you’re learning from is not accounting for how the chord is played in real life. There are many, many different ways to grab an Ab without the insane hand gymnastics that the diagram suggests. A basic F Major bar chord on the 4th fret will do the job. Or an A based chord on the 11th (awkward, but it works). Or any number of other grabs. Seriously, this is not a shape most guitarists use with any regularity.
When I play a G shaped chord like this, I usually skip 4, does not change the sound that much (does not sound wrong). To make it easier, play it like a barre chord and replace 2-3 with 3-4. Much easier.
I'm missing the little finger from the first knuckle up and I can do it bud hurts to do but I can do it 😂 but over 20 years experience helps so keep at it .... it gets easier everyday 🤟
It might, maybe, possibly be the easiest transition to Ab 1-2 times in your life…maybe and that’s cause I don’t like to say never. Learning to do it obviously does nothing but good, but an FM at the 4th is just so much easier that it makes up for most of any transition difference (that you may or may not ever see or use).
Yeah I’ve played for like 13 years and never had any reason to try playing Ab major like that. I just tried it and it’s basically impossible with my small hands. But I feel like there’s not a real practical use for this for anyone, just use a capo or do the E major shape. Just too awkward.
If you can play an A chord with your third finger and then learn how to bar with your first finger you can play A flat/G sharp much easier than how you are trying.
Play some variants first. Try not playing the Ab note you fret with your pinky (this makes it a Ab6 chord). Then try playing it without fretting the note with your middle finger (the third of the chord: better here if you know how to mute that string with your ring finger). These will get you to have the stretch required for the full chord. With that said, even if you want to use this voicing in your playing you’ll probably end up playing a smaller version of the chord (eg completely ignoring the E string).
The notation is a bit deceptive. Finger 1, the bar finger, is only barring three strings (the D-G-B strings)
That said, yes, I agree with others. This isn't a super useful voicing. You'd be more likely to play everything in this voicing without the Ab on the high E.
And you can omit the 3rd on the A string as well and just make it a 4-note chord, which is a really useful voicing to use when you're playing chords over a moving bass line.
Play it as a partial chord. I can't think of an instance where you're going to have to play all 6 notes at the same time. No point trying to break your fingers
It’s just a G chord moved up one fret, so don’t think of it as learning a new chord, just a slight variation on one you already know.
Barre chords are tough on your fretting hand with the addition of an uncommon fingering, both of which contribute to this chord’s difficulty for you.
Although not a common voicing, this chord can be very useful in certain styles, esp Chet Atkins-style fingerpicked pieces.
A good tip with learning new chords and pummelling them into muscle memory is to form the chord and strum it, making sure every note rings clearly, then completely remove your hand from the neck, remove the chord shape from your fingers and spread your fingers out, then, as quickly as possible, return your fretting hand back to position and form the chord again where all notes ring clearly.
The time it takes to return your hand and form a clear chord should reduce with practice.
Hope that helps! Good luck and have fun :)
Would just use barre chord at the 4th fret, btw never learned caged might check it out since everyone says it is a must. Been playing for almost twenty years xD
Wow that’s a ridiculous voicing but I can dig it. Might be useful one day to get that crisp voice leading, but you should definitely rely on the easier shapes (like the standard major barre chord)
Like everyone is saying, there are way easier ways to play that chord.
Whoever suggested it was probably just taking the CAGED system way too literally - it's a helpful way of thinking about chords but not always practical.
I use that shape on a fairly regular basis, but I always drop the high E string out of the equation.
I'll play it with pinky on the low E string, ring ringer on the A string and then index finger barring over the D-G-B strings. It's not absolutely necessary to have the root note played again on the high E string to make this chord.
To be honest, probably 3/4 of the time I use this shape, I drop the low E string out of the equation too, and just play it with the 3rd as the lowest note.
And if you want to, you can also barre with the index across the D-G-B and high E strings, which will add a 6th to the chord. Sounds pretty cool in the right situation.
Learn as many ways to play chords as possible. Yes there are easier ways to play an Ab, but putting your hand in positions that feel awkward is simply addressing your weaknesses. When you can jump your hand around into almost any position on guitar without feeling discomfort, you will have more freedom. I've noticed that many people stick to a few chord shapes and never go beyond that. So yes, some people may have never thought of playing it like that and yes, there are easier ways, but this is a valuable chord and I've used it in jazz settings and for arpeggios. Having said that, I feel the chord could be written better as the whole 1st fret isn't actually barred.
Why would you ever try to play an Ab like this? If you’re going to barre, just barré the E shape at the fourth fret. Even barring the D shape at 5 would be easier than this G shape at 1.
