The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > PLAY and Write

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #91  
Old 04-02-2016, 08:20 AM
polarred21 polarred21 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Upper North Carolina
Posts: 1,111
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by rick-slo View Post
Just an issue with chord naming due to the position of the root note?
E.g. Bm/F# instead of Bm.
Yes and this is very confusing for a beginner and the first time I've seen such a chart.

The F, G and A major chords on the top line are correct although you don't need all the notes on the barre for these chords, but I guess it's a good habit to be in when you lift fingers........ maybe?

The C major on the top line root note is on the 5th string and not the 6th, so you don't need that low E string (G note) but it is part of the chord so that really makes it a C/G. This chord is very hard to fret with the finger tip on the 5th string as compared to letting finger tip go beyond the fret board.

But how many people barre all 6 all the time just to play 5 strings?
__________________
2006 Yamaha F200TXR 4 stroke. My Guitars - Yamaha FG700S Sandburst; Epiphone Les Paul Standard; 2018 Yamaha LL-16D Natural; Ibanez Talman Bass; Fender Standard Telecaster; Yamaha FG820-12 Natural; Yamaha FS830 Tobacco Brown Sunburst; ....A beginner practicing almost everyday since 12/15/14....{:::]==={=O=I}
Reply With Quote
  #92  
Old 04-02-2016, 08:53 AM
rick-slo's Avatar
rick-slo rick-slo is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: San Luis Obispo, CA
Posts: 17,172
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by polarred21 View Post
But how many people barre all 6 all the time just to play 5 strings?
Depends. For example when strumming the Bm chord you might barre all six strings to avoid accidently hitting the unbarred low E string - which would sound worse than accidently strumming the barred F# note. Depends on how accurate a strummer you are. Also (mostly beyond pure strumming) the wanted low note may alternate, such as B-F#-B-F#...
__________________
Derek Coombs
Youtube -> Website -> Music -> Tabs
Guitars by Mark Blanchard, Albert&Mueller, Paul Woolson, Collings, Composite Acoustics, and Derek Coombs

"Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."

Woods hands pick by eye and ear
Made to one with pride and love
To be that we hold so dear
A voice from heavens above
Reply With Quote
  #93  
Old 04-02-2016, 10:01 AM
Bingoccc Bingoccc is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 7,048
Default

I tend to barre all 6, even for 4 string chords. I found that consistently barring the same way, or as close as I could anyway, made my barre better over time.
Reply With Quote
  #94  
Old 05-17-2020, 03:34 AM
rpnfan rpnfan is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 69
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bingoccc View Post
Spend some time working on your technique with those shapes up at the sixth or seventh frets. It may make them easier to learn.
I can play a bar chord at the first fret, but the higher up I go on the fretboard the harder it gets. Does that mean the setup is not optimal?
Reply With Quote
  #95  
Old 05-17-2020, 10:57 AM
JonPR JonPR is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 6,450
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by rpnfan View Post
I can play a bar chord at the first fret, but the higher up I go on the fretboard the harder it gets. Does that mean the setup is not optimal?
Quite possibly.

The usual experience IME is the reverse - because many people have bad set-ups at the nut end. If the nut is too high, then it's a lot harder to barre at fret 1 than it is higher up.

However, it seems like your nut is perfect if you can barre OK at fret 1. It's more likely your action is too high for other reasons. The other things you need to check are (a) neck relief and (b) bridge height.

There are plenty of tips online as to how high your action should be (measuring distance between strings and fret 12), so check that first. There's also guidance on how to check your neck relief.

Neck relief is a very slight lengthwise concave dip in the neck, enabling the strings to come off each fret at the same angle. (If the neck was dead straight, then that angle would increase as you moved up the neck.)

Altering the truss rod to fix the relief (if necessary) is something you can do yourself. On an acoustic, lowering the bridge saddle (if necessary) is usually best done by a luthier. You can do it yourself, but it's fiddly and easy to go too far.

If you find your neck relief is too much, then you can straighten it a little by tightening the truss rod. Again, there are instructions online on how to do that. If you have the right tool it's easy, and you can't do any damage (unless you really are stupidly clumsy ). Just make sure you do it with the strings on and tuned up, because the truss rod is countering the string tension.

If the neck relief is fine, and the action is still too high (and your nut seems fine) then the bridge saddle needs lowering. This is done by removing it and sanding the bottom of it. As I say, it's easy to overdo it or do it badly - and it's time consuming too. If you don't have access to a luthier, and you have suitable tools, you can do it yourself, but take care.
__________________
"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." - Leonard Cohen.
Reply With Quote
  #96  
Old 05-17-2020, 01:17 PM
rpnfan rpnfan is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 69
Default

Thanks Jon for the detailed answer. I'll try to fix it or see if I can get a chance to get to a luthier (which is a longer ride unfortunately).
Reply With Quote
  #97  
Old 06-12-2020, 04:14 PM
tupper tupper is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 37
Default

When I started out, I bought a "Gripmaster" hand strengthener. Whenever I was sitting around, I used that device. There a several different strength levels. I think it does a great job of strengthening the fingers/hand/wrist.
If you ever use this device - SQUEEZE SLOWLY. This provides the most befits. This is true of lots of exercises.
Reply With Quote
  #98  
Old 06-16-2020, 09:39 AM
JonPR JonPR is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 6,450
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by tupper View Post
When I started out, I bought a "Gripmaster" hand strengthener. Whenever I was sitting around, I used that device. There a several different strength levels. I think it does a great job of strengthening the fingers/hand/wrist.
If you ever use this device - SQUEEZE SLOWLY. This provides the most befits. This is true of lots of exercises.
I remember those!

They were great for increasing grip strength. Unfortunately they didn't help much with guitar playing, because when you got back on the guitar you could press harder, but it hurt more!
What those things really need is little bits of guitar string embedded in the buttons, so you can toughen up the skin as well as the muscle strength.

They don't help with stretching either. They improve one aspect of skill at the expense of at least two others. If you have to be away from the guitar for any length of time they can be useful, but the best device for improving left hand skills is the guitar itself.
__________________
"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." - Leonard Cohen.
Reply With Quote
  #99  
Old 06-16-2020, 09:49 AM
Huskyman Huskyman is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: The Western United States
Posts: 431
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by ljguitar View Post
Hi Shekie…

After 40 years of teaching, I can tell you it's not strength but other things which affect barre chord play. If the action is set decently (not too high) and the

Here are three short (about 1 minute each) videos I made for students and friends. Old school video technology, but they still help get the info across.

I have them both embedded so you can play them from this page, and the link for each is included below it.



Where is the Pressure? - CLiCK



Barre From Above and Behind - CLiCK



Barre from Front - CLiCK


Hope these help…



Thanks for your videos. I kind of have the opposite issue. I think I have some arthritis in my index finger on my fretting hand. It is much easier for me to barre all 6 strings when maybe only the first 4 are needed. For instance in the intro to Stairway the first 4 strings need to be barred but it sort of kills me to do that while barring all 6 is no issue and no pain at all. Same thing with the baby F chord versions in open position. The barre F chord is no issue but a 4 or 5 string F is. Sometimes when I can get away with it I will omit the high E string on the F so I don't need to make that little 2 string barre. I hate to admit it but I sometimes feel like I am cheating!
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > PLAY and Write

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:46 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=