Learn › Six Barre Chord Exercises That Fix Buzzing
New Released in April 2026
Six Barre Chord Exercises That Fix Buzzing
Barre chord exercises work best in small doses: five minutes a day beats an hour of squeezing once a week. These six drills go from the index finger alone to full chord changes, so every step fixes one cause of buzzing.
No account, no download. The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
Six drills, five minutes
- Index alone: lay the index across the 5th fret and pick each string. Roll the finger slightly onto its bony side until all six ring.
- Thumb check: thumb behind the neck, about opposite the middle finger, not hooked over the top.
- Pressure ladder: press, pick, relax, repeat ten times. Use only the force that stops the buzz.
- Add the shape: E-shape major at the 5th fret, then check each string one by one.
- Slide down: move the same shape one fret lower each day until you reach the 1st fret.
- Timed change: open D to the barre A at the 5th fret, four beats each.
The two shapes to learn first
The E shape (root on the 6th string) and the A shape (root on the 5th string) together give you every major and minor chord on the neck. Learn the major and minor version of each and you have four shapes covering 48 chords.
Six Barre Chord Exercises That Fix Buzzing
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps.
Play the demoMost common buzz causes
- Barre too far from the fret: move it just behind the fret wire.
- Flat finger: the soft crease lines up with a string. Roll a little.
- Elbow too far from the body: bring it in so the arm helps the press.
From drill to music
Once the shapes hold, the hard part is finding them fast from the chord name. ChordRunner sends symbols like Bm, F#m or C# and hears through the microphone whether every string sounded, so your barre changes get tested in time, not just in silence.
The levels in ChordRunner
- Beginner: major, minor, augmented and diminished chords.
- Intermediate: adds sus2 and sus4.
- Advanced: adds 6th, 7th and 9th chords.
- Pro: adds 11th, 13th and altered chords; an adaptive mode adds the next family when you are ready.
Common questions
How do I practise barre chords?
Five minutes a day: index finger alone, then the full shape at the 5th fret, then slide it lower day by day, then timed changes from open chords.
Why does my barre chord buzz?
Usually the barre is too far from the fret, the soft crease of the finger lands on a string, or the thumb is hooked over the neck. Fix one at a time.
Which barre chords should I learn first?
The E shape and the A shape, major and minor. Those four shapes cover every major and minor chord on the neck.
Which instruments work?
A USB MIDI keyboard, detected automatically, or a piano or guitar through the microphone. Everything runs in Chrome or Edge on a computer, tablet or phone.
How is this different from apps where you tap the screen?
Tapping trains your eyes and fingers on glass. Here you press real keys or fret real strings, and the game hears the actual notes, so what you practise is exactly what you will play on your instrument.
Is everything in the demo?
The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
Your instrument is the controller.
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
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