B minor chord

[terryd913]

I’m slightly beyond a novice guitar player. I’m struggling a bit with a B minor chord using the root on the 5th string. Any suggestions or is it simply a matter of continual repetition?

Thanks, all.

[CelticDude]

I should probably wait until more experienced players respond, but I'm also a beginner player, maybe beyond novice (or at least should be). A partial Bm chord used especially in trad Irish is to play the notes of the Bm on the middle 4 strings. So no bar, but you are using all four fingers: index on 5th str, 2nd fret; middle on 2nd str, 3rd fret, and other fingers getting the 4th fret on the other middle strings.

The above works, but I'm also practising barre chords, including the full Bm. I had despaired of ever getting them, but persistence is paying off; I'm at least in the 80% club now for barre chords. So yes, also continual repetition.

[semolinapilcher]

Another workaround is a poor man’s Bm7:

x2020x

[BrunoBlack]

I think you’ll get it with plenty of reps. However, B and B Flat were my most difficult to get down so I could play them clean and quick. Good luck.

[Coler]

Originally Posted by terryd913

I’m slightly beyond a novice guitar player. I’m struggling a bit with a B minor chord using the root on the 5th string. Any suggestions or is it simply a matter of continual repetition?

Thanks, all.

I believe you're looking for tips on technique not work around? Which is great because this is a very important shape for you to nail. Once you can take that full barre you can move it up and down the fretboard with this and many other shapes. It's a real sign of progress in your development as a guitarist.

So I would encourage you to stick with it and get it right. It is indeed constant repetition but with focus. I can't really advise you on technique without seeing yours but just make sure you're following a solid course/instructions. Someone like Justinguitar will have a lesson on it if you look. Thumb position is very important but it is not about squeezing tightly. When you get them down to should be able to play them reasonably well without your thumb if you wanted to (never actually done for any other reason than to show you can lol).

By way of encouragement, I remember well when I got the barre under my belt and it did not happen overnight, on any of the basic shapes.

Instead I got there in increments. I would suggest you spend some time each day setting the shape and trying to make sure each string rings until this is effortless for you. However there's no substitute for just making every effort to drop it into a song as often as you can. You have to be able to change into it smoothly.

I used to make deliberate attempts to strum songs I knew well using only barre chords. Sounded awful but who cares? Then it started to sound...less awful...and so on.

Good luck with it. If I can do it, you most certainly can.

[Br1ck]

First thing that comes to mind with beginner issues is have you had your guitar set up?

A Bm is harder than it needs to be if your nut slots are cut high, a very common problem with guitars beginners are likely to buy. I'm not saying they are ever easy, but a barre chord with poor action is hard for a veteran.

Now I know paying someone up to $100 on a three or four hundred dollar guitar seems a real pain, but you won't regret it if you do.

[Ben M.]

Those B chords are all a pain. If I understand you right you’re talking about an A minor barred at the second fret.
I don’t know any guitar players who didn’t struggle with bar chords.
There aren’t any tricks or shortcuts that I know of. You just have to keep at it until you get it.
High action will make bar chords almost impossible so make sure you have a good setup.

[MC5C]

I can play it as a full barre chord all day long, it's not a hard chord, but I play it with the root on the fifth, do not play the 6th string (it's a chord tone, but it makes it sound muddy) and I similarly often don't play the first string. Four notes is ample. Just my way. Another nice Bm chord (Bm7) is at the 7th fret, straight barre across everything but leave out the fifth string.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by terryd913

I’m slightly beyond a novice guitar player. I’m struggling a bit with a B minor chord using the root on the 5th string. Any suggestions or is it simply a matter of continual repetition?

Thanks, all.

Hi Terry, I've been playing for fifty years, and I hate the Bm chord too. I use it rarely, as a III chord to G or the II chord to A - in which case I'd tend to use a capo, and simply play an Am shape.

I am pretty much a 1st position kinda guy, but I can do barre chords when absolutley necessary, but I'll avoid them when I can.

[wguitar]

Barre chords are so important if you ever decide to transpose songs to fit your vocal range better. For me, chords like Dbm seem to pop up more than they used to, but once I learned that it's just a Bm barre a couple frets up it's all good. Sure, barre chords take time but practice is the key, and you'll be glad you took the time. Most of us remember playing the F chord for the 1st time (yikes, 2 strings with the same finger ! Oh, how you missed G C and D (with only 3 notes). It's all good -- Have Fun ! Cheers!

[Wade Hampton]

I agree with Paul here:

Originally Posted by Haasome

I think you’ll get it with plenty of reps. However, B and B Flat were my most difficult to get down so I could play them clean and quick. Good luck.

The B minor chord is an obstacle that most of us have had to struggle to overcome. But the effort's worth it, because once you learn that chord and can play it fluently it means your skills have progressed significantly.


Wade Hampton Miller

[raysachs]

Here's a thread I started on my problems with the Bm about 7-8 months ago. I play it as a partial barre chord, like an Am moved up two frets and my index finger on the high E string, second fret. I mute the 5th and 6th strings with my thumb. I'm really smooth on barre chords on electric and play the full barre there as I move between barre chords, but on acoustic I'm generally transitioning to it from an open chord and that's a barre chord I just have a lot of trouble getting to from an open chord.

I got some good advice in this thread and I nail it about 98% of the time now. But I've been playing for 42+ years and it's a chord I still trip over every now and then. Don't feel bad...

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...=tripping+over

-Ray

[rick-slo]

Many barre chords go from fairly easy to impossible depending solely on the guitar's action height. Often novices have
poorly set up guitars and don't have the experience to be aware of it. Have that checked out by someone in the know.

The Bm barre shape is not a particularly difficult one to play, so don't right off look for some work around on this bread and
butter chord and you'll be able to play "Lay, Lady, Lay" in no time.

[Riverwolf]

[/IMG]
Sorry so big

Arthritic fingers prevent barre chords.
So I use this one.
I also reverse fingers 3 and 4, so my fingers are all in a row.

[Jwills57]

There's a funny saying I heard from a famous player at a guitar camp one summer, which went something like this--"You spend your first five years on the guitar trying to figure out how to play bar chords and the next fifty years trying to figure out how to play without them." Some truth in this. But, of course, managing bar chords is part of the learning curve. I echo what others have said. If your guitar is the least little bit on the stiff side to play, this can be a real detriment to practicing in general, let alone to learning bar chords. So, have somebody who knows check your guitar's action and also maybe try a lighter string gauge. I just have a new student who had light gauge (.012-.052) on her guitar. I put on a set of super extra lights (.010-.048), and this is making a huge difference for her. Might be worth a try, until you feel comfortable with your technique.