The E shape is the open E chord — root on the 6th string, the fullest six-string voicing the grid offers — and its barre form is the most famous chord shape in guitar: the F barre at fret 1 is this shape, position 4 of the cycle, first station on every player's barre journey.
Where it starts, for every root
Recomputed from the voicing library: the E shape's major form for each of the twelve roots, with its starting fret and exact frets (x = muted). The geometry is identical in every row — only the address changes.
| Root | Starts at | Frets (6th → 1st) |
|---|---|---|
| A | fret 5 | 5–7–7–6–5–5 |
| A# | fret 6 | 6–8–8–7–6–6 |
| B | fret 7 | 7–9–9–8–7–7 |
| C | fret 8 | 8–10–10–9–8–8 |
| C# | fret 9 | 9–11–11–10–9–9 |
| D | fret 10 | 10–12–12–11–10–10 |
| D# | fret 11 | 11–13–13–12–11–11 |
| E | fret 1 | 0–2–2–1–0–0 |
| F | fret 1 | 1–3–3–2–1–1 |
| F# | fret 2 | 2–4–4–3–2–2 |
| G | fret 3 | 3–5–5–4–3–3 |
| G# | fret 4 | 4–6–6–5–4–4 |
Using it
Why does everyone learn it first among barres? Coverage and root logic: all six strings sound, and the root sits on the low E string, where bass notes and note names are easiest to track. Slide it to fret 3 for G, fret 5 for A, fret 8 for C — one grip, twelve keys, which is the CAGED promise in its purest form.
The E shape also anchors lead playing: pentatonic box 1 sits directly on top of it, so rhythm and lead in the same key share one hand position. Compare the open form on the E major page, then walk the table above — and remember the shape above any E-shape barre is always the D shape.