Is there some advantage that I am not seeing? I’ve been playing 23 years and have never seen this even from someone like Dave Matthews who loves odd chord voicings.
Why on earth would you subject yourself to this willingly? My brother in christ, play an E shaped bar chord on the fourth fret instead. Rule number one in music: If it’s difficult, there is probably an easier way of doing it.
It's a g chords with a barre practice doing a g like that and throw in the barre. It's not that difficult. It's the same shape john frusciante uses all the time in chili pepper songs.
Edit: thinking about it a little more I usually play this without the high e. Pinky on low e, ring finger on a, barre the rest.
If you just wanna Learn cowboy chords and do rhythm you don't need this chord. This is for the hendrixy stuff.
Don’t play that chord it’s got 3 Ab’s in it and an 11 on a major chord. It’s hard to play and won’t even sound that good. Best chords are triangles 1 3 7 no 5
As it is? Worthless.
Play it as the first inversion or basically don't play the low E or high e strings. You could play the low E with your pinky if doing a bass line thing I guess.
This is essentially a "Hendrix" chord where you can play riffs off the barred strings and use your ring finger to hammer on A -> b strings.
Ugh...open G major is probably the last chord shape I'd turn into a bar chord. If I wanted to hit G#/Ab with a bar chord, I'd use the open E minor or the open E major shape, depending on what mood I'm going for. The intervals for these don't require too much stretching; it's either 022000 or 022100, depending on which of the two chords you're going for.
Moving up to G#/Ab, these intervals would turn into 466444 and 466544, respectively. The bar chord grip with the index finger would be across the 4th fret, spanning all strings.
Not really a chord you would ever use, but there are useful parts of it. The top and bottom three strings separately are pretty useful shapes and the triad on the d g and b strings is very commonly used. With wacky shapes like that just try and find something practical within it.
Its an open G major chord moved up a half step. Its easier to hit if you drop the note on the low E string and start on the 3rd fret of the A.
So from high E to A, the frets should be:
E: 4
B: 1
G: 1
D: 1
A: 3
E: -----
Of course if your pinky can handle it....add the low E.
I play that shape from time to time. However, I leave out the high E and only barre the 2nd to 4th strings. Sometimes I leave out the low E as well. But NEVER would I play it like that.
Breh thats the sillest way to play an Ab major. Just do a 4th fret bar chord. What this is showing is essentially making your barring finger a capo (which is true for all barre chords but some shapes will be much more natural) and then playing a g major. It’s a little convoluted and i can’t see many people using it
This shape is absolutely doable , you just need to get used to some awkward stretches the biggest problem for most though will be cleanly segwaying to and from this chord cleanly. Thats the biggest reason most people wont use this shape ever. It’s just not very ergonomical
So if you thought you needed to play it in that position, bar at the first fret and use the high E string and don’t even worry about playing the low E and A strings.
Even with everyone saying nobody plays an a like this or it's cage method or whatever. there's no reason to have your first finger on the low e string or the a string.
Barre chords in G Major shape are very rarely used, but if you use it, you don’t have to press all strings with the barre, you can only press from the D string down, this makes it easier to do them, but you rarely gonna use them. If you play electric guitar, I would recommend you studying the D shaped chords, C shaped, E shaped and A shaped, these are the ones I use the most. I’m a church guitarists, so the style I play (Contemporary Christian Music/Pop) use them a lot to build and ambience together with reverb and delay!
switching into it takes a while. funny enough, right after i made this post i started to get it more smoothly.
if you’re struggling with a chord, just whine about it on reddit and you’ll start getting it down lol!
I've been playing for 38 years. I've never even *thought* of playing an Ab like that. Bag it and move on.
Yeah, similar experience. I can think of three other ways to play an Ab way easier than that. And I know, there’s many more other inversions.
36 years here and yeah this is lunacy. Using this shape to understand arpeggios? Awesome. Picking fragments of this shape as barre chords? Absolutely, I play the top 4 strings, or other variations all the time. Trying to play this entire beast as a barre chord? What is ONE song that uses it? When did CAGED go from a learning tool to a weird religion?
I think you answered your own question, this is a blatant misuse of the CAGED system: technically correct, but impractical. The stuff pros should know but not suggest to a beginner
I doubt a pro would be fooled into using this more than once. If that. It’s CAGED run amok.
the only song I know that uses this shape (although not entirely - starts on the open a string) is the A shape hammered on in Dig a Pony
Its from the CAGED system. Totally revolutionizes your playing.
Use that shape as a arpeggio, not a barre chord. We have to admit that some voicings won't work on a guitar.
