Drop 3 chords

Here's a way into the neck that's easier than barres and sounds great: drop 3 chords, the four-note shapes of jazz and bossa nova. The root sits on the low E string, the A string is muted, and the 7th, 3rd and 5th go on the D, G and B strings. No barre, just four fingers.

You already know one: the open Em7 (0 x 0 0 0 x) is a drop 3 shape. Slide the same kind of shape up the 6th string and you get the 7th chords of the key one after another. They train the finger strength and independence a barre needs, so they make barres easier too.

Mute the A string with the underside of the finger on the low E. That muted string is part of the sound.

Their cousins have the root on the A string and no muted string: Am7 (x 0 2 0 1 x), Bm7 (x 2 4 2 3 x) and Cmaj7 (x 3 5 4 5 x). These are drop 2 voicings, just as easy and just as bossa. Mix both families and you can play the whole key in positions 1 and 2 without a single barre.