It is good for me to review this. Although I have been playing barres a couple years now, I still struggle with some shapes, and getting all strings to ring cleanly all the time. For some reason, the 5th string root major chord (D in your example) is harder for me to get to sound good. You mention not using the last string, and I think I either keep hitting the B/High E strings which don't sound so good, or when I don't, miss the sound of those strings. The chord then sounds more like an expanded power chord to me. Fine in a rock song, but not as nice sounding as the other barres for the jazzy stuff I am trying to learn to play with my Dad here soon.
I also struggle with my thumb position (my instructor wants it in line with the barre, while I tend to point it up more toward the headstock along the skunk line), and with gripping too hard. I continue to work on finding a good hand position that gives me the strength I need, without me overworking it. Sometimes I like to mix it up with the Hendrix/Mayer thumb over the top type to let my hand relax, and just to mix it up.
Steve Thompson
Sun Valley, Idaho
Guitars: Fender 60th Anniversary Std. Strat, Squier CVC Tele Hagstrom Viking Semi-hollow, Joshua beach guitar, Martin SPD-16TR Dreadnought
Amphs: Peavey Classic 30, '61 Fender Concert
Effects and such: Boss: DS-1, CE-5, NS-2 and RC20XL looper, Digitech Bad Monkey, Korg AX1G Multi-effects, Berhinger: TU100 tuner, PB100 Clean Boost, Line 6 Toneport UX2, Electro Harmonix Little Big Muff Pi, DuhVoodooMan's Rabid Rodent Rat Clone, Zonkin Yellow Screamer Mk. II, MXR Carbon Copy Delay
love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart. . .
- j. johnson