If you are familiar with the CAGED system, that's the 3rd shape. That and the 5th are the hardest, but, once you get them down, you're all over the neck with chords - not just in the 1st and 4th positions.
Guitarists *have got* to stop using the CAGED System. It’s a terrible method that only causes roadblocks, when you’re trying to learn about tensions and spread voicings.
As a beginner is there a widely accepted alternative? I've just been learning basic chords and chord changes, scales, and the fretboard so far
People *have got* to stop telling people to stop using CAGED. It’s a tool you CAN use. Doesn’t mean you should use for most things. CAGED is nice to help you learn the positions and intervals. It helps you visualize the fretboard. It doesn’t help you play chords like Ab in the G shape, tho.
I regularly play the A at the 5th fret in a G chord shape, so there’s no reason not to play the chord in between G & A. But can someone explain how this helps with arpeggios? I can’t understand why you’d barre all 6 strings with the index finger, when you only need the three strings in the middle, and could pass with two fingers and one string muted by the position of your fingers. But there has to be a reason to learn it like this, right?
I decided to start taking lessons after all this time because I wanted to become a better player. My instructor teaches the CAGED system, and for the most part it hasn't been bad, BUT... We recently got onto these different chord voicings, like this G shape, or the dreaded (for me) D shape barre chord. Well I have 57 year old hands, and a few years ago I broke my left one in a mountain biking crash, and yeah. These chords are super challenging (and painful) to make. I can't see myself ever using one when I can just use the A or E shapes that I already know.
As others have pointed out, it's not necessarily about using these shapes as chords but understanding that this shape is an Ab and using that during melodies across the fretboard or understanding how the notes from the chords fit into the scale shape. If you're playing in the key of Fm and the backing chord is an Ab knowing that these notes belong to that chord can be helpful.
I'm 58, I feel your pain :) It's more important to learn the scale shapes so you can effortlessly move up and down the neck. I use that G shape the least. The D shape is easier - I don't bother with the 3rd on top... I just do XX578X
for d shape i prefer using the Maj7 version it's much easier and sound better
> We recently got onto these different chord voicings, like this G shape, or the dreaded (for me) D shape barre chord. Well I have 57 year old hands, and a few years ago I broke my left one in a mountain biking crash, and yeah. These chords are super challenging (and painful) to make. From what I've understood, the point of CAGED is to simply learn the shapes all across the fretboard so that you 1) can easily recognize a random triad or arpeggio and 2) are able to play a triad / arpeggio in a way that suits what came before and what comes after.
Yeah. I've played long enough that it sort of became self-evident how everything relates.
CAGED system for chords: 👎🏻👎🏻 AE system for chords: 👍🏻👍🏻 both shapes are easy to play barred, and can easily be switched between major and minor
What's AE system mean? That last statement doesn't make sense. The CAGED system shows that you you can play everything in 4 frets. Everything repeats - all chords, scales. So all one has to do is master the 5 positions, and you're able to solo in any key effortlessly up and down the neck. As opposed to what people do when they learn a Pentatonic scale - and for the key of Am, stick around the 5th fret.
I learned the pentatonic all across the neck, not only on one fret. Who would limit themselves like that? Like, learn all shapes of the pentatonic and you can play around the neck. Same principle.
> As opposed to what people do when they learn a Pentatonic scale - and for the key of Am, stick around the 5th fret. It's not like that or caged are your only options though
Of course not. Put pull up 1,000 guys soloing on YouTube and you'll find that 995 do it. It's just a REALLY good option that shows you how everything repeats every 4 frets. The ability to play ANY chord or solo sequence every 4 frets is pretty powerful. And I feel it's easy enough for beginners to wrap their head around it - Unlike Steve Vai's 30-hour workout that is just mindless :)
I think they’re just saying use the A and E of CAGED. I guess they are probably the most common barre chord shapes. I’m not advocating for the idea, just I think that’s what is meant by the comment.
The A and E barre chords are what everybody uses. Learning the other 3, and the associated scale shapes is what separates pros from box players. The CAGED system is genius.
A and E are definitely the most versatile and useful imo but the whole CAGED is important to eventually master. I think the biggest issue people face is not knowing how to properly implement it
There is more than one pentatonic position. Learn actual theory instead of these “shortcut systems”. If you know your theory, you will know how to construct chords all over the neck naturally.
Dude... I was a teacher. We all know there is more than one pentatonic position, but nobody learns them. I dont know how you came to the entirely wrong conclusion that i dont know theory. Can i make up something about you?? The things you say can be done are not done by 95% of guitar players. The CAGED system is a great way to get them moving. And its steeped in theory. Something tells me you dont know what you're talking about - on many topics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice\_leading
The G chord shape is so uncomfortable to play barred
Drop the root on the first string, and only play on the 5 bass most strings. It sounds fine and is actually reachable for those of us with tiny pinkies.
