!

Open chords converted to

movable barre chord
shapes.

The concept illustrated below assumes a knowledge of very basic open chords, and uses a square to
represent the root of each
When you take the
Most common E
Major chord
<-------up the neck, you
get the Major
barre chord feared
by all. -------->

You Can do the same

with the 5th string
rooted A major.

...and D major
rooted on the
fourth string.

the D major shape only requires the first finger to fret one note, so the concept is the
same as the E and A chords, but not actully barred.

The 6 note Barre chord and its derivatives:!

6-5-4-3 group

Major Barre Chord Form - 6th String Root

Full Barre 7th chord voicings - *m7b5 voicing is not playable

M7

R 5 7 3

Dom 7 (7)

5 R

R 5 b7 3

5 R

m7

*m7 b5

R 5 b7 b3 5 R

R b5 b7 b3 b5 R

6-5-4-3 string group 7th chord voicings

M7

R 5

Dom 7 (7)

R 5 b7 3

m7

R 5 b7 b3

m7 b5

R b5 b7 b3

The Barre chord and its derivatives

Major Barre Chord Form - 6th String Root

R 5 R 3 5 R

M7

Full Barre 7th chord voicings - *The six string m7b5 voicing
is not playable, but it is shown to illustrate the concept.
Dom 7 (7)
m7

R 5 7 3 5 R

R 5 b7 3 5 R

R 5 b7 b3 5 R

*m7 b5

R b5 b7 b3 b5 R

Commonly used 7th chord voicings on strings 6, 4, 3, 2 eliminate doubled pitches.

7 3 5

b7 3 5

b7 b3 5

b7 b3 b5

The Barre chord and its derivatives

Major Barre Chord Form 5th string root

R 5 R 3 5

Full Barre 7th chord voicings - *m7b5 voicing may not be playable
M7

R 5 7 3 5

Dom 7 (7)

R 5 b7 3 5

m7

R 5 b7 b3 5

*m7 b5

R b5 b7 b3 b5

Commonly used 7th chord voicings on strings 5, 4, 3, 2 eliminate doublings

M7

Dom 7 (7)

m7

m7 b5

R 5 7 3

R 5 b7 3

R 5 b7 b3

R b5 b7 b3

The Barre chord and its derivatives

Major Barre Chord Form - 5th string root

R 5 R 3 5
Full Barre 7th chord voicings - *m7b5 voicing may not be playable
M7

R 5 7 3 5

Dom 7 (7)

R 5 b7 3 5

m7

R 5 b7 b3 5

*m7b5

R b5 b7 b3 b5

Commonly used 7th chord voicings on strings 5, 3, 2,1 eliminate doublings.

7 3 5

b7 3 5

b7 b3 5

b7 b3 b5

The 5 note Barre chord and its derivatives:!

5-4-3-2 Group

Major Barre Chord Form

R 5 R 3 5

Full Barre 7th chord voicings - *m7b5 voicing may not be playable
M7

R 5 7 3 5

Dom 7 (7)

R 5 b7 3 5

m7

R 5 b7 b3 5

m7 b5

R b5 b7 b3 b5

Commonly used 7th chord voicings on strings 5, 4, 3, 2 eliminate doublings

M7

Dom 7 (7)

m7

m7 b5

R 5 7 3

R 5 b7 3

R 5 b7 b3

R b5 b7 b3

7th Chords: 5th string root

M7! !

m7

m7b5

R 5 b7 3

R b5 b7 b3

Bass:!

!
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!
Root!
!
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3rd!
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5th!
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!

R 5

7 3

R 5 b7 3

3 7 R 5

3 7 R 5

b3 b7 R 5

b3 b7 R b5

5 R 3 7

5 R 3 b7

5 R b3 b7

b5 R b3 b7

7 3 5 R

b7 3 5 R

b7 b3 5 R

b7 b3 b5 R

7th

M7!

m7

m7b5

!
Bass:! !

!
Root!
!
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3rd!
!
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5th!
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!

R 5

7 3

R 5 b7 3

R 5 b7 b3

R b5 b7 b3

3 7 R 5

3 b7 R 3

b3 b7 R 5

b3 b7 R b5

5 R 3 7

5 R 3 b7

5 R b3 b7

b5 R b3 b7

7 3 5 R

b7 3 5 R

b7 b3 5 R

b7 b3 b5 R

7th

Extended Root - Guide

Tone voicings

To each of the following root-guide tone voicings we can add a major 9 for some easily
playable grips. The m7/m7b5 voicing serves both purposes due to that absence of the
chord 5th.
M7! !

3 7

R 3 6

M9! !

M6

3 7

M6/9

3 b7
9

R 3 6 9

3 b7 9

m7/m7b5

R b3 b7
m9/m9b5

R b3 b7 9

To each of the preceeding chords, we can add a 5th, although this is not an upper extension.!
!
M9! !

3 7

9 5

M6/9

R 3 6 9

3 b7 9 5

m9

R b3 b7 9 5

Root - Guide tone voicings

Guide tones, which consist of 3rd and 7th of each chord cna be located on the 3-2 string
group for chord roots on the sixth and fifth strings. Note that the m7 and m7b5 voicings
are identical due to the absence of the 5 or b5 of each.

