A Video Lesson – ‘Let’s Play Bm’

Start with easy Bm – 1st finger 2nd fret 1st string, 2nd finger 3rd fret 2nd string, 3rd finger 4th fret 3rd string. This plus the open 4th string but not strumming the open 5&6 makes a passable Bm ok for beginners perhaps but not good enough for the likes of us.

A better Bm is to shift your 3rd finger up to the 4th string 4th fret and get your pinkie to take over on the 3rd string 4th fret. Try not to strum the 5&6 strings when you use this chord.

Last of all lift your 1st finger without moving the others and stretch and straighten your 1st finger up to the 5th string so that your 1st finger holds down the 5th string at the 2nd fret and also the 1st string at the 2nd fret.

Photos by Shirl!!

Here is another approach-

Let’s start by playing Am in the usual way using your first finger to play the 1st fret 2nd string, second finger to play 2nd fret 4th string, and third finger to play 2nd fret 3rd string.

 Sweet, now whilst holding down this chord ( did you know that some people call a chord shape a grip? I quite like that so this would be the open string Am grip methinks ) and gently strumming ( I don’t know what kind of strum, any strum you like I guess will do) let your mind conjure up an imaginary capo being strapped to your guitar at the second fret. My first capo was a pencil and a big rubber band. There are so many capos now some real expensive fortunately you are only imagining a capo so no need to buy one or bust one out just yet.

Now step 2 is to rearrange your open string Am grip fingers so that the chord still sounds the same but you are not using your first finger. How? By putting your 2nd finger on the 2nd string 1st fret, 3rd finger in the 4th string 2nd fret, 4th finger (technically called your pinkie)on the 3rd string 2nd fret. Okay difficult but not impossible is probably how you would describe it thus far.

Alright step 3 you have to slide this new shape up the neck two frets further away from the nut so that now your 2nd finger is on the 3rd fret of the 2nd string, 3rd and 4th on the 4th fret of the 4th and 3rd strings (just past you imaginary capo). You can play this chord with the 1st and 5th strings open and it sounds kinda nice too.

Right then step 4 is where you get your first finger to stretch up across the neck to take the place of that imaginary capo we were thinking about before and there you have it Bm, an Am shape bar chord at the 2nd fret.

Step 5 is where you figure it sounds terrible and hurts your hand and you don’t want to play bar chords anymore but don’t despair !! If it looks right and you have your fingers in the right places it is right !! All that is missing is heaps of practice.