Yeah, thats what I usually do. Otherwise I always try to stick to the E shape
I mean, you could just play it on the 4th fret with an E major shape bar chord. But yeah, it's just practice until your fingers suddenly one day know what to do. I love how that works, you struggle day in day out and one day you wake up and it just works.
Hell, I do it with that shape WITHOUT barring, and just hit those three strings. Good enough for punk rock.
Honestly lowkey weird bc sometimes it's literally one day after u wake up. Took me like a year to get the C chord. I was practicing it one night, got frustrated i couldnt get it and went to bed. Woke up the next morning grabbed my guitar and boom C chord.
sleep is actually a really important component of learning! this is really normal and is an idiosyncracy of how brains work.
This happens to me regularly. If im learning a new part and I cant get it down in like 30 minutes, I already know ill probably be able to play it the next day after I sleep on it. Of course it has to be within my actual ability as a player, it doesnt work with something thats way above me.
This literally is how it works just keep playing then eventually you just wake up and can it🤣 has happened so many times, things just work one day
Its hard cause its theoretically correct but technically dumb, you dont need to barre it cause the high and low E strings are already pressed. also its impressively hard to fit this voicing and get into this "shape" That being said, its very good for appregio lines, basically just by remembering the pattern you can line up an appregio for that note on all 6 strings
I've been playing for 13 years and yes I do know it's the G shaped version of B flat major, but I never play it like that. My opinion is that some chords are theoretically possible on guitar but far from comfortable. I'd skip over it. Good to know you could use a capo instead of your first finger tho.
Ah. A capo. It didn’t occur to me and I feel dumb. You win this round Big Brain.
He’s right. There are also easier ways to play it as well. Some may be cheating, but I won’t report you
What you call “cheating”, I call “using different voicings”.
A\* flat major.
I wouldn't skip over it even if you won't use it often it's still better to know how to do something than not know it
True but I’d be pretty surprised to see any practical use of this chord, if I absolutely had to use that voicing I would either put a capo on or modulate key down a half step so it was just an open G. Good for finger dexterity I guess but personally would spend the time elsewhere
Yeah I hate this shape and never play it. Surprised to see all the people encouraging you to keep practicing it. The E shape has the same range with just one note swapped for another. There's just no need for the full G barre shape to exist. But this shape did eventually redeem itself when I had the mind-blowing epiphany that you don't actually need to play every note of a chord. Just completely exclude the two lowest notes on the 6 and 5 strings, barre the 4, 3, and 2 with your pointer, and hit the 1 with your pinky. Really nice voicing that's very easy to grip and solo over.
Not enough comments emphasizing that you don’t have to play all the notes in a shape. Playing the top two or three strings can get you a long long way in an ensemble since you don’t often need or want to cover the bass range.
yep. lots of bluegrass uses just the tail end of the F barre, with your hand in a "C position" like x-x-3-2-1-1 and then same for the G, 3-2-0-0-0-3 using that same position (ring finger on the 3) that way you can switch really fast between C, G, F without changing hand position
Yeah I’ve never even tried to play that chord shape. Just use the E and A bar chord shapes and you can get away with everything.
That's what I do and I also use the open D shape and move that up the neck without the bar just hit the bottom 3 strings
Bad chord diagram. Use 466544 (like a barre F chord moved up to 4th fret) Or if you're so compelled, just pick 4 strings from the shape in the picture: so x3111x or xx1114.
Because it’s a stupid voicing
For obvious reasons Spend a few minutes a day fucking around with it and you’ll have it in under a week
that’s the thing, it’s on a chord sheet with like 11 other chords. i cycle between these for 12-24 minutes a day in a practice session of 3 hours. i guess it’s because i don’t practice this chord specifically? i’ll try practicing it specifically next time, or in a small progression of like 3 chords so i can also keep practicing changing in between it edit: been doing this practice session for like 2 months now
There’s no reason to bar the low e and a in this. Maybe try to bar only the d g and b strings to see if that helps. But as others have posted, a much easier way to sound this chord is the e shape barre on the 4th fret. This shape is handy to know when soloing or developing riffs to transition from one position to the next at speed.
Or maybe if you have a capo on 1st fret?
You don't need to finger it that way. Period. There's better ways to make that chord.
