SPECIALTY BARS PART 2: CROSS-FRET BARS

Copyright Douglas Niedt. All Rights Reserved. This article may be reprinted, but please be considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.

The cross-fret barre (diagonal or split barre) is the most rarely used of the specialty barres: the index finger barres across two consecutive frets at once, with the rear of the finger holding the first string and the tip holding the sixth or fifth string a fret higher. This tip covers how to place it — pressure goes on just two strings — with video demonstrations from Giuliani’s Rossiniana No. 1 and Grand Overture, and Tárrega’s Recuerdos de la Alhambra.

The cross-fret bar or split bar is the most rarely used of the specialty bars. The index finger bars across two consecutive frets simultaneously. Most commonly, the rear of the bar finger holds down the first string and the tip of the bar finger holds down the sixth or fifth string a fret higher.

The cross-fret bar doesn't require a lot of strength or force. You are usually only holding two strings. So it is a matter of focusing pressure on just those two notes.

For example, I can make a cross-fret bar holding down the sixth-string G with the tip of my first finger at the third fret, but the rear portion of the bar holding down the first string F# at the second fret. So I have F sharp being held by the rear part of the cross-fret bar on the first string and G being held by the tip of the cross-fret bar on the 6th string.

No other strings are being held. The pressure is entirely on the first string and the sixth string.

Since the rear portion of the cross-fret bar holds down the first string, it is important that that part of the cross-fret bar is behind the fret to hold the first string down clearly. It's real easy for that part of the cross-fret bar (the rear portion) to creep onto the fret which will mute the sound. One thing to keep in mind to make it easier is that the tip of the cross-fret bar does not have to be right up against its fret. It can be back in the middle of the fret. The 6th string will still sound and that'll help the rear portion of your bar to stay behind its fret so that the first string comes out clearly.

Watch as I demonstrate in this video:

Specialty Bars Part 2: Cross-Fret Bars, Video #1: How to Place the Cross-Fret Bar

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The cross-fret bar is by no means a recent innovation. Mauro Giuliani used it in his Rossiniana No. 1, op. 119:

The passage is not playable (with a musical result) with any other fingering or technique.

Watch:

Specialty Bars Part 2: Cross-Fret Bars, Video #2: Cross-Fret Bar on Rossiniana

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Usually, the rear of the cross-fret bar holds the first string. Occasionally it may hold the second string. The tip of the bar however, can hold the sixth string, fifth string, fourth string, third string, or even the second string. In this example from Giuliani's Grand Overture, the rear of the bar holds the first string as usual but the tip holds the third string:

Again, there is no other fingering or technique that produces as musical a result in this passage as the cross-fret bar.

Watch as I demonstrate in this video.

Specialty Bars Part 2: Cross-Fret Bars, Video #3: Cross-Fret Bar on Grand Overture by Giuliani

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I even use the cross-fret bar in a measure of the classic Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Francisco Tárrega. He doesn't call for it but I think it adds a great musical touch to the measure. Tárrega notates measure #9 as follows:

Note he specifies that the F in the bass is a dotted half note. As notated, that F should ring through the entire measure for three beats. But Tárrega notates that the bar at the eighth fret ends on the third beat. The F is therefore cut off and cannot ring through the measure. Therefore, what comes out of the guitar sounds like this:

Watch as I demonstrate in this video.

Specialty Bars Part 2: Cross-Fret Bars, Video #4: Recuerdos de la Alhambra normal bar, measure 9

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However, if a cross-fret bar is used, the F can be held through the measure and you hear the beautiful passing harmony of the third beat and the measure is filled with the sustain of the low F:

When the cross-fret bar is employed, this is the harmony you hear:

Watch this video:

Specialty Bars Part 2: Cross-Fret Bars, Video #5: Recuerdos de la Alhambra Cross-Fret bar, m9

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The cross-fret bar often can come to the rescue in these types of difficult situations. It's useful in a few dozen instances in the standard repertoire but even more so in contemporary music and "jazzy" arrangements. It enables one to play chord voicings that are normally not available to us in standard tuning using standard fingering and bar technique.

For example, a G major 7th chord in the following voicing can be played on a steel-steel guitar's narrow neck by wrapping the left thumb around to hold the low G. On the classical guitar with its wide neck, wrapping the thumb is usually impractical. The best solution is the cross-fret bar:

Specialty Bars Part 2: Cross-Fret Bars, Video #6: Cross-Fret Bar for Jazzy Chords

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Notation of the Cross-Fret Bar

There is no standard notation for the cross-fret bar. My preference is to use two Roman numerals with a slash between them. I write "cross-fret bar" above for clarification. If the tip of the bar finger is holding the 6th string, I don't add additional notation. If the tip of the finger is not holding the 6th string, I indicate which string it holds with a circled Arabic numeral. Others use only the Roman numerals:

More to Come

Next month, the stunning conclusion of this series on specialty bars: Partial Bars!