partial barre chords

[HOF dad]

I've always struggled a bit to play chords that only barre 3 or 4 of the top strings.
I know why - it's because the top crease in my index finger is over one of the strings.
Sometimes I play it ok - sometimes not.
I'll generally play a full barre even if it's not needed because it puts my finger in the right spots to avoid muting anything.
I've tried rolling the finger more towards the side to avoid the crease and
again - with varying degrees of success.
I'm leaning on the vast experience and knowledge of the forum for some suggestions to improve.

[phydaux]

I cheat all the time by only playing the top four strings of a barre chord. I don’t even worry about it anymore.

[mr. beaumont]

You got it exactly--roll that finger back towards the nut, so the fingernail points more towards the tuning pegs... more side of finger than bottom.

[rmp]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

You got it exactly--roll that finger back towards the nut, so the fingernail points more towards the tuning pegs... more side of finger than bottom.

yep... that

[rick-slo]

For me and probably most people avoiding a crease over a string buzz problem takes more care with a full bare than
a half barre. Half barre as close to or even on the fret somewhat as you can without muting the strings somewhat.

[Robin, Wales]

This is definitely one of those areas that will have different degrees of difficulty for different folks. If the full barre works for you, then go with that.

I used to full barre when I was younger but a climbing accident and amputation put paid to that. Now my partial barre covers just the first and second strings. So I just rearrange tunes to suit. No big deal really.

[jseth]

One thing that might help is to realize that you're wanting to "pull" your fretting hand to the fingerboard, as opposed to "pushing" the strings down...

Actually pull the neck a bit closer to your body when you fret the partial barre; it's a slight movement, but it will give you the feeling...

Of course, having your fingers in the correct position for the chord is paramount...

[HOF dad]

First off - thanks to all you guys.
You can always be counted on to weigh in with great insight and advice.

Robin - I can play a full barre easier but there are some songs that I play which require a partial.

A good case in point is Never Going Back Again in drop D.
I'm ok on the first part but in the section between the first and second verse, you barre the top 3 strings on the second fret and play the B and D strings on the 5th fret. THAT stretch challenges me to play it cleanly.
Again, sometimes and do and sometimes not which drives me crazy.

What brought me to start this topic is that I'm learning a new TE tune
"Stay close to me" that requires almost the same grip.
I'll take all your advice and keep practicing.

Again......you guys are the best!

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by HOF dad

First off - thanks to all you guys.
You can always be counted on to weigh in with great insight and advice.

Robin - I can play a full barre easier but there are some songs that I play which require a partial.

A good case in point is Never Going Back Again in drop D.
I'm ok on the first part but in the section between the first and second verse, you barre the top 3 strings on the second fret and play the B and D strings on the 5th fret. THAT stretch challenges me to play it cleanly.
Again, sometimes and do and sometimes not which drives me crazy.

What brought me to start this topic is that I'm learning a new TE tune
"Stay close to me" that requires almost the same grip.
I'll take all your advice and keep practicing.

Again......you guys are the best!

Not familiar with the tune, and I'm a tad hazy on the actual chord description, so correct me if I'm missing something....

But instead of playing that awkward shape you have a few options, one of them should work.

1. Fret just the B and D strings at the 5th fret, leave the G and high E open. Including the open A also sounds neat.

2. Fret the B and D strings on the 5th, fret the G string on the 4th, let the high E ring open. I think this one is a little closer to the original chord. The open A doesnt work with this one, but fretting the A string on the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th fret adds some interesting color.

3. Fret the A string on the 10th fret, the D string on the 11th, and the G string on the 9th. Let the B and high E ring open. I think this one is pretty close to your original chor and its got a nice, big, open chord sound to it.

My own philosophy is that if you dont like the chord you are playing, just invent a substitute. IMO it can be done with suprizingly few exceptions (others might dissagree).

[Bushleague]

Tried playing the actual song, and I could get all those chord shapes to work. The easyest though, was to just play the open G,B, and high E strings, and pluck off of the 2nd fret on the high E. The actual notes you need are mostly from the bottom half of a E minor chord shape, with the 2nd (I think ?) needing to be fretted. Specifics aside, I hope I made my intended point.

[HOF dad]

which song?
I'll give it a test run
thanks!

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by HOF dad

which song?
I'll give it a test run
thanks!

Never Going Back Again, the chord you described, assuming your talking about the Fleetwood Mac song. All substitutes worked, the one I stated last was the easyest in the context of the song. If I were strumming the chord I'd probably gravitate more to either option 1 or 3, using those bass notes on the A string with option 2 could sound glorious in the right place.

The point being that these types of substitutes can be made in all kinds of places, to either make your life easyer or make for a different sound.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by HOF dad

I've always struggled a bit to play chords that only barre 3 or 4 of the top strings.
I know why - it's because the top crease in my index finger is over one of the strings.
Sometimes I play it ok - sometimes not.
I'll generally play a full barre even if it's not needed because it puts my finger in the right spots to avoid muting anything.
I've tried rolling the finger more towards the side to avoid the crease and
again - with varying degrees of success.
I'm leaning on the vast experience and knowledge of the forum for some suggestions to improve.

Keep practicing the finger roll. Keep in mind that muting one string (one note) in a tune with probably a hundred or so notes is something that falls in the category of "no one cares " ...

It's just something that will improve over time.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by HOF dad

I've always struggled a bit to play chords that only barre 3 or 4 of the top strings.
I know why - it's because the top crease in my index finger is over one of the strings.

In that case, shift the finger across the neck a little so the crease is between the strings.

I can see that's a problem if you want (say) the top 4 strings barred and the open 5th string. I just tried it myself, and that crease does mean I need to be very careful how I place the finger (so the tip doesn't move over and touch the 5th). I can get it work, but maybe because my fingers are fairly skinny and that "crease" has has bone right under the skin.

But I've also found a slight angle helps. I.e., instead of putting the finger parallel to the frets, I angle so the tip points away from the nut a little. That crease is then at a more comfortable angle to the string (and I can still do whatever I need to with the other fingers).

Originally Posted by HOF dad

I've tried rolling the finger more towards the side to avoid the crease and
again - with varying degrees of success.

Yes, I've never been a fan of that tactic myself. I know others use it (and recommend it here!), but I don't like the angle it puts all my other fingers in. But I guess it's mainly because I can barre just fine without having to do that.

One big issue, of course, is your guitar set-up! Barres should really require very little effort at all on a well set-up instrument.