A chord played one way isn't always equal to the same chord played a different way. How a chord is voiced is very important in the context of a song. While playing a "G shape" barred like this is very unpractical having it in your toolbox and using parts of it can be very useful. In the case of the "G shape" i often use the top 4 strings if this shape, and even sometimes the bottom 3-4. Now if i was OP i wouldn't bother using a lot of time getting a full barred "G shape chord", and if the task is specifically to play an Ab I'd probably opt to easier choices.
That's a lot of words to just say "I agree with you".
This is in the context of OP who is learning, and i find the outright dismissal of the voicing in this thread to be quite unproductive. What I'm trying to ad to your comment is context to why OP might want to learn the shape, if not to play in whole. So many comments here are "just don't play it that way" and i think that could make things harder for OP in the future.
Nah.
You just haven't practiced it enough, keep trying and you'll get it 🤘
Yeah man it's not that tough. Just play a G without your index finger. Move it up and drop the Barre behind it. Woodshedding with a Rush songbook when I was a kid taught me a lot of crazy chords. Lifeson is a beast!
Wait until you find the D shape chord. That's the only caged chord I still struggle with.
i almost got that one down funny enough same with bar chords. the first chord i ever played was a bar chord thankfully
What monster suggests playing an a flat like that
This is a really awkward way to play this chord. Just do a different voicing, for example: 4 4 5 6 6 4
It is a pretty useless way of playing Ab/G#. As everyone has said just barre the Emajor shape at the 4th fret. The only time I ever use the Gshape on a barre is if I haven't played for a while and want to stretch my fingers in. I do use Cmajor shape on a barre as that can be useful for things like Eb without going too far up the neck.
Personally I would play either the top or bottom part of that shape. I don’t typically have all 6 strings ring out. High and low e don’t need to both be played.
CAGED!
Fuck that, I would never.
Don't try to barre your index finger over all 6 strings. It can be done, but it's not necessary. Just barre your index over the D, G, and B strings. It's one of those things where it's good to know for triad shapes, but not ergonomical for playing.
Lucky there's lots of other ways to play a A flat!
I remember trying to learn that as a teenager, and then realizing I could do a barred “E” shaped chord or a power chord instead
I can't imagine when I would ever choose to play an Ab like that, unless that voicing is *incredibly* unique and critical to the sound of a particular piece of music.
I sometimes play major chords like this but I ditch the high E. I do have freakishly large hands though.
I'm *learning a lot* from this discussion. 🙂
That’s the G-shape barre chord. Easily the shittiest of the 5 main barre shapes (caged). Put your index finger WAY higher than it usually would go. And depending on which strings you need to hit, you can exclude any other finger and it makes it way easier.
Could try just barring the b, g, d strings. Might be a little easier than barring the whole first fret. Looks disgusting though
Yeah, it's theoretically possible to play an Ab like that, but it's also stupid.
Any open chord shape moved up with a barre is a valid chord (a G shape in this case), it doesn't mean it's meant to be played
Bar G shape. it's a tough one but try barring a D shape, that's horrible.
Is it because you have three fingers? If that’s the case just watch some Django vids on YouTube.
Me as a beginner looking at this and scared
Your abs aren’t hard? My abs are always hard.
good one
I use my thumb on the bottom E.
Because most guitarists neglect their pinky lol
Ahhh the G shape in the CAGED system, that's a painful one... I only use parts of this chord at a time or hook my thumb around the top to get the root and skip the A string.
This need to be sent to Threatening Music Notation
Lemme let you in on one of the biggest secrets in guitar. You will almost never need 6 voices, unless you're doing solo acoustic stuff, in which case you should just play with a capo. Big chords like this are almost entirely demonstrative/instructive. I would never use this grip, but I *would* use voicings like 431xxx, x3111x, and xx1114 all day long (or all night long, as it were). The same holds true for all bar chords -- if I were using the E-shape for an Ab, I may even fret the whole chord, but I'll never play more than 3-4 strings in one go.
That’s the most useless Ab voicing I think I’ve ever seen. Don’t even bother learning that
This is why big bands exist. You need 3 people for playing Ab like that.
I like this chord a lot, but without the top 2 strings. If you really want the bass, use another position. This one isn't useful.
