In this lesson, youu2019ll learn how to play an F# Minor or Gb Minor barre chord rooted on the E string.

First things first though, why does this chord have two different names? Well, it’s simple: because F# and Gb are the same note! Any time you see a note that is a sharp (#), it will also have a corresponding flat (b). The opposite is also true: when you see a note that is a flat (b), it will have a corresponding sharp (#).

Don’t worry about this too much at the moment. There will be much more time devoted to learning the notes of the fretboard in the upcoming sections of the novice course. Just know that this chord can be written on a chord chart in two different ways: as Gbm or F#m.

Hopefully, this chord should be much easier to play now that you have already learnt to play an E rooted F major chord. The barre will function very similarly and the shape of the chord is exactly the same, but with one less note. Simply take the F major chord, move the whole shape up one fret and take off your middle finger!

Take your time with it and watch the video as many times as you need. There are also chord charts and tabs below.

Good luck!