#16
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Play them barre chords all night long. Back when I played electric, I played a Ric 360/12. All the songs were all barre chords, the neck was too narrow for cowboy chords in first position. It really doesn't take much grip, it's usually applying more pressure than you need, or pressure where you don't need it that leads to fatigue.
The more you use them, the easier it gets.
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Rodger Knox, PE 1917 Martin 0-28 1956 Gibson J-50 et al |
#17
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Was learning to play give me shelter by The Rolling Stones. That's all barre chords. And the hand is screaming.l!
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#18
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Thank you for all the responses. Was hoping there was quick solution.
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#19
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Ever tried different voicings? No matter how good you are with barre chords, playing a song that’s mostly barre chords is tough. Try and substitute some of the barre chords with open chords, or capo the fret where you play the lowest barre chord. |
#20
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Changing technique/position could be pretty quick.
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"Militantly left-handed." Lefty Acoustics Martin 00-15M Taylor 320e Baritone Cheap Righty Classical (played upside down ala Elizabeth Cotten) |
#21
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¡ This Will Work To Make Barre Chords A Breeze !
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Hello 3woodengulls : Loosen up man - - literally loosen up the string tension a whole step , and - continue as normal with out as much strength required to play . I can barre with normal standard [ E ] but It wasn't the case when I began . I tuned down a whole step . This means one big thing , you play longer and in doing so you get to increase your forearm's strength . It's in the forearm you get your power to do barre chords period , not your hand and fingers albeit they do work as well . He's a true comparison . I know several athlete musicians who are strong as oxen and can play barre chords with out effort or fatigue , these guys are not what I call pro musicians at all but they can barre like the devil with out a problem . These dudes are thrash metal players mostly , some are country pickers though and can wail . To help you further your ability to have more/stronger stamina I'd pick up a weight lifters bar and do curls , both the regular and reversed . https://www.bodybuilding.com/exercis...l-reverse-curl Guarantee you it won't be an issue in a years time if you do this . There are two rules about tuning a guitar :
EZ : HR
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It started for me with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in 54 on a Blues Harp and progressed , then life .....some death ....Evolving as I went like a small rock in a stream rounding out as I went with the flow as I go through the white waters and waterfalls of life . Life has always been interesting to me |
#22
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¡ No Pain No Gain !
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You Gotta Pay The Price If You Want To Go To the Picture Show . There are no short cuts with any instrument . You must pay your dues . The more time you put in the more you get out and faster as well . EZ : HR
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It started for me with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in 54 on a Blues Harp and progressed , then life .....some death ....Evolving as I went like a small rock in a stream rounding out as I went with the flow as I go through the white waters and waterfalls of life . Life has always been interesting to me |
#23
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#24
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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.
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Assuming is not knowing. Knowing is NOT the same as understanding. There is a difference between compassion and wisdom, however compassion cannot supplant wisdom, and wisdom can not occur without understanding. facts don't care about your feelings and FEELINGS ALONE MAKE FOR TERRIBLE, often irreversible DECISIONS Last edited by vindibona1; 09-29-2017 at 09:59 AM. |
#25
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I agree with rules #1 & #2. I disagree about doing curls and reverse curls to aid in performing barre chords. I was a State level powerlifting competitor and a State Games champion in martial arts. There aren't many exercise new or old I haven't done (I'm 54) and still hit the gym regularly. No amount of wrist curls will help with forming barre chords, especially in the early stages IMHO. Once the OP gets the endurance to play for an hour or two using mostly barres, lifting may help with endurance. Strong as I am (for my age anyways), that strength DID NOT translate into easy barre chords - only implementing them into playing did that. My solution: Play a butt-load of barre chords. I don't think there is a substitute. In the time that it takes to go to the gym and back and perform fairly non-specific exercises, the OP could play 30 minutes of song with 'nuttin but barre chords.
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Roy Ibanez, Recording King, Gretsch, Martin G&L, Squier, Orange (x 2), Bugera, JBL, Soundcraft Our duo website - UPDATED 7/26/19 |
#26
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Sometimes only barre chords will do. . |
#27
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Thank you vindabona
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#28
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__________________
Assuming is not knowing. Knowing is NOT the same as understanding. There is a difference between compassion and wisdom, however compassion cannot supplant wisdom, and wisdom can not occur without understanding. facts don't care about your feelings and FEELINGS ALONE MAKE FOR TERRIBLE, often irreversible DECISIONS |
#29
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EZ : HR
__________________
It started for me with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in 54 on a Blues Harp and progressed , then life .....some death ....Evolving as I went like a small rock in a stream rounding out as I went with the flow as I go through the white waters and waterfalls of life . Life has always been interesting to me |
#30
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Rigid use of the index finger as a capo is usually the mantra for students of barre chord placement. They focus on the clamping of that finger as capo-like as possible, thinking this and no other method is best.
The barre is not really a barre. By all appearances it is and hence the name but it does not need to sound all strings. It typically only needs to sound 2 to 3 strings. The e-strings are usually covered by the index finger with the balance of the notes between them chord-specific and typically the work of the other fingers. The index finger will eventually adapt itself to sound only those strings it needs to sound. It will be relieved by the other fingers as they sound their fretted notes. At this juncture I find placement of barre chords to be of no greater effort than placing open chords. That's just what comes from practice. |