When did barre chords no longer scare you?

[Steel and wood]

Day one for me ..... opened up the fret board also.

[THart]

still have trouble with barre chords, maybe my fingers just aren't shaped right. Strumming, they can sound okay (maybe just okay) but trying to hammer on or pull off and it just goes dead between the knuckles like there's a bridge over the middle strings.

[Pitar]

The first time I saw a barre chord on a chart I had no idea how I was going to place it. After a few minutes of fumbling around I realized it required using the index finger as a capo-like clamp. That immediately challenged me and after a few days I realized how to use it as such for each of the barred chords. It was more of a technique in placement than a use of pressure. But, it never daunted me. Everything about playing was a challenge so I took it all in about the same time, going in, and taught myself patience before all else. I think the barre chords were second nature within the first 6 months.

[Floridapicker]

For me I feel while bar chords have their place I'd much rather play a part of that chord to suit the song. Especially in a band situation. I have learned over the years to not be afraid of any chord. Study Bob Weir sometime. He plays some crazy jazz chords in rock songs that somehow work. (I'm no expert on music theory) -just my two cents

[Looburst]

It's really just another part of learning the guitar and nobody should be frightened or intimidated by them, just learn them. You'll be glad you did! There's sooo much more there within those Barre chords than meets the eye, once you do it.

[sirwhale]

When I bought my flamenco guitar and sold my acoustic

[N+1]

Best help I ever saw is this story of 'little Jennifer':

The 'Little Jennifer' method

The trick is not to use your hands or wrists to apply the pressure, but your arm - so that with the right elbow preventing the guitar from rotating outwards, the guitar is gently pulled in against you with the left arm when you make the barre chord. There's a better description at the link.

It's really worth a try. First time you do it, it raises a smile when you realise just how little force is really needed.

[SunnyDee]

None of it's scary, but it took a couple of months to get them to sound clear in a progression. They don't really take any strength the way I play them. The A shape, though, has taken longer. I had to work on that just a little here and there over another 6-8 months. The ring finger does need a little more strength there, imo, and the position to cover three strings is a bit fussy because my finger is only just big enough if positioned right on.

[lpa53]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Day one really. Don't be intimidated. It's moving around between chords cleanly and quickly
that takes more practice time. However you need an easy playing guitar (well set up
(short scale may help as would light gauge strings) guitar).

Good point about the setup. Decent action will help. A newbie struggling with barre chords could try placing a capo at the first fret to help gain confidence that barring can be done.

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by N+1

The trick is not to use your hands or wrists to apply the pressure, but your arm - so that with the right elbow preventing the guitar from rotating outwards, the guitar is gently pulled in against you with the left arm when you make the barre chord.

Sort of acceptable (though not necessary) when you are hanging onto the same barre chord for a while. Not good when moving from chord to chord with any kind of speed,.

[Mr. Jelly]

I don't do barre chords for the most part. I do partial chords mostly. Most of the time I don't have any reason to play barre chords.

[N+1]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Not good when moving from chord to chord with any kind of speed,.

In this case though, he's a beginner and probably won't be doing any quick changes for a while. What he wants in the meantime is to get a clean sound from a barre chord. I think it would have made a difference to me, had someone suggested it when I was starting.

[tonyo]

I tried to learn to play guitar 25 years ago unsuccessfully. When I picked up the guitar again 6 years ago, I could not remember any of the chords but did remember that I'd avoided barre chords and was determined not do so this time.

So I started playing that dreaded F chord as a barre from day one. It took me at least 2 months before it stopped sounding dreadful. Now, I'm so thrilled I stuck with it as I have friends who struggle and won't take that leap.

Don't worry about how long it takes, just stick with it till it works

[Nailpicker]

Barre chords never intimidated me. I started guitar lessons when I was too young to have enough brains to be intimidated, too excited to learn and too much in love with the instrument. I didn't at first play them consistently well of course. What did intimidate me a little were some of the finger twisting, far out, crazy jazz chords my second teacher got me into, changing quickly from one finger twister to another. When he did it it was magic.

[jfq722]

Originally Posted by shadow714

Made me think there must have been a time when they no longer where a consideration in playing.

For me, its when I reached the point where the pain in my fretting hand (though still severe) would go away within seconds of stopping - and then I could get right back to it.

When I was practicing a song (fyi...Leroy Brown is an awesome song for barre chord practice - G, A, B, C, D, C, G, D7....The D7 (turnaround) being the only non-barred chord in the whole song) and I got to the point where I couldn't play another Barre, I'd substitute an open chord as a form of "active recovery".

Play along to Leroy a few times a day - you'll get there pretty quickly.