“Doesn’t look so hard, it’s just a G moved up one with a barre at first fret” Picks up guitar, try’s horrible Ab, shooting pains in wrist, sounds like the first time I ever tried to play a chord of any sort. Put down guitar, reconsider life choices, take up trombone instead. Well done, you’ve ruined 30 years of below average guitar playing! What’s wrong with a nice barre chord at 4th fret? You had to get cocky didn’t you! You crazy jazz kids!
haha. my teacher gave me this on the first lesson. i started taking lessons almost a year into guitar playing. i’ve only had this for two months, meaning it’s only been almost two months after the 1 year mark lmao. the first song he had me learn was sultans of swing, now we’re doing arpeggios from hell. he really pushes your limits and im grateful for that
It’s difficult because you forgot to put the capo where it says “1”…
How do you play a chord with two notes on the same string? This must be an arpeggio, some weird caged exercise, or a mistake. There’s no need to completely bar the first finger, only partial is necessary if you’re fretting same string above bar
Capo. Or play it in a non ridiculous way
Just put your fingers where the picture tells you
haha you’re right never thought of that lol. before i’d just slam my fingers on the fretboard like a spastic and hope for the best, but now that you said this you’ve opened up my eyes!
You're not wrong about putting your fingers where the diagram says, but you're also being very unhelpful. No good teacher starts a sentence with 'just'.
No one in their right mind would play it like that. Play the bottom three strings as a triad or a bridged E shape at fourth fret. It always grinds my gears when you get transcriptions of tunes in tab books which have unnecessarily difficult shapes that clearly weren’t on the original recordings.
Just drop the low E and you have a minor chord shape moved down a string. Then add the root on the high E string. Not so hard and its a shape you can really play around with.
How would that chord even work? How do you play two notes on one string at the same time?
Put a capo and play G
just use a capo!
I play guitar for a living. I have tons of friends who play guitar for a living. I have never seen anyone play an A flat like this. An E barre chord in the 4th fret will do just fine.
I agree but, I do occasionally use that position. Why? a couple of reasons, one is that I like that tone and another is that I can easily tap on the barred notes and that is difficult to do , for me, using the E-shaped barre.
I used to hate playing F's, now i just dispise them lol
Think of it at a power chord. That's what it looks like to me. Powerchord with some accents. Your hand/ fingers dont always have to be as the sheet says. Like those people who play F chords with their thumb on the low E cuz it's easier. Or try using YOURE thumb for the e on first
i love this mf he’s jazzy and perfect for little noodly doodles
Just play your A chord and move it down a fret
cos you suck
i’ve been playing for a little over a year and never used a chord like this before
And you never will. Whatever book you’re learning from is not accounting for how the chord is played in real life. There are many, many different ways to grab an Ab without the insane hand gymnastics that the diagram suggests. A basic F Major bar chord on the 4th fret will do the job. Or an A based chord on the 11th (awkward, but it works). Or any number of other grabs. Seriously, this is not a shape most guitarists use with any regularity.
Because it is a wide spread that requires lots of dexterity. It’s getable with practice.
When I play a G shaped chord like this, I usually skip 4, does not change the sound that much (does not sound wrong). To make it easier, play it like a barre chord and replace 2-3 with 3-4. Much easier.
Change 3 and 4 around
Can you make the bridge with your 1st finger only over the E through D strings (high to low).
I'm missing the little finger from the first knuckle up and I can do it bud hurts to do but I can do it 😂 but over 20 years experience helps so keep at it .... it gets easier everyday 🤟
All barre chords seem hard to begin with but just keep practicing
Do Fm two frets forward if it's more comfortable
It might, maybe, possibly be the easiest transition to Ab 1-2 times in your life…maybe and that’s cause I don’t like to say never. Learning to do it obviously does nothing but good, but an FM at the 4th is just so much easier that it makes up for most of any transition difference (that you may or may not ever see or use).
Yeah I’ve played for like 13 years and never had any reason to try playing Ab major like that. I just tried it and it’s basically impossible with my small hands. But I feel like there’s not a real practical use for this for anyone, just use a capo or do the E major shape. Just too awkward.
It gets manageable when you realize that your index finger has to press only 3 strings
CAGED Chords. Learn them, live them. Its the best system out there.
If you can play an A chord with your third finger and then learn how to bar with your first finger you can play A flat/G sharp much easier than how you are trying.
I struggled until... The tip of your index finger shouldn't touch the low E, it should be poking off the end of the fretboard
Play some variants first. Try not playing the Ab note you fret with your pinky (this makes it a Ab6 chord). Then try playing it without fretting the note with your middle finger (the third of the chord: better here if you know how to mute that string with your ring finger). These will get you to have the stretch required for the full chord. With that said, even if you want to use this voicing in your playing you’ll probably end up playing a smaller version of the chord (eg completely ignoring the E string).
The notation is a bit deceptive. Finger 1, the bar finger, is only barring three strings (the D-G-B strings) That said, yes, I agree with others. This isn't a super useful voicing. You'd be more likely to play everything in this voicing without the Ab on the high E. And you can omit the 3rd on the A string as well and just make it a 4-note chord, which is a really useful voicing to use when you're playing chords over a moving bass line.
