Barre chords and soft fingers

[Nailpicker]

Originally Posted by PastorSteve

The only advice I have is to play/pracice more. There's really no other answer. More play with proper technique. If you're not sure, ask a teacher for lessons for a period.

A lot of good advice in this thread, but I believe it mostly boils down to the above.

[FwL]

Another thing to try is just barre across all six strings with your index finger alone and see if you can get all the strings to ring.

Try this at various locations on the fingerboard.

If you can get that happening then you know your finger is not defective.

Then try adding the other fingers back in one at a time. You should be able to isolate where the problem comes from pretty quickly and figure out if it can be corrected.

[BFD]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

...Learning to use barre chords and non barre chords with equal facility is a good idea.

This I agree w/...eventually...in the context of actual music

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Outside of pure strumming having all six strings sounding, either at the same time or sequentially, is not the often the reason for using barres...

Most people who are obsessing about barre chords - generally beginners - ARE purely strumming and expecting that they should be getting sustain and TONE that are equal to what they get w/simple open chords. They think this because guitar (not acoustic guitar!) books, teachers, websites etc. tell them they should. At a very early stage, usually. So they become convinced that the path to being good - on acoustic guitar - requires mastering barre chords. They'd be a whole lot better off studying Mother Maybelle, or any other good, basic, solid, guitar player from the genre of their choice. That way they're studying music, instead of tool-collecting. IMHO

[FwL]

Originally Posted by BFD

This I agree w/...eventually...in the context of actual music



Most people who are obsessing about barre chords - generally beginners - ARE purely strumming and expecting that they should be getting sustain and TONE that are equal to what they get w/simple open chords. They think this because guitar (not acoustic guitar!) books, teachers, websites etc. tell them they should. At a very early stage, usually. So they become convinced that the path to being good - on acoustic guitar - requires mastering barre chords. They'd be a whole lot better off studying Mother Maybelle, or any other good, basic, solid, guitar player from the genre of their choice. That way they're studying music, instead of tool-collecting. IMHO

I agree with what you're saying, but I think most method books are trying to get beginners going with big strum strum chords in the most common keys. Without the dreaded F barre chord you can't do key of C.

As Mick Goodrick pointed out in his book most teachers are the product of this same method.

[BFD]

Originally Posted by FwL

...Without the dreaded F barre chord you can't do key of C...

'Fraid I need to disagree w/you there

Lots of seasoned players, w/larger hands, thumb over to get the bass note. Very common in fingerstyle. Even though my hands are not large, I do the same for some passages (my Mod-V neck is the best choice for that..). I also use the barre chord sometimes.

I only use either of those techniques though, when I really want the bass F note. If I only want an F Chord, I generally use a 5 string version on the 1-5 strings, which only bars the 1&2 strings and is much easier to play and to transition to and from when playing in C (or F). I see plenty of accomplished players doing the same.

[FwL]

Originally Posted by BFD

'Fraid I need to disagree w/you there

Lots of seasoned players, w/larger hands, thumb over to get the bass note. Very common in fingerstyle. Even though my hands are not large, I do the same for some passages (my Mod-V neck is the best choice for that..). I also use the barre chord sometimes.

I only use either of those techniques though, when I really want the bass F note. If I only want an F Chord, I generally use a 5 string version on the 1-5 strings, which only bars the 1&2 strings and is much easier to play and to transition to and from when playing in C (or F). I see plenty of accomplished players doing the same.

No... I was and am agreeing with your position. There are half a dozen different ways to make an F chord that are probably more useful and are definitely easier to play.

I was just trying to point out where the reality of beginners struggling over that dreaded F barre chord comes from and why it keeps getting passed on to every new generation of players.

I mean Mel Bay would roll over in his grave if a method book came out saying, "Wrap your thumb over the top if you need that low F note"