M7! !

M7! !

3 7

M6

6 3

b7 3

M6

R 3 6

3 b7

m7/m7b5

b7 b3

m7/m7b5

R b3 b7

We can create extended chord voicings consisting of root, guide tones and one or more
upper extensions. This additive process allows us to add notes to first and second strings
yielding very useful voicings.

Extended Root - Guide

Tone voicings

The root guide tone voicing is a great foundation for extended and altered dominant
voicings.
7!

3 b7 R

9b5(9#11)!

b9

7#9

R 3 b7 b9

R 3 b7 9

R 3 b7 #9

R 3 b7 9 b5(#11)

R 3 b7 9 5

R 3 b7 b9 b5(#11)

R 3 b7 b9 5

9#5

R 3 b7 9 #5

R 3 b7 b9 #5

13

R 3 b7 9 13

R 3 b7 b9 13

Root - Guide Tone Voicings!

with added extension

!
!
!

Adding an upper extension to the previous root-guide tone voicings can yield even more !
useful chords. We can add a major 9 on the the high e string for each of the
following . Some of these may require that you omit the root.

M9! !

M13(9)

3 5 9

7 3 13 9

M6/9

R!
7

b7 3 5

7 3 b5 9

M13b5

5 9

7#5

M9b5 (M9#11)

b7 3 #5 9

3 b5 9

13

b7 3 13 9

7b5

b7 3 b5 9

Root - Guide Tone Voicings!

with added extension !
!
continued

!
!
!
m7

m7b5

b7 3 5

M9! !

m7#5

b7 3 #5

b7 3 13

M6/9

m9

R 3 6 9

R b3 b7 9

7b9

7#9

R 3 b7 9

R 3 b7 9

R 3 b7 #9

R 3

9!!

m13

b7 3 b5

Root - Guide Tone Voicings!

with added extension

!
!
!
!

From the examples below, you will see that we can easily add an extension to the
second string of any of the root guide tone voicing.

M7! !

M13

3 5

M7b5 (M7#11)

7 3 13

M6

R!
7

b7 3 5

7 3 b5

M6#11

7#5

b7 3 #5

3 b5

13

b7 3 13

7b5

b7 3 b5

Recycled shapes !
7th Chords: Upper structure of 9th chord
!

m9

M9

Dom. 9

R b3 b7 9 5

R 3 7

9 5

R 3 b7 9

R 5 9 b3 b7

R 5 9

3 7

R 5 9 3 b7

b7 b3 5 9!
R!

7 3
R

5 9!

b7 3 5 9!
R

R 5
9

R 5 7 3!
9

R 5 b7 3!
9

b7 b3 !

Recycled shapes
7th chords: Upper structure of 9th
chords

R b3 b7 9 5

R 3 7

R 5 9 b7 b3

R 5

b7 b3 5 9

R 5 b7 b3!
9

R 3 b7 9 5

9 5

9 3 7

7 3

5 9

R 5
9

7 3!

R 5 9

3 b7

b7 3 5

R
9

5 b7 3!

More Recycled shapes !

7th Chords: Upper structure of 9th
chord

R b3 b7
9 5

R 3 b7 9 5

R 5

R 5 9 b7 b3

b7 b3 5 9

R 5 b7 b3!
9

9 3 7

7 3

5 9

R 5
9

7 3!

R 5 9

3 b7

b7 3 5

R
9

5 b7 3!

7th chords: Root position 4-3-2-1

group converted to 1st inversion, 6th
string bass note

!
M7!

!
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7!
!
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m7!
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!

7 3!

5 b7 3!

R 5

R 5 b7

R 5 b7 b3!

b3

R 5 b7

R b5 b7 b3!

b3

R b5 b7

m7b5

7th chords: 1st inversion 4-3-2-1

group converted to 2nd
inversion, 6th string bass note

!
M7!

!
!
!
!
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7!
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m7!
!
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!
!

3 7 R 5

3 7 R

3 b7 R 5

3 b7 R

b3 b7 R 5

b3 b7 R

b3 b7 R b5

b5

b3 b7 R

m7b5

7th chords: 2nd inversion 4-3-2-1

group converted to 3rd
inversion, 6th string bass notev

M7 !

!
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7!
!
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m7!
!
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!
!

5 R 3 7

5 R 3

5 R 3 b7

b7

5 R 3

5 R b3 b7

b7

5 R b3

b5 R b3 b7

b7

b5 R b3

m7b5

7th chords: 3rd inversion 4-3-2-1

group converted to root position, 6th
string bass note

!
M7!

!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
7!
!
!
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m7!
!
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!
!

7 3 5 R

b7 3 5 R

7 3 5

b7 3 5

b7 b3 5 R

b7 b3 5

b7 b3 b5 R

b7 b3 b5

m7b5

Major Scales with root as the

starting note

Root on string 6

or

Root on String 5

!
!
!

Major Pentatonic
"shell"

Major Scale

IMaj7 iim7 V7 Arpeggios from 7 note shapes

I Major

ii Minor 7

V(dom)7