7th barre chord difficult

[elstongunn]

Hey,

I'm having trouble making the 4th string ring clearly on a 7th barre cord. Any suggestions besides practice more?

THanks!

[rick-slo]

Higher up the neck frets usually are harder to fret due to string height and a narrower space to work in. Good guitar setup for action height important.

There are full six strings barres and then partial barres of less strings. Some chord shapes are easier to barre than others, so specifics of the best way
to handle them varies a bit.

As far as the fourth string you can try extending the tip of your index finger at different distances beyond the fretboard. On certain chords you can do a
double finger (middle finger overlapping the index finger) barre.

[elstongunn]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Higher up the neck frets usually are harder to fret due to string height and a narrower space to work in. Good guitar setup for action height important.

There are full six strings barres and then partial barres of less strings. Some chord shapes are easier to barre than others, so specifics of the best way
to handle them varies a bit.

As far as the fourth string you can try extending the tip of your index finger at different distances beyond the fretboard. On certain chords you can do a
double finger (middle finger overlapping the index finger) barre.

Thanks for the reply. I'm getting back into playing after many years. I guess when I learned (on electric) I would usually play the major barre chord (e shape). I probably never needed to barre the 4th string before.

[Mandobart]

Barre chords also get a little tougher up the neck because the fretboard gets wider too.

I've found rolling my index finger to the outside (where there is just tough skin over bone) vs having it flat (where there is more flesh and finger joint creases) results in cleaner barred notes.

[mr. beaumont]

Thumb over, mute 5th string, fret 4/3/2, don't play 1st string.

So a 7th fret B7 is 7 x 7 8 7 x, fingered T x 1 3 2 x

6 string barre chords are the equivalent of playing an electric with the amp on 10 all the time.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by elstongunn

Hey,

I'm having trouble making the 4th string ring clearly on a 7th barre cord. Any suggestions besides practice more?

THanks!

Hi elstongunn
When the action is good, barre chords are not a strength maneuver. However when the action is high, they can become a matter of overpowering the tension of strings which are too high.

It is fully possible to have the action proper at the low and middle end of the fingerboard, and high up the neck (and 7th fret isn't that high up).

In this video, Chris demonstrates properly set action to accommodate playing up the neck. Worth investing 22 minutes of your time.

It originally was titled "Why is my guitar playing like crap…"

The guitar puppet is very helpful to understanding action, setups and proper order to correct action. Teaching begins a 01:45.

[JonPR]

Wait till you try the 1st position Fm7 barre chord: 1-3-1-1-1-1...

Seriously, summing up the advice above:

1. Check your set-up. The bottom of the nut slots should be the same height as a fret, because essentially that's all it is, a zero fret. But many guitar nuts are manufactured a little high, because that's obviously safer than erring the other way.

2. Experiment with different placements of the index across the strings (how far the fingertip comes above the top edge of the neck), and also with rocking the index on its side a little (not too far). But mainly, keep the index right up close behind the fret, not back midway between the frets.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by elstongunn

Hey,

I'm having trouble making the 4th string ring clearly on a 7th barre cord. Any suggestions besides practice more?

THanks!

Hi euston-etc
Also, you need to adjust your 'barre' finger back/forth a bit to keep the joint of the finger off the 4th string.

[PeterM]

What is the fretboard radius?

I have the same issue with my Rainsong...20 inch radius.
No problems with Martin, 16 inch radius or my Gibby, 12 inch radius.

[nbs2005]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Thumb over, mute 5th string, fret 4/3/2, don't play 1st string.

So a 7th fret B7 is 7 x 7 8 7 x, fingered T x 1 3 2 x

6 string barre chords are the equivalent of playing an electric with the amp on 10 all the time.

This is what I do. I have not played a full barre chord in years

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by nbs2005

This is what I do. I have not played a full barre chord in years

The use of full barres comes up probably more in fingerstyle guitar (say alternate thumbing for example where the melody is in the upper strings and the accompaning notes on the lower strings) than in some other genres.
For example my composition "Pinky Bee" uses a lot of them
http://dcoombsguitar.com/Guitar%20Mu...r/PinkyBee.wav