Quote:
Originally Posted by 3woodengulls
I hear this technique thing a lot. Please help me understand. Barre chords are played with your finger extended over the fret board you thumb is required to clamp behind the finger. This requires pressure from you hand in other words you must clamp using hand muscles. I play barre chords all the time it's not that I can't play them it's that songs that require all barres really fatigue my hand. I was hoping someone has had this issue and was able to overcome it with some hand strength exercise.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 3woodengulls
Thank you for all the responses. Was hoping there was quick solution.  |
I have a couple thoughts. While not a newbie, as one with arthritis in my hands I have had to search for the same answers as the OP. If playing bar chords for extended periods you have to make everything as efficient as possible. There are small bits, when added together can make a huge difference.
1) Shape of the neck. You need to find one that best suits YOUR hands. I find the soft V neck with 1 11/16ths" nut on my Martin D35 easier on my hands than my Taylors with a C profile and 1 3/4" nut. It's about leverage and how the neck sits in your hand and allows the strong muscle in your thumb to work. As an example of *not* fitting my hand is the new Fender Stratocaster Professional model. The way the neck displaces my thumb my hand starts to hurt in 30 seconds and starts cramping in 2 minutes! Obviously this would be a very poor choice of instrument for me.
2) String height. The string height on acoustics can range from the sublime to the ridiculous. I think one standard for the bass side is 6/64ths". I've seen guitars with 8/64ths. You wouldn't think that lowering the string height 1 or 2 64's would do anything, but it really does. On acoustics you can only go so low before the guitar starts losing its mojo, but if electified it may not matter. [Can't help but wonder how low Tommy Emmanuel's strings are?] You've got to figure that out. If you have a good luthier or technican nearby you may want to pay him a visit. Most of my acoustics have had adjustments made and it really helps. [BTW- Taylor's shimming system is ingenious]
3) Neck relief. Again, here is an area that can add to comfort if low enough (but not too low). I adjust the neck relief on my guitars by feel (and sound), not by any gauge. I find myself being very fussy about it, so consquently I make small adjustments more often than most folks... but it helps. A little too high- harder to play. A little too low- lost mojo or buzz.
4) String selection. You can put ultra light gauge strings on the guitar if you like. But alternately, look for strings with lighter tension in a standard light gauge. Round cores strings like DR Sunbeams (I use 12's) feel about one gauge lighter. Also Straight Up Strings has a lighter feel and is sold by tension, not by gauge.
5) Fingerboard radius (and one simple mod). Acoustic fingerboards tend to be flatter than electrics (something I don't understand). And while I'm not suggesting to alter the radius I can offer one simple modification that can be done to most guitars: Rolling the fingerboard edges.
If you look at most Fenders, especially the less expensive ones, the fingerboard edges have a sharp edge. I found those edges uncomfortable and when I started rounding those off (rolling) I not only got rid of that hard edge digging into my hand, but also found bar chords MUCH easier because it accomodated the curvature of my index finger. While I have not dared to do that to my acoustics (though I've thought about it) I have done that to all but one of my electrics. I've even rounded the plastic binding on one of my Les Pauls (with flatter 12" radius compared to Fender's 9.5") and it made a TON of difference. For reference I've attached a photo of my Tele's fingerboard (warning: do this to a lacquered maple board at your own risk).
So, those are my thoughts on making the playing experience easier. I hope you find (some of) them useful.
