Someone please tell me Barre chords do get easier

[twangin]

Been playing for about 6 months now.

Open chords have been going fairly smoothly, well until I started trying to mute certain strings. So now for instance, when I play an A, I mute the big E string with my thumb, but now the fold in my pinkie muffles the little e string. Grrrr!

And for Barre chords. Criminy! Is it possible that some hands just aren't meant to do it? No matter how I place my index finger, one of the creases in my finger ends up over a string I'm trying to bar. Any suggestions? Maybe I could tape a popsicle stick to my finger?

[C Squared]

Yes, they do get easier!!!

Initially I would suggest taking your middle finger and adding it on top to your first finger. This will give you just a little more pressure then with your first finger alone. It also helps to try and use your first finger slightly angled so that you are using a little bit of the flesh on the side of it. Start with an A minor barre in the V position (5th fret). When trying to find the sweet spot for your first finger to barre, play each string individually and listen for notes that won't ring true. If you have any, take your finger up and off and move it a little up or down. I've seen a lot of people just try and slide their finger up or down and then all they are doing is moving the strings a bit sharp, and still have the same dead notes.

[mojofilter]

Play an E maj chord with your pinky on the 5th string 2nd fret now take your ring finger a place it /or tuck it behind your pinky on the 4th string 2nd fret! Now take your 2nd finger and place it on the 1st fret third string.Now this leaves your 1st free to barre any chord as you slide up! ALL major barre chords are based on the E[Emaj] fingering. And to your question about your hand size no its not the size of your hands you have just got to train your fingers! use this pinky/first E chord method,I promise in no time you will train that littlle sucker.I hope this illustration helps Now take your index finger and barre all six strings and practice hammering into that F chord, slide to the third fret and hammer into the G chord,and so on all the way up the neck. Good luck ..... If you are talking about the way Jimi Hendrix plays his barre chords they are based on the F major chord with the thumb rapping around the top of the neck to play the base note of the chord like this....

[5F6-A]

persevere and you'll see results

[Scooter2112]

Practice them on an acoustic until you've gotten them to all ring out. It's tougher to do than on an electric, but the idea is to build the strength in your fingers. When you switch back to an electric, it should be a piece of cake.

[Roman Rist]

OK, I'll tell you. Barre chords get easier

[guitarEd]

for barre chords, if the action is too high, you can have problems.....
were you place your thumb on the back fo the neck...
relax your left hand, newbies tend to put a death grip on the neck when chording. Proper technique is a plus here.
what is your guitar?? Neck radius can make a difference for some people. I
find I need to place my index finger a little higher up to get all the strings to sound....
But other than that, keep practicing, it does get easier.

ed

[lightningmonkey]

Just keep doing it. After awhile they're even easier than the doing it the other way.

[siore]

Originally Posted by C Squared

Yes, they do get easier!!!

Initially I would suggest taking your middle finger and adding it on top to your first finger. This will give you just a little more pressure then with your first finger alone. It also helps to try and use your first finger slightly angled so that you are using a little bit of the flesh on the side of it. Start with an A minor barre in the V position (5th fret). When trying to find the sweet spot for your first finger to barre, play each string individually and listen for notes that won't ring true. If you have any, take your finger up and off and move it a little up or down. I've seen a lot of people just try and slide their finger up or down and then all they are doing is moving the strings a bit sharp, and still have the same dead notes.

+1

Learned this way back in the 90's! Take two fingers to barre. Take a song book with chords, and try to play everything you see there in barre form. You'll find some songs more interesting that way, and you get to train your barre finger. Eventually, you'll develop strength, and you'll get impatient with two-finger barres, that you can do it already with one!

Extra tip: Work on those minor barre chords (with root on the 6th string), and dominant 7ths(root on 5th). If you can nail those and make every note ring, you can nail other barre forms. Pay special attention to them.

Am
E|----5----|
B|----5----|
G|----5----|
D|----7----|
A|----7----|
E|----5----|

D7
E|----5----|
B|----7----|
G|----5----|
D|----7----|
A|----5----|
E|----x----|

[goby]

Hi!

I made a big deal on the board when I learned to finally play a F Chord (barred) well. But truly, it really was a big deal. I'm not sure if anyone else did it this way, but this is how I did it....

I played Am to F Chord for about 2 hours a day for 2 weeks with a Metronome. When I first started, it took 5-10 second to get from Am to F. Then I started with a metronome at about 30. I kept doing it, for about 30 mins at a time, 4 times a day. That's all I did on the guitar, other than a few scales in between.

I finally did it and told the world! It was really a monumental feat for me. Now I love the F chord and the Bflat. It gave me confidence to do anything.

You will get it, but it won't be easy. I only say that so you won't give up. You need to learn that F Chord. So put a smile on your face, get metronome software (they're free on the internet) and just start practicing, knowing that in a month you will love that chord.

[goby]

Oh, I find it easier when I play a barre chord to have my elbow near my body. The elbow actually moves... Get it?

[Texas07R8]

Practice Em and A and you're playing Pink Floyd! Yea, barre chords do take a toll on new players and others have stated it gets easier with time. In rock and roll a lot of players will play partial barre chords like the EAD and EADG only. Sometimes an AD string is all that's needed to get the sound of a particular song or riff.

[Volusia]

It does get easier. It will just come the more you practice. Take it from a guy that has small hands. You can do it. If you have an acoustic guitar I would recommend using it to practice about 10 minutes a day barring chords up the neck. This will help you build a little more finger and hand strenth. Then your main axe will be a breeze to barr.

Good Luck!

[twangin]

Originally Posted by guitarEd

for barre chords, if the action is too high, you can have problems.....
were you place your thumb on the back fo the neck...
relax your left hand, newbies tend to put a death grip on the neck when chording. Proper technique is a plus here.
what is your guitar?? Neck radius can make a difference for some people. I
find I need to place my index finger a little higher up to get all the strings to sound....
But other than that, keep practicing, it does get easier.

ed

ok, i'm guilty of the death grip. well, not as much as when i started out.

i have the Epi GT and love it. Finally quit dickin with Sam Ashe and took it to an established family owned music shop here in town. The tech was awesome! He spent two hours on it while I waited. He talked to me, showed me what he was doing. The guitar isn't the same (I mean that in a positive way). I can actually hear all the strings. Amazing difference.

I plan to start taking lessons in January for as long as i can afford it.

[twangin]

goby,

i'll be getting a metronome!

[twangin]

you all rock!

thanks for the tips (i will try them all) and thanks for the encouragement.

[goby]

It will change your life. Seriously. I use it almost every day for chord and scale work.

Originally Posted by twangin

goby,

i'll be getting a metronome!