If you wish to move your playing up the neck of the instrument, these scales, starting with a few tonic bar chord shapes, will help you to learn the changes required to play in many keys. Below are five “home” positions with changes for a complete chord scale about that home position.
Major scale with “C shape” tonic. Can also use an “E shape” tonic which may sound better in some cases. Will work with keys from C to A. Especially good for keys of D and E.
Major scale with “F shape” tonic. Will work with keys from F to C. Especially good for keys of G and A.
Major scale with “A shape” tonic. Will work with keys from Bb to F. Using the “E shape” non-bar IV chord is a good idea. Especially good for keys C and D.
Minor scale with “Am shape” tonic. Will work for minor keys from Am to Fm. Especially good for Bm and Cm.
Minor scale with “Dm shape” tonic. Will work for minor keys from Dm to Am. Especially good for Em, Fm and Gm.
Many popular songs only use a few chords, commonly only I, IV, and V chords. Learning just these changes for two or three of the scales shown above will greatly increase the voice range of the instrument and provide more pleasing instrumentals.
Find a PDF version for download here. Smart Bar Chords
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