Hey Friend,
Today's tabs show the progressive construction of the E minor barre chords. Well, maybe that's not entirely accurate, because the root 6 barre chord is the same as the first position E chord.
Of course, to make the chord minor, we drop the 3 note down the half step, but by now, these tabs should be getting familiar to you.
First, there are measures for you to practice barring the strings with your index finger. These help you build your strength and endurance, and they help you find the right positioning for you to get a clean sound out of each string in the barre. That's a key point - you determine the best hand and finger position to allow for clean notes.
A guitar teacher can observe you and make suggestions, but you have to be the one to figure out what works. They're your hands and fingers, and no one knows better how they move than you.
After the barres, I walk you through the two barre chord shapes (E and A), making adjustments for the minor versions of the chords.
The nice thing about these basic barre chords is you really only have to know three shapes to make major and minor chords. - The E shape, which is used for root 6 major chords and root 5 minor chords.
- The A shape, which is used for root 5 major chords, and...
- The minor chord shape used for the root 6 minor chords.
With each chord I present to you, they will become easier to play, at least from the stand point of forming the chords. Depending on their locations on the neck, some will give you plenty of fight. The closer to the nut you get, the harder the strings are to press down and maintain "the pinch."
Keep working at them a little each day. Spend only a minute or two working on your barre and one of the barre chord shapes. It's time, practice and diligence that will get you to the goal. And some patience, for sure.
If you struggle with "small hand syndrome," barre chords are tough, but you can master them. I've seen little kids that can play barre chords with their little tiny fingers, so let that be some inspiration to all us grown-ups. And remember, power chords aren't just for sounding awesome - they are a good tool to help you build up your playing ability as you learn these barre chords.
I cover a ton of them in Easy Power Chords, which you can check out by clicking the link.
Go forth today and Rocketh!
Peace~
Dave | 
