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On the subject of barre chords
Posted on 1/24/13 at 9:41 am
Posted on 1/24/13 at 9:41 am
I'm a self-taught player; I've been playing about six years exclusively on acoustic guitars. I've never had much luck with barre chords, which I attribute to having small hands ... and my innate lack of musical talent.
Just the same I've had no problem being an open chord player; I've written about 40 songs which I play using open chords and I'm always working on more. I've pretty much given up on barre chords, but would be glad to listen to any advice—especially coming from anyone who's had similar difficulties.
Here's a demonstration I followed the other day, but dropped because my barre fretting finger has the "indentions" the dude refers to, even when I roll the finger over as he demonstrates.
LINK
Just the same I've had no problem being an open chord player; I've written about 40 songs which I play using open chords and I'm always working on more. I've pretty much given up on barre chords, but would be glad to listen to any advice—especially coming from anyone who's had similar difficulties.
Here's a demonstration I followed the other day, but dropped because my barre fretting finger has the "indentions" the dude refers to, even when I roll the finger over as he demonstrates.
LINK
4
Posted on 1/24/13 at 10:14 am to TigerPanzer
quote:
but would be glad to listen to any advice
just keep doing it and don't puss out. Try to learn songs with mostly barre chords.
I have small hands too, but barre chords aren't bad at all for me, and we've been playing about the same amount of time.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 10:28 am to Harry Caray
quote:
don't puss out.
I have to admit I've never put hours, days or weeks into learning them. I write and play okay with open chords so it's been pretty easy to avoid the others. I'm always so eager to work on my songs that taking time out to practice chords ... well, playing the songs is just more fun.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 10:36 am to TigerPanzer
lets say you want to play the G barre chord, starting on the third fret. Instead of using the barre, only use strings 2-5. Start with your index finger on 2nd string, third fret then middle finder 3rd string, forth fret and so on. You have the 4 middle strings covered and you only play those notes for the G chord. I do this all the time in songs for variations.
Practice, practice, practice.
Practice, practice, practice.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 11:06 am to TigerPanzer
Practice is def need to master barre chords. Like was said before you can always turn a barre chord into an open chord and just play 4 strings.
It helped me alot to start playing E, Em, A, & Am without using my pointer finger (rest it on the nut)It gets your other 3 fingers used to those positions, then you just have to build strength in your pointer to actually "barre" the other strings and you can move those 4 chords wherever.
It helped me alot to start playing E, Em, A, & Am without using my pointer finger (rest it on the nut)It gets your other 3 fingers used to those positions, then you just have to build strength in your pointer to actually "barre" the other strings and you can move those 4 chords wherever.
This post was edited on 1/24/13 at 11:08 am
Posted on 1/24/13 at 11:26 am to mark_in_table
A good song to get your finger strength up for barre chords is "Flake" by Jack Johnson. I remember I use to get cramps in my hand about a minute into the song. Lol.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 11:34 am to mark_in_table
quote:
It helped me alot to start playing E, Em, A, & Am without using my pointer finger (rest it on the nut)It gets your other 3 fingers used to those positions, then you just have to build strength in your pointer to actually "barre" the other strings and you can move those 4 chords wherever.
That's worth a try, thanks.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 1:53 pm to TigerPanzer
Use your thumb on the top instead of a full barre.
But as someone who picked up around 4 years ago, it took programming the fingers through repetition, just like the opens. Tucking of the index when it wants to flail was the hardest part to me.
But as someone who picked up around 4 years ago, it took programming the fingers through repetition, just like the opens. Tucking of the index when it wants to flail was the hardest part to me.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 2:13 pm to Dr. 3
or just make the "F" chord regular without a full barre. Keeps all same strings in play minus your top E & A, so it won't be as deep or bassy. Works great for blues or funk.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 2:34 pm to TigerPanzer
One tip that helped me is you have to keep the thumb down low on the back of the neck which gives you more leverage.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 3:44 pm to Zappas Stache
quote:
One tip that helped me is you have to keep the thumb down low on the back of the neck which gives you more leverage.
My big problem is rolling over my index (barre) finger to provide a "capo-like" clamp over the strings. My finger still has indentions when I roll it over, so it doesn't provide the capo-like effect I'm looking for. Then I press down hard to compensate and ... I get claw cramps after a minute of playing.
None of this serves to encourage me in becoming barre-proficient, especially since I do well with open chords.
All the same, some of the tips I've received in this thread will prompt me to give the thing another try. I'll check out some of the suggestions tonight.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 4:34 pm to TigerPanzer
quote:
My big problem is rolling over my index (barre) finger to provide a "capo-like" clamp over the strings. My finger still has indentions when I roll it over, so it doesn't provide the capo-like effect I'm looking for.
Move it back and forth perpendicular to the neck to find the spot where it capos just those strings it needs to fret. For the E and A shapes, I expect it's possible. The 7th chords will be a little harder.
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