Very true .... that's a great idea!
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
fingersnfumbs wrote
Quote:
does it really matter just to get the song nailed that he plays a Fmaj7 X44320 instead of the F
I believe that would be an F sharp wouldn't it, being as it's based on the 2nd fret?
Fmaj7 should be X33210, right?.......unless I've been doing something wrong for a while! Smile
Pete
note to self don't do anything unless you have the guitar in front of you. :roll:
Oh God I know the feeling.. I've been learning the chords.. but F seems impossible! I can't for the life of me get that barre down. Either the G or B string will be muted.. The joint in my finger seems to be causing this.. should I be using more of the side of my finger? Or do I use the bottom of my finger and just try to eliminate a curve in my finger? Soo frustrating!
I can relate to this problem as well. I had a amazingly hard time with bar chords. So much in fact, that I put down practicing other things and just concentrated on hitting those chords. I specifically chose songs with bar chords and just went at it. Turns out it was just the strength in my hand, after two months of serious, every day, practice I can now hit almost all bar chords without a problem. The thumb thing was not possible considering the size of my hands.
How I held the guitar also made a difference. I used to tilt the guitar toward myself in order to see what I was doing, but now keep it more perpendicular to my body. My wrists feel better and I feel as I don't have to use super human grip in order to hit those chords.
How I held the guitar also made a difference. I used to tilt the guitar toward myself in order to see what I was doing, but now keep it more perpendicular to my body. My wrists feel better and I feel as I don't have to use super human grip in order to hit those chords.
Thats an interesting point and one you don't here often when people are asking about playing the dreaded F and other barre chords.
I can get an F to ring cleanly now but can't for the life of me change to it from another chord and i'm miles off being able to play a full barre. I'll get there though. Wrist position was a big factor in me getting it. I tended to hold the left hand wrapped around the neck rather than with my thumb in more of a classical position, and this is a hinderance. I've recently been making a concious effort to play with my thumb in more of a classical position and it's been like re-learning everything, but I think it's starting to pay dividends.
The point above about the guitar angle though must make a difference aswell, i'd never really thought about it though and never seen it mentioned in this type of subject. I too tend to tilt the guitar towards me a little to see what i'm doing, but this actually decreases the angle made between your hand and the neck and must make it harder to put pressure on the strings. Need to get home from work now and practice with a vertical guitar.
Thats what I love about this place, the odd little gems you pick up that just seem to fit when you read them :D
looks like a new thread coming up....i think we all start with guitar tilted...its just one of those pieces in the jigsaw that needs to be found to complete the big picture :idea:
barre chords are very difficult to learn, particullary if you play them on a classical guitar (like myself) and A-shape barre chords (like B or the A #) are a lot more difficult than E-shape barre chords (like F or G). That's a fact.
Even if I bettered a lot, I've still not mastered them completly after 2 years or so of guitar playing. Having said so, I read a lot of intersting suggestions in this thread still I can add my 2 cents (for what's they're worth):
a) it is easier to play them from 2nrd to 5th fret than at the first one (on my guitar it is also difficult to play them from 6th fret on because the hand becomes too near the body of the guitar). I obtain the best results with G chord on 3rd fret;
b) i noticed that it helps a lot if you put the index as near as possible to the fret (that's a general rule that it is valid for playing chords)
c) it is also helpful to roll the index a bit because you really need to barre 1st, 2nd and sixth string (that's a concept that I've not totally learned but I hope to get it quite soon).
Last thing: i suggest you to start to incorporate them gradually in your songs. For example each time that you see a G chord in a song you usually play, play it with barre on 3rd fret instead of playing it open, then when you feel confident you could also play C and D with barre at 3rd and 5th fret (a-shape) and so on...
Cheers
Matteo
