Beginner help with barre cords.

[Tone E]

Hi guys.
Been having problems for some time with barre cords now, just cant seem to make them sound clean.
No matter what I do at least one string mutes. I have tried everything which I have read, pulling neck toward self; pulling body toward self to act as lever; move thumb up neck to act as lever; squeezing till knuckes turn white; moving finger closer to or further from fret; moving finger higher or lower on fret to place finger creases in different spots; keeping finger straight; keeping finger curved; rolling finger to side...and so on but to no avail.:thwap:
This has basically limited me to playing open chords only.

Any tips would be much appreciated.
Cheers.

[Robert]

What type of guitar and what gauge of strings are you using? Is the action high?
An acoustic with heavy strings and high action can make playing barre chords difficult.

[Tone E]

Hi Robert.
My acoustic has a very high action, something which I intend to remedy on next string change, and my electric has a very low action and thin strings.

Barre chords on the acoustic are impossible for me to play. I have some success on the electric but I still often get a string or 2 muting regardless of how hard I press etc.
Cheers.

[thearabianmage]

It's hard to help without being able to see exactly how you play it, but whenever I teach bar chords to any of my students (all kids by the way) I always tell them to arpeggiate the chord and see which string(s) mute. From there, keep your hand in the same position but see what you can do to figure out how to remedy it.

The good thing about the internet is that there's loads of advice, the bad thing is that some of that advice doesn't apply to everyone, as in your case it seems. If what you have read doesn't work for you, then you may just have to figure out on your own what does. But don't give up, bar chords are by no means impossible (unless you are on an acoustic with very high action :D ) but they can be tricky to tame.

[Tone E]

Thanks for that tip mate, good advice. Thats more or less what I have been doing over the last couple of days and have had some success with it though I am very inconsistent. Might just be a case of practice practice practice I think.
Will let you all know how I go after another week or so of trying.

[just strum]

I'm going to give you my take on the subject. This isn't so much a how, but more an attitude and approach.

1) The obvious, get the action fixed on the acoustic. It will make your fingers stronger, but I think it will leave you discouraged before you find yourself being able to barre a chord.

2) Muting of a string or two - so what, it gives it character. If you aren't in the studio preparing your first release or backing someone else, who cares if a string is muted? It will eventually correct itself as long as you are aware of it.

3) find your comfort position that is the most natural to repeat. For me it's the index slightly curved and strings pressed by the side closest to the thumb.

4) Remember you are not fretting all six strings with your index finger, you are only concerned about the ones that your other fingers are not fretting. This was a problem for me because I was so obsessed with trying to fret all six with my index finger. Being so focused on that just delayed the process of becoming comfortable with barre chords.

Now my biggest problem is muscle memory in forming the chords I want in the flow of the music. It will eventually get there for me and it will for you too.

Until I just let go and didn't get overly hung-up on the muted strings, it was taking forever (over a year trying off and on).

Stick with it, relax and don't go for perfection at first. Once you are comfortable it will be much easier to perfect.

Someone will come along and say my approach just leads to learning a mistake, but that's not the case if you maintain the focus to improve your barre chords as you progress. Right now it sounds like it might be holding you back and that's not a good thing.

[thearabianmage]

3) find your comfort position that is the most natural to repeat. For me it's the index slightly curved and strings pressed by the side closest to the thumb.

Yep, that's mine as well (I have little hands). The reason for tilting your finger is because it's more 'solid' on its side than it is on the fleshy part with prints.


Now my biggest problem is muscle memory in forming the chords I want in the flow of the music. It will eventually get there for me and it will for you too.

This is another big one. Muscle memory, or 'conditioning'. Every musician, or more accurately, every person who engages in repetitive physical activity relies on this concept. Good point, strum!


Until I just let go...

Just let go! Not of the fretboard, obviously. You'd be surprised how much you yourself are inhibiting your progress with everything you do. Nothing about technique, nothing about 'not knowing enough', nothing even about practice. Try this: Pick up your guitar, and pretend you have been playing for 100 years. Be calm and relaxed and just say 'right, get to it!' And do it. What happened?


