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  #16  
Old 09-19-2016, 03:04 PM
jseth jseth is offline
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Barre chords are incredibly easy; they just require CORRECT hand/wrist/finger placement and a bunch of repetition...

But, I'm confused... do you actually WANT help, or is this just a thread to get others to commiserate with your issue with barre chords? I only ask because I'm not gonna write out a bunch of "try this"-stuff if you don't really want anything to change...
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  #17  
Old 09-19-2016, 04:31 PM
rokdog49 rokdog49 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jseth View Post
Barre chords are incredibly easy; they just require CORRECT hand/wrist/finger placement and a bunch of repetition...

But, I'm confused... do you actually WANT help, or is this just a thread to get others to commiserate with your issue with barre chords? I only ask because I'm not gonna write out a bunch of "try this"-stuff if you don't really want anything to change...
You can write it out for me. I would be interested in knowing if there is a better way. Thanks in advance.
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  #18  
Old 09-19-2016, 04:32 PM
Gasworker Gasworker is offline
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Well Wad you have 50 years as a player and you've made out ok without them. You've got all the obvious advice and platitudes you need. I would rather learn all your tricks for avoiding them.
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  #19  
Old 09-19-2016, 05:44 PM
Wadcutter Wadcutter is offline
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Lots of good advice here. Thanks so much guys, really appreciate it.
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  #20  
Old 09-19-2016, 06:43 PM
Bill Yellow Bill Yellow is offline
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I'm quite comfortable with the occasional barre chord, but have recently begun playing in an open tuning that allows rhythm playing in many keys without ever a barre.



The tuning is what I call DUDGAD, where the A string is tuned Up to Bb.



It is good for playing in the keys of D, G, C, F and Bb major along with at least 2 minor keys. For many of the chords the top A & D strings ring out unstopped, so you're getting quite rich voicings. It really works well for strong rhythmic accompaniment playing, and works well alongside a conventionally tuned guitar.



Maybe one day I'll do a video, but I'm still developing patterns in DUDGAD.
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  #21  
Old 09-19-2016, 08:49 PM
s0cks s0cks is offline
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This will tell you everything you need to know: http://www.guitarprinciples.com/abou...asy-bar-chords
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  #22  
Old 09-19-2016, 10:36 PM
JBCROTTY JBCROTTY is offline
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Barre chords are brutal.

However, I figured out a way that worked well for me. I have large hands - long fingers. I found that its not really pressure - I was squeezing so hard and they were not working, so I started working on angles.

Basically I rotated my fingers up toward the low E string at the top of the neck. When I barre now my index finger is generally hanging over the neck (past the low E) almost to the first knuckle. I use the space on my index finger between my first knuckle and the base of the index finger to barre the chord - the tip of my finger is generally hanging over the top of the neck.

Then, and most importantly, I moved my thumb so it was pointing toward the headstock and I moved the thumb lower on the back of the neck - almost at a 90 degree angle from the barre finger (hope this visual is working for you.) I get good pressure from the thumb more from leverage than pressing hard.

This worked for me and now I can play barre chords for extended periods of time with no real fatigue or discomfort. The problem I have is getting my fretting hand into barre chord position quickly during chord changes. I just have to drill it - constant chord change practice - to try to get it down. Still slow for me and my songs stumble as I change into barres.

Hope this helps.
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  #23  
Old 09-20-2016, 01:08 AM
TomiPaldanius TomiPaldanius is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wadcutter View Post
I have been frustrated since day one of guitar playing, 50 freaking years ago, in that for some reason I simply cannot shape a freaking barre chord. I just can't seem to apply enough pressure on the strings to the fretboard in such a way that produces anything but muted garbage. So I gave up and have confined myself to first three frets, first position guitar playing hell for all these years. I mean it's embarrassing to have to admit to people that you have been playing since you were 16 years old and still can't play a freaking barre chord. I sure wish I knew what the heck I'm doing wrong and why when I watch others play barre chords they make it look like it's the simplest thing in the world, no, sweat, no effort, just playing away with barre chords. I think I may be the only person in the world with barre chords on my bucket list.
Hi Wadcutter. Barre chords are challenging but the actual usage of whole barre chords is pretty minimal. Especially in fingerstyle guitar world. I assume your biggest hurdle is the E shape. Other ones are the A and G shapes? You rarely need a barre with C and D shapes.

So what you can do?

Classical guitar players play the most demanding songs and you might imagine how they can play so relaxed and effortless? Answer is that hundreds of years of learning about hand positions and how the force of hands own weight moves to the fretboard and strings has been one of the main teaching material in academies in Europe and I guess in other places also. What you do is that you use earths gravity making that chord easy for you. More pressure you use by using muscles, more gravity and hands weight you lose.

