For me they were challenging becuase in the beginning my fingers werent strong enough for them.
And I agree with you, they are not inherntly hard, you invest some time and they become easy ...
i've found them very difficult to:
a) play them inthemselves: it *is* difficult to position your index finger so that it holds down say the top and bottom E strings but no others so that every string played for that particular chord rings out and sounds good
b) then transition to and from barre chords to other chords... especially open chords.
they are difficult!
Amira
I am fairly new at this as well but don't understand the problem. I don't play any barre chords that have you barre the high and low E strings but no others. All chords I have run into are full barres of either the complete 6 strings or in the case of an A string root the high 5 strings. Are you referrring to some type of partial barre chord? perhaps if you gave an example we could help. But as I say for all E shape and A shape chords I use a full barre with my index finger.
Robbie
I'm also having difficulty with the barre. Not all of them. The first fret F chord is the hardest for me.
What sucks is that some of my favorite songs have them! :(
The old addage, keep at it!! Practice ,Practice, practice and soon you will find them second nature. The first fret barre F is the most difficult it seems as you think you require more finger-thumb strength to make the chord ring out properly. Most barre chords can be fretted with much less finger thumb pressure than you think is necessary. I can tell you from experience that if you keep at it you will soon fret this chord with ease. Actually I find that barre chords are now my "go to " chords as you have such mobility in using just E and A shape chords. It seems like they flow so much better.
Robbie
That's my story and I'm stickin to it
Still working on barre chords -- esp. the F. In fact I've devoted about thirty minutes of practice just on them. Difficult but worth it. The higher register ones sound nice and jazzy if done correctly.
I've noticed, ironically enough, that pressing too hard achieves the same effect as not pressing hard enough. Or maybe it's the guiter. :roll: I've tried both using the bone part of my finger and the flesh part (both methods were recommended). Found out it's true that you should concentrate more on finger placement than pressure. Not only will your fingers not tire, but you'll be able to transition easier from chord to chord.
The best way to do it is to just practice them. Go to this link. this should help you out.