Someone will come along and say my approach just leads to learning a mistake. . .

No. At least I don't. Approaches don't lead to mistakes, the person taking the approach does. But think of it this way: there is a certain process that goes on in order for anything to done correctly. No matter how simple, mundane, or stupid it is, break that process into all of its key components. Make sure each component is in its right place, and that all of the components are catered for to the best of your ability. That should solve just about anything. . . (at least it does for me)

Know what I mean? Don't misunderstand, sometimes catering for those components can be difficult, but the process (break it down, do it bit by bit) is always the same.

Good luck, and remember: Have fun!!!

[Tone E]

All great tips, thanks heaps!

[Rabies]

Have you tried playing them with your thumb wrapped around the neck, fretting your low e string?

[Rabies]

Have you tried playing them with your thumb wrapped around the neck, fretting your low e string?

I know it's better to get the index finger barred across the strings way down first, but you could give that a try and see if it works for you. :AOK:

[thearabianmage]

If you have large hands, unlike me, I can see how that can help! John Phil Wayne plays a lot of music using his thumb, and Jimmy Page used his thumb a lot, too. It's always worth a shot. Nice one, Rabies!

[just strum]

Tone, I just read your original post again and noticed the comment about white knuckles. One thing I prescribe to and try to maintain throughout my playing is - relax. As in golf, muscle tension is a killer when trying to execute.

In golf, tight muscles (tension) actually slows down the swing and results in power loss. The same holds true in guitar playing. As the tension builds, the fingers move slower and you actually lose some of the power to fret cleanly.

I find that when I am trying to learn a new chord or note pattern, I tend to tighten up and I am unable to execute the chord cleanly. This is probably repeated every week when I am at lessons. At lessons I will be learning something new and find I am unable to do it properly, but when I get home, I do it cleanly or at least much better than an hour earlier at lessons.

[thearabianmage]

As the tension builds, the fingers move slower and you actually lose some of the power to fret cleanly. . . relax.

Again, fair play strum. This is somewhat the basis of what is called 'Alexander Technique'. In a tight nutshell, this is 'thought in relation to motion'

[TS808]

For me, I always have to check the position of my thumb on the back of the neck when doing barre chords. If I'm choking the neck or my thumb is up too high, strings will get muted. I always have to make sure my thumb is low, and rotate my wrist slightly upward to make sure I'm not muting the strings.

If you're a beginner, give it time until you get more strength in your hands and fingers. You'll get there :AOK:

[Rabies]

If you have large hands, unlike me, I can see how that can help! John Phil Wayne plays a lot of music using his thumb, and Jimmy Page used his thumb a lot, too. It's always worth a shot. Nice one, Rabies!

I wouldn't say I have big hands, but I guess I do have long skinny fingers. :D I've always used my thumb as much as I can on the low E and from time to time, the A string as well. I have to compensate somehow for my pinkie being almost worthless. :thwap:

[thearabianmage]

I have to compensate somehow for my pinkie being almost worthless. :thwap:

Chromatics help a lot with that. As well as the hammer-on pull-off trills - start with your index-middle, then index-ring, then index-pinky, middle-ring, middle-pinky, and the punk: ring-pinky. These are brilliant for developing strength in all your fingers!

[Rabies]

Chromatics help a lot with that. As well as the hammer-on pull-off trills - start with your index-middle, then index-ring, then index-pinky, middle-ring, middle-pinky, and the punk: ring-pinky. These are brilliant for developing strength in all your fingers!

I guess I could give that a shot sometime. :AOK:

Pinky works great for chording, but on single note lines he very rarely gets involved...unless it's catching a note on the string above where I just bent with my other fingers...you know what I mean.