We used to do hands own weight exercises alot and once you get it, playing is easy.

In practical environment when you build a chord, always start with bass strings. I see people putting their fingers to the fretboard starting from higher strings which is not optimal at all. You will hit the bass strings first when you play so build the chords starting from bass notes.

E shape is not difficult if you start using hands own weight first to the index finger on the 6th string. Then build it as a power chord = fifth interval. You can get to the 3rd string without barre. Only the 1st and 2nd strings need the index finger barre. And that is the tricky part and needs more observation individual basis.

Many other things can interfere getting results fast. Are you sitting optimal way. What is the angle of your hands, fingers...

But the conclusion is that everyone can play the barre chord with right workflow which has brought results hundreds of years. I can do a short video lesson about this for you and post it here if you want?
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  #24  
Old 09-20-2016, 10:28 AM
Arthur Blake Arthur Blake is offline
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Default finger position

I think experimentation is the key. You don't keep trying the same thing over and over, you try different things.

For barre chords positioning the finger doing the barre seems to be the key. There are places where the knuckles help to press the string on the fret, but then the fleshy part of that finger doesn't press one of the other strings.

Sometimes you angle it a bit differently, or reach the finger further over the edge of the neck and that does it.

I use medium strings and do a lot of barre chords all over the neck. It just gets easier with practice, but keep trying slightly different positions until you find what works.

I object to the idea that something is hard. That only makes it worse. Don't think that way, be curious, inventive, keep searching for what you can do that does work.

As you've probably discovered by now, little teeny, tiny tweaks to the way you fret a string can make a big difference.

Another thing on barre chords - sometimes you don't have to play all the strings at once, and you can shift pressure as you move across the strings to get them to sound cleanly.
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  #25  
Old 09-20-2016, 10:49 AM
DungBeatle DungBeatle is offline
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I recently started playing a guitar with a larger fret board radius than my regular beater and that Barre chords are quite a bit easier to play on the bigger radius. Not that I'm any good or would even consider myself a guitarist so YMMV. All I can say is it's nice not to buzz-thunk on them.
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  #26  
Old 09-20-2016, 11:26 AM
Looburst Looburst is offline
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Barre chords, were for me at least, a three month long process. It's all about muscle memory and you must stick with it to get to that point where you don't have to think about it anymore. It does take a while, everyone is different, for you to build up the muscles. I'm talking full power, with no buzz at all when playing them. The best way is to incorporate them in with other easier chords in a particular song.
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  #27  
Old 09-20-2016, 12:00 PM
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rick-slo rick-slo is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wadcutter View Post
I have been frustrated since day one of guitar playing, 50 freaking years ago, in that for some reason I simply cannot shape a freaking barre chord. I just can't seem to apply enough pressure on the strings to the fretboard in such a way that produces anything but muted garbage. So I gave up and have confined myself to first three frets, first position guitar playing hell for all these years. I mean it's embarrassing to have to admit to people that you have been playing since you were 16 years old and still can't play a freaking barre chord. I sure wish I knew what the heck I'm doing wrong and why when I watch others play barre chords they make it look like it's the simplest thing in the world, no, sweat, no effort, just playing away with barre chords. I think I may be the only person in the world with barre chords on my bucket list.
I will add that at least some of your guitars came with low height fretwire, and there may well be fret wear to boot. Try out some guitar with taller fretwire. That may make it easier for you to do clean barre chords.
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  #28  
Old 09-20-2016, 12:39 PM
Arthur Blake Arthur Blake is offline
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Default one more thing

Sometimes it helps to pull the finger pressing the barré in toward the other fingers slightly so the flesh on the underside of that finger is sort of tweaked sideways.
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  #29  
Old 09-20-2016, 02:55 PM
gfa gfa is offline
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Here are a couple of things that helped me with barres, hope something is useful to you.
1. Don't think of it as squeezing the neck. Rather, think of it as pulling your fretting hand back towards you (with your thumb providing resistance).
2. Experiment with the position of your barring finger. Try rotating it, and moving it vertically. Since your finger is not a flat, smooth surface, some positions work better than others.

Beyond that, just practice practice practice. You CAN do it.

Good luck.
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  #30  
Old 09-21-2016, 06:47 PM
s0cks s0cks is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TomiPaldanius View Post
Answer is that hundreds of years of learning about hand positions and how the force of hands own weight moves to the fretboard and strings has been one of the main teaching material in academies in Europe and I guess in other places also. What you do is that you use earths gravity making that chord easy for you. More pressure you use by using muscles, more gravity and hands weight you lose.
^ This. Learning to use arm weight drastically improved my playing - it makes it so much more effortless. Still trying to drill this technique into my subconscious.

My link in my previous reply above tells you how to emulate this feeling so you know what to do.
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