Bending that ring finger

[Beakybird]

Let's say you're playing an F bar chord on the sixth fret (like an easy A chord raised 6 frets). Can you play the second third and fourth strings with your ring finger and bend it enough to not mute the high E? I can't and never could. Or do you play the notes with the tips of three fingers? That's what I do, but it's a challenge to bunch my fingers close together at the top of the neck.

[Jerry D]

Originally Posted by Beakybird

Let's say you're playing an F bar chord on the sixth fret (like an easy A chord raised 6 frets). Can you play the second third and fourth strings with your ring finger and bend it enough to not mute the high E?

Yes. But not sure what you mean by an "easy A chord", since I make an open A with three fingers.

[DenverSteve]

I assume he’s talking about a barred F chord on the eighth fret. So that would be barre, not bar. The same as the C, D, E or G moving up the neck.

[AllThumbsBruce]

Yes, I can, but it took a lot of practice. I got a vision that I could get there by learning to play a one-finger A chord, first with my pointer finger and then with my ring finger. After that I moved it up a few frets and added the barre with the pointer finger. One thing that helps me is to not over squeeze it and to tilt it a bit so the ring finger is not perfectly perpendicular to the fret board. I guess that is two things. I am not sure, but I think it also involved increasing the flexibility of my ring finger for the reverse bend. Now I find it is a really fun and useful chord to play.

[bufflehead]

Short answer = no.

That finger doesn't want to bend that way. I can find alternative ways to play that chord. If that doesn't work, there's always the accordion.

[perttime]

My ring fingers bend easily "the wrong way", so barring 3 strings with it is easy.

Weirdly, my ring fingers also do not bend much "the right way" at that joint, so there's other challenges with some other fingerings.

[ntha]

Originally Posted by bufflehead

Short answer = no.

That finger doesn't want to bend that way. I can find alternative ways to play that chord. If that doesn't work, there's always the accordion.

Why not?
It's not easy but can be done with practice.
That said, I feel that "A shaped" barre chord grips sound better with the E sting actually muted.

[Guitars+gems]

My teacher is having me practice that now. It's tough, my finger just doesn't want to bend that way but he promises it will eventually if I keep at it. One thing he showed me is that if you curl the pinky into your palm and move your elbow away from your body (instead of next to it as for regular barres) your hand will be in the optimal position.

[1neeto]

Originally Posted by ntha

Why not?

It's not easy but can be done with practice.

That said, I feel that "A shaped" barre chord grips sound better with the E sting actually muted.

I was gonna say that it’s not a big deal to mute the high e since the triad is played on the lower notes already. But I do like that octave fifth ringing though.

[musicman1951]

I was lost for a while, but I think you mean the F (IV) chord on the 8th fret. No, I don't use the 1st string on that chord.

[fazool]

Yes I can but it is tricky

[JimCA]

Originally Posted by Beakybird

Let's say you're playing an F bar chord on the sixth fret (like an easy A chord raised 6 frets). Can you play the second third and fourth strings with your ring finger and bend it enough to not mute the high E? I can't and never could. Or do you play the notes with the tips of three fingers? That's what I do, but it's a challenge to bunch my fingers close together at the top of the neck.

At first I couldn't do either the 3 finger bunch or the ring finger back bend with the barre chord. Kept working both and the breakthrough happened on single finger back bend, which in time became more flexible. There is the issue of finger tip joint length vs string spacing, but that's OK for me. I also use single finger on open A chord.

[Silly Moustache]

Nope - never could but now I have "trigger fingers all over - even more impossible ....is that a .."thing?"

Keep away from the dusty end!

[reeve21]

I can do it, but not every time.

I always used the end of my pinky finger to make the small bar for a long time. It is more flexible than the ring finger joint.

Started taking private lessons, and my teacher pointed out that I'll need that pinky to fret some other strings, so better to use the ring finger to make the bar.

At first I couldn't do it everywhere on the fretboard. But it keeps improving all the time. Like most things, it is a matter of practice. I remember a quote from a famous guitarist (but I can't remember which one!) along the lines of there are no difficult pieces of music, just ones that I'm not yet familiar with.

Using the tips of the middle, ring and pinky fingers while keeping a full barre with the first finger seems very difficult to me. I don't go there.

[Pitar]

Originally Posted by Beakybird

Let's say you're playing an F bar chord on the sixth fret (like an easy A chord raised 6 frets). Can you play the second third and fourth strings with your ring finger and bend it enough to not mute the high E? I can't and never could. Or do you play the notes with the tips of three fingers? That's what I do, but it's a challenge to bunch my fingers close together at the top of the neck.

All my half barres are with the index (open A) or the ring fingers. I could not bend the tip of the index finger enough at first but kept at it until I could. The ring finger was capable from day one. Big fingers, I can't crowd three fingers into a single fret even in the first position. It was either bend the index and ring fingers or mute the E string.