Barre Chords... hand and arm strength?

heyjoe
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Thu Feb 25, 2016 1:17 pm

Hi Lynn

I've been watching this topic, and the replies it has generated, with interest as I had a similar problem a few years ago.

Like you I've been playing guitar a long time and haven't had problems with barre chords. Over time I started having issues with barre chords and long stretches and eventually ended up straining muscles in my hand. This meant time away from playing so my hand could rest/heal, and it gave me the opportunity to think about what needed changing so this didn't happen again.

I went through everything about my guitar playing to work out what could be improved so I could play better. In terms of giving my hands the best chance of playing well, I always start any session with a warm up. If I change guitar, I warm up on that too, to get my hands used to it. My guitars have different nut widths, scale lengths and neck profiles, so a couple of minutes warming up always helps.

I'm still trying to get my posture correct on guitar. How you sit and support your guitar is a big thing for me. Before the injury I was a baseball grip guy who used the neck to hold the guitar, now I use a footstool, a guitar strap, and decent chair with back support, so I'm giving myself a chance. I have a good base to work from. I also find that standing up whilst playing is great for relieving hand/arm tension.

As others have said, relaxing while you are playing will help a lot. However, it's easier said than done. I had to work hard on getting rid of the baseball grip and putting distance between my hand and the neck of the guitar. It's something I'm still working on, and no doubt will continue to work on, but the benefits have been massive for me. I'm also working on not looking at the fretboard as much, and keeping my head up whilst playing, as this will take the strain off my neck and shoulders, which in turn will keep me relaxed.

Finally, as others have said, getting your guitar set up to match your needs is important. After decades of thicker gauge strings I took the decision to move down to much lighter strings on all my guitars. It took a bit of getting used to but after a while your fingers will thank you for it.

I wish you luck with your issue, I'm sure you'll find a way to overcome it and become and better player because of it.

Joe


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neverfoundthetime
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Fri Feb 26, 2016 6:55 am

Welcome back Joe, long time no see!


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auntlynnie
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Fri Feb 26, 2016 7:42 am

I've just read through this thread again and thank you all for your thorough and thoughtful responses.

Joe describes many of the problems/solutions that I'm beginning to be aware of and/or beginning to employ. Body posture, hand posture, getting rid of the baseball grip (yep, that's me, too), overstraining my hand at times, warming up, all these things I need to address. And I am beginning to.

Vanessa's thoughts about relaxing and releasing tension while playing are very helpful and it will take persistence and time to unlearn my tenseness.

I think that having played for a long time without an in-person teacher has allowed me to fall into many bad habits. It took years to develop them and it will likely take time to unlearn them. So I'll be working on them.

Wiley, I appreciate your technical description of guitar setups. I'll probably be visiting my repairman very soon just to check things out. I am finding, however, that even just with better posture and holding the guitar on my left knee is already helping, so I suspect that much of my problem is "operator errror".

Lynn


willem
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Fri Feb 26, 2016 2:12 pm

Hi, can I add one more thing,, a guitar (body) can be to big if you are little..?

I have less complains when I play my palour guitar also thinking to sell my bigger one just for that matter.

Willem


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auntlynnie
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Fri Feb 26, 2016 6:20 pm

Hi Willem,
That's a good point. I'm not petite - I stand about 5'7". I experience the barre chord problem with my Taylor GS mini, my parlor guitar, and my Taylor 314CE - again, it is looking like operator error.
However, you recently posted a helpful video on your facebook page about proper hand position (at least according to the person who made the video) and it helped me to rethink my technique (actually my lack of technique) when playing guitar.

I'm sure Neil has addressed this issue at some time. Can anyone point me to some lessons on TG regarding hand position?
Thanks,
Lynn


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auntlynnie
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Sun Mar 20, 2016 7:33 pm

Hello all,
While I was away on vacation I got an email from Totally Guitars that I think was about technique and barre chords. I really want to find the lesson, but can't find the email. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thanks,
Lynn


michelew
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Mon Mar 21, 2016 2:35 am

Lynn,

Here's the video that's imbedded in the email.



I received my email on 12 March (I assume that you got yours on 11 March).

Hi!

M


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auntlynnie
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Mon Mar 21, 2016 7:21 am

Thank you so much, Michele.

Just for the record, are these types of Lessons/tips only available through the original email?

Or is there some other way to find them on the website?

Thanks,

Lynn


wiley
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Mon Mar 21, 2016 10:07 am

Lynn, welcome back from your 'working' vacation. You may want to YouTube Eva Cassidy and watch her left hand, pretty much what we have been discussing here.


michelew
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Mon Mar 21, 2016 6:57 pm

auntlynnie wrote:
Thank you so much, Michele.

Just for the record, are these types of Lessons/tips only available through the original email?

Or is there some other way to find them on the website?

Thanks,

Lynn
There's a button at the top of the forum screen that says "tips, techniques..." Of something like that. If you go in there and follow tips/left hand / barre you get here.

http://www.totallyguitars.com/howto/1/3 ... bar-chords

There's lots of other stuff in there that's worth a look if your haven't seen it yet.

Have fun.

M


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