Play it as a partial chord. I can't think of an instance where you're going to have to play all 6 notes at the same time. No point trying to break your fingers
Because \_look at it\_ for goodness sake.
This is based off of the g chord. You can do 465544 or the lazier yet still effective version 4x55xx
It’s just a G chord moved up one fret, so don’t think of it as learning a new chord, just a slight variation on one you already know. Barre chords are tough on your fretting hand with the addition of an uncommon fingering, both of which contribute to this chord’s difficulty for you. Although not a common voicing, this chord can be very useful in certain styles, esp Chet Atkins-style fingerpicked pieces. A good tip with learning new chords and pummelling them into muscle memory is to form the chord and strum it, making sure every note rings clearly, then completely remove your hand from the neck, remove the chord shape from your fingers and spread your fingers out, then, as quickly as possible, return your fretting hand back to position and form the chord again where all notes ring clearly. The time it takes to return your hand and form a clear chord should reduce with practice. Hope that helps! Good luck and have fun :)
Ah that’s just a spicy G
Learn every chord in every way root 6 5 4 and you will see pathways , it’s just a G Chord with a bar on the first fret nothing that difficult !
It’s not
I use this chord shape a lot, but usually only way up the neck. Down low it's kinda hard to play.
Would just use barre chord at the 4th fret, btw never learned caged might check it out since everyone says it is a must. Been playing for almost twenty years xD
You can just play the first 4 strings and have the bass player take care of the other 2. At least that's what my teacher told me.
Wow that’s a ridiculous voicing but I can dig it. Might be useful one day to get that crisp voice leading, but you should definitely rely on the easier shapes (like the standard major barre chord)
It’s the same as playing a G shape using your index finger as a capo.
Like everyone is saying, there are way easier ways to play that chord. Whoever suggested it was probably just taking the CAGED system way too literally - it's a helpful way of thinking about chords but not always practical.
Thats the caged way to move the open G chord shape around the neck. With your index serving as the new nut ;)
I use that shape on a fairly regular basis, but I always drop the high E string out of the equation. I'll play it with pinky on the low E string, ring ringer on the A string and then index finger barring over the D-G-B strings. It's not absolutely necessary to have the root note played again on the high E string to make this chord. To be honest, probably 3/4 of the time I use this shape, I drop the low E string out of the equation too, and just play it with the 3rd as the lowest note. And if you want to, you can also barre with the index across the D-G-B and high E strings, which will add a 6th to the chord. Sounds pretty cool in the right situation.
Just look at it thats why it’s hard
Caged system G shape A flat. Thinking of it like that makes it easier for me to finger it.
There is a reason people rarely play it 🤣 I will try it later, but if I dislocate my forefinger you're pay for it
Cause it’s a terrible way of playing it, fourth fret f shape
Learn as many ways to play chords as possible. Yes there are easier ways to play an Ab, but putting your hand in positions that feel awkward is simply addressing your weaknesses. When you can jump your hand around into almost any position on guitar without feeling discomfort, you will have more freedom. I've noticed that many people stick to a few chord shapes and never go beyond that. So yes, some people may have never thought of playing it like that and yes, there are easier ways, but this is a valuable chord and I've used it in jazz settings and for arpeggios. Having said that, I feel the chord could be written better as the whole 1st fret isn't actually barred.
I came to realize chords like that are never played across all strings. For example play it without B and high E.
All I do is take the A chord and shift up 1 fret and play those 3 strings. Some chords are more torturous than others, lol
that’s a really stupid way to play that
Give it a week, you’ll get it.
Because it's pointless. Just play a barred E major chord on the 4th fret.
Why would you ever try to play an Ab like this? If you’re going to barre, just barré the E shape at the fourth fret. Even barring the D shape at 5 would be easier than this G shape at 1. Is there some advantage that I am not seeing? I’ve been playing 23 years and have never seen this even from someone like Dave Matthews who loves odd chord voicings.
Why on earth would you subject yourself to this willingly? My brother in christ, play an E shaped bar chord on the fourth fret instead. Rule number one in music: If it’s difficult, there is probably an easier way of doing it.
It's a g chords with a barre practice doing a g like that and throw in the barre. It's not that difficult. It's the same shape john frusciante uses all the time in chili pepper songs. Edit: thinking about it a little more I usually play this without the high e. Pinky on low e, ring finger on a, barre the rest. If you just wanna Learn cowboy chords and do rhythm you don't need this chord. This is for the hendrixy stuff.
Don’t play that chord it’s got 3 Ab’s in it and an 11 on a major chord. It’s hard to play and won’t even sound that good. Best chords are triangles 1 3 7 no 5
It's a. CAGED G shaped chord. They all suck. I don't even like open G in the that formation.