Django got by with only TWO fingers most of the time...:AOK:

[sunvalleylaw]

I have learned only in the last year and a half or so. For me, it is important to not let my elbow drift into my body too much, pushing it out helps me fret more cleanly. Also, that position lets me roll the index finger over a little toward the fret and that helps. When I started, I held the neck of the guitar much higher than the body and that helped. That tip came from some beginning guitar mag that is now not being printed (Play Guitar).

Once I could get all notes sounding, then I have been letting go of that and only hitting the strings necessary for the sound required. Not all strings are necessary all the time. Strum and Arabian put some good stuff up there that I agree with as well.

Oh, and use a looper or a backer track and just play along with it, even if it is not perfect. Some how just playing song chord progression in barres just made them come along. Hope that helps!

[marnold]

Say it with me, "Barre chords suck." Feel better now? Good. There is only one way to be able to play barre chords well and that's to practice, practice, practice. Nobody in the history of ever has just picked up a guitar and played barre chords cleanly. Ever. Never, ever, ever, ever. The good news is that it will come with time and eventually you'll wonder why you had problems to begin with. Play them until you start to get frustrated and move on to something else. And forget playing them on the acoustic until you can handle them on electric. Once you've got them down on electric, the acoustic will show any remaining holes in your technique.

I remember someone saying that you should be able to play barre chords without your thumb behind the neck at all. I thought he was insane. Now I can do it. Not easily, but I can do it. You will too.

[sunvalleylaw]

Ok, I am not nearly there yet. Back to the wood shed. I think being able to play them with little or no pressure on my thumb will make them sound that much better.

[just strum]

The good news is that it will come with time and eventually you'll wonder why you had problems to begin with.

Boy, isn't that the truth.

[Tone E]

Thanks for all the feedback, advice and encouragement guys, much appreciated!:AOK:

[player]

This my take on it all.somewhat going along with Rev Marnold.

Very often simply shifting your hand position can help a great deal. Try
the following:

- Make sure that your wrist is curved, elbow down (not tight against your
body, which causes your hand to scrunch up). Relax as much as possible,
and put the effort into playing the chord properly.

- Your thumb should be in a vertical position behind your barre finger,
providing the necessary pressure to press all the strings evenly. Use the
flat, fleshy part of your thumb, pressing in about the middle of the neck.

- Start barring on the higher frets, as the strings feel looser than they
do just behind the nut. Another trick is to put a capo on your guitar at
the 1st or 2nd fret, and then practice barring. This will lower the action
and make it easier until you have enough strength in your hand to make
good clean barres.

- You may want to get your guitar action checked to make sure it's not too
high, or that your neck is not warped or out of line. This would make it
very difficult to execute a good barre chord.

- Finally, don't give up. Barre chords are an essential element to your
progress on the guitar, and will give you a much wider knowledge of the
fingerboard as well as many more chords to choose from.

and then you can start thinking double barre or as some say ''A'' barre.in many instances they can prove easier to play(at least for me)

[Katastrophe]

Get that acoustic fixed! Too much repeated tension will add to muscle memory, causing you to always put a death grip on your neck, even when playing the electric. That's a habit that can be difficult to unlearn!

[Tone E]

OK. Just took the saddle of my acoustic and shaved over half of the bottom off of it.
Great results!
Action is still a little high IMO but its much more realistic now. It even sounds better for some reason.
Have made some progess with barre chords on my electric sice reading some of the posts here and practicing. Had a go at some barre chords on the acoustic now that I have lowered the action and I am getting better results but much work is still needed on my behalf.
Will keep you all updated. Thanks again.:beer:

[tot_Ou_tard]

Yep, that's mine as well (I have little hands). The reason for tilting your finger is because it's more 'solid' on its side than it is on the fleshy part with prints.


For me I occaisionally would find a string muted because it would fall *exactly* under the indent under the first joint of my index finger.
This was solved by either slightly rotating my index finger as above or by straightening out my index finger even to the point of a slight reverse bend.

This issue only occurs near the nut.

My guitars are electrics with a 12" radius.