Barre Chord Tip

frybaby
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Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:35 pm

Forum friends,
I found this while surfing, though I would share.


Anyone who's gone past the very beginnings of learning guitar chords has come upon the dreaded...
BARRE CHORDS

It reminds me of that Davy Crocket song about him 'killing a barr...' Most new guitar players would say these
ARE a bear!


To Learn Barre Chords... Lower Your Wrist

Barre chords are often one of the biggest hurdles you'll face when you're learning how to play.

Most of the trouble comes when folks just can't quite get enough pressure against the strings and they end up with
notes that either 'buzz' or 'thump' (completely muted.)

Mastering barre chords is a game of focusing the right amount of pressure to get a clear sound.
Here are som tips that can help play barre chords effectively :

1. Squeezing the guitar neck doesn't work. You can squeeze your guitar neck until the varnish begs for mercy and you
probably aren't going to get that F chord to ring out clearly.

The answer isn't in your "squeezing" muscles of the hand either. It's more about precision.

2. The strength needed for barre chords really comes from just the index finger (and supported by the thumb on the
back of the neck.)

Keep your index finger straight--straight as an arrow. If you're getting buzzing or dead notes, it's usually the index
finger curling or your wrist coming too close to the back of the neck.

There'll be some training involved. just work on not letting the index finger bend, keep the pressure on!

3. THE KEY...Lower the wrist. Resist the urge to raise your palm and wrist up against the back of the neck.
Sometimes you'll feel like this is the only way to get enough pressure, but actually it's fooling you! It won't get the
job done.

When playing barre chords, lower your wrist away from the back of the neck, letting your hand arch over the fret
board a little more. That's how you'll keep your first finger straight and apply pressure where it's needed...
down onto the fret board.

4. Be Patient. Musicians are 'athletes of small muscles.'And it just takes time to develop the tiny muscles used for
making barre chords. So some folks just give up on barre chords too soon.

How long should you expect? Weeks or months usually. So don't get discouraged after three days of trying. You may
not even be doing anything 'wrong.' It just takes a little time for both muscle development and muscle memory.

Frybaby


dtaylor
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Wed Jan 18, 2012 2:20 pm

Good tips and encouragement. I'm not sure about the advice on keeping the finger dead straight though, I've read other advice on here about bending the finger while maintaining contact with all the strings by rolling the hand and using the edge of the finger.


willem
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Wed Jan 18, 2012 2:33 pm

dtaylor wrote:
Good tips and encouragement. I'm not sure about the advice on keeping the finger dead straight though, I've read other advice on here about bending the finger while maintaining contact with all the strings by rolling the hand and using the edge of the finger.

Hi Dean,,you are right with rolling the finger a bit to the headstock and use the edge(harder part of the finger and less gloves),,I tryed while working ''on the horizon'' that keeping the finger straight(also rolling a bit) and the wrist more a way from the back I got a bit sucses and less dead notes...
I think you can bend the barre finger a bit when the other fingers covers other strings,lets say when you grip a full barre chord..now I keep trying it with a bit edge(rolling) and straight..

Willem


frybaby
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Wed Jan 18, 2012 3:18 pm

Gentlemen,
I concur, the index finger roll is more effective, and as it happens some of the experts agree with us.

Below a comment on proper barre chord technique from a well respected guitar site:

" Very slightly bend the index finger. A straight and rigid index finger is not what we're looking for.
Roll the finger back slightly, so that more of the side of the index finger closest to the thumb is in contact with the strings. "

Other sights also verify the above.

Thank you


thereshopeyet
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Wed Jan 18, 2012 5:54 pm

Thanks


dburns99
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Wed Jan 18, 2012 7:22 pm

Another tip: Don't try to barre right across the entire fret.....you only really need to barre the open strings left over after fingering the chord formation you're working on. This allows you to arch your index finger a bit and put pressure on the lower string(s) with your finger tip and the higher string(s) with the bottom end of your finger.


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