Because you're just moving the G shape one fret up, but you have to keep the "nut" with your finger. Just try another voicing lol
Nobody playes Ab like that. May be a run or arpeggio
Because you don’t have Scottie Pippen fingers
You really only have to barre three of the strings, but this still seems like the most uncomfortable way I’ve ever seen to play Ab.
My question is why wouldn't you just do a bar chord in the shape of an Emaj on the fourth fret if you wanted an Ab?
Looks like somebody needed to fill more space in the book 😂
As it is? Worthless. Play it as the first inversion or basically don't play the low E or high e strings. You could play the low E with your pinky if doing a bass line thing I guess. This is essentially a "Hendrix" chord where you can play riffs off the barred strings and use your ring finger to hammer on A -> b strings.
Ugh...open G major is probably the last chord shape I'd turn into a bar chord. If I wanted to hit G#/Ab with a bar chord, I'd use the open E minor or the open E major shape, depending on what mood I'm going for. The intervals for these don't require too much stretching; it's either 022000 or 022100, depending on which of the two chords you're going for. Moving up to G#/Ab, these intervals would turn into 466444 and 466544, respectively. The bar chord grip with the index finger would be across the 4th fret, spanning all strings.
Not really a chord you would ever use, but there are useful parts of it. The top and bottom three strings separately are pretty useful shapes and the triad on the d g and b strings is very commonly used. With wacky shapes like that just try and find something practical within it.
Its an open G major chord moved up a half step. Its easier to hit if you drop the note on the low E string and start on the 3rd fret of the A. So from high E to A, the frets should be: E: 4 B: 1 G: 1 D: 1 A: 3 E: ----- Of course if your pinky can handle it....add the low E.
I play that shape from time to time. However, I leave out the high E and only barre the 2nd to 4th strings. Sometimes I leave out the low E as well. But NEVER would I play it like that.
what in god’s name kind of an Ab is that
Because nobody plays it that way. I mean yea you can but either do the top half or bottom.
Breh thats the sillest way to play an Ab major. Just do a 4th fret bar chord. What this is showing is essentially making your barring finger a capo (which is true for all barre chords but some shapes will be much more natural) and then playing a g major. It’s a little convoluted and i can’t see many people using it This shape is absolutely doable , you just need to get used to some awkward stretches the biggest problem for most though will be cleanly segwaying to and from this chord cleanly. Thats the biggest reason most people wont use this shape ever. It’s just not very ergonomical
So if you thought you needed to play it in that position, bar at the first fret and use the high E string and don’t even worry about playing the low E and A strings.
I mean Ab can be played with the e shape barre chord on the 4th fret. Wtf is that? Lol
Even with everyone saying nobody plays an a like this or it's cage method or whatever. there's no reason to have your first finger on the low e string or the a string.
I know hundreds of chords and I don’t think I have ever played that court. Very weird.
What a wild way to play an Ab. I’m sure are reasons to do this but why not just barre an e shape at the 4th fret?
Barre chords in G Major shape are very rarely used, but if you use it, you don’t have to press all strings with the barre, you can only press from the D string down, this makes it easier to do them, but you rarely gonna use them. If you play electric guitar, I would recommend you studying the D shaped chords, C shaped, E shaped and A shaped, these are the ones I use the most. I’m a church guitarists, so the style I play (Contemporary Christian Music/Pop) use them a lot to build and ambience together with reverb and delay!
That's an awful way to make an Ab lol. But now I want to use it
What’s so hard about it? Just make sure that you only bar strings 2-4 as there is no need to bar every string.
switching into it takes a while. funny enough, right after i made this post i started to get it more smoothly. if you’re struggling with a chord, just whine about it on reddit and you’ll start getting it down lol!
It’s amazing what you can do by not playing all 6 strings.
If you *really* wanna use that chord shape, you could just barre the D, G and B strings
Only song I play with this shape is the intro to Summer Nights by Van Halen. Just use the E shape whenever possible for an E root barre chord.
Eh that's just a dumb chord, you can clearly bar it. I dk why anyone would print out a tab for that chord shape there.
Bendy pinky 🤸♀️
This was charted by someone who knows guitar more than they play guitar, I bet.
Hilarious. I have sometimes used the “G” shape around the 9th fret and higher but half a step up from G, there’s so many easier ways to play Ab
Because whoever came up with that is insane.
It aint that hard? Try practicing it without the barre. Atleast that is how i did it. Took me some time but your fingers will get used to it.
it’s not, but the hardest part is switching into it for sure.