Extend Your Barre Chord Shapes From Triads To 7th-Note Chords
Once you know your barre chord shapes, the next step is to extend them to maj7, dom7, min7, and min7b5.
The videos above use the same concept as when you connected your barre chord shapes. The difference is that now we play first the triad, then the extension.
The exercises move from major to maj7, from major to dom7, and minor to min7. Doing it this way will enable you to hear and see which note changes.
The final chord, Am7b5 is played coming from an Am7.
When you can play them like this, one after another in A, carry on through all remaining notes.
You could use the cycle of 4th for this, meaning the next one is Dmaj7, Ddom7, Dm7, Dm7b5, climbing up through all shapes. Then move on to G, C, F, Bb, etc.
When you can do this comfortably, the next step is to play an exercise using the cycle of 4th, but moving to the closest shape possible.
Chords | Related Pages
Chords | Step-by-step guitar course
The CAGED system is the best way to organize the guitar fretboard. Starting with the open-position chords, we extend and connect them in this chords course.
Follow the 8 steps of the self-eliminating practice routine to map out the fretboard, it will be the best thing you’ve ever done.
Chordacus
Spytunes chords, scale, and arpeggio software, Chordacus is a refined version of the so-called CAGED system.
Now available as both a chromatic (original version) and “within a key”, developed with the help of a Spytunes student.
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about extending barre chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.