Mike on that A shaped barre chord, I don't worry about if the 1st string sounds or not, it still sounds good, and that is the way I was taught by a buddy of mine who is a good player.
On a side note I found it alot easier to play power chords with my fingers flat as if in a barre as opposed to my fingers being bent, makes moving alot easier for me.
Barre chords are fun to play with once you get the hang of them, and it is amazing how little pressure you need to make a clean sounding chord. Of course that will come with practise.
~Mike the Redneck Rocker.
"The only two things in life that make it worth living are guitars that tune good and firm feeling women" - Waylon
This is scaring me because it is coming faster than I thought it would! Besides the A shape, the only real problem I have "technically" is that sometimes my ring or pinky fingers fall off the strings when I try to move the chord up/down the neck. But I can hit all clean notes most of the time with little or no adjustment needed.
I now have ALL new motivation to play! 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
thats kool progress mike.So now finally on to barres (is the Dmaj done?).Barres will take a little bit of time (they took me 4 months and i am still not perfect in them :lol: )
Barre chords are a real real asset.Once you learn them you can really get INTO your guitar and play all over the neck(strange sounds that you might have never heard :wink: :wink: )
thats kool progress mike.So now finally on to barres (is the Dmaj done?).Barres will take a little bit of time (they took me 4 months and i am still not perfect in them :lol: )
Barre chords are a real real asset.Once you learn them you can really get INTO your guitar and play all over the neck(strange sounds that you might have never heard :wink: :wink: )
Don't get me wrong when I say barre chords are coming faster for me...I am NOWHERE near using them in songs yet. However, I can slide them up and down the neck with better than average (beginner average that is!) accuracy. When I get to the 9th fret I have difficulty (probably because I am sitting) and I need to angle the neck up a bit. I figuredI wouldn't even be able to get clean notes while playing barres for a long time based on my experience with the D chord. The real test will come when I have to switch from barre to open and barre to barre. Sliding them up and down the neck is fairly easy right now.
As for the Dchord check my other post on the D....I left an update...
Yes you are pretty right.Infact that is the ONLY challenge shifting between open and barres.Hell only i know how tough it was to shift from Bm to F# and then from F# to Amaj.(yup you guessed it , its hotel california :wink: )
If I remember correctly some here once said that your elbow should be away from your body when playing barre chords? If this is true I might be in trouble! I can NOT get my elbow way from my hip (it's about 1 inch away now) when playing barre chords. I tried standing AND sitting...still the same thing...
Is this going to be a problem? It is tough getting to the higher frets )9th on up) but I will have to dislocate my shoulder in order to get it to move (and I am DEAD serious about this...I felt my should pull when trying to get my elbow out! :shock: :shock: )
Thanks
It is always amusing to see how closely Mikespe and I are in terms of learning to play. In fact, the main reason I post so little is because Mike usually beats me to it, and all I have to do is read the replies.
I'm also getting into bar chords, although I've taken a slightly different approach; I've focussed on the F barre chord and switching between it and other chords. I can interchange F with C and Am quite easily, and have been trying G to F. That's an :twisted: change if you play the G with your first three fingers!!
I have the same "problem" with the elbow, if it's a problem. But didn't know I was supposed to keep my elbow away from my side. Is that possible? <Tries...> OUCH!
I also have another question. When you form a barre chord, do you bar first or last? I struggle to barre at all if I first place my other three fingers down.
And I finally worked out why my F always sounds so awful...because I moved from the partial bar (XX3211), I forgot to use my little finger when I moved to the full barre, so I was playing (113211)...oops.
I also have another question. When you form a barre chord, do you bar first or last? I struggle to barre at all if I first place my other three fingers down.
Everyone told me to form the barre last. From what I gathered the barre is the "easy" part and the other fingers take a bit more time. But I guess as with anything else...whatever works for you!
It is always amusing to see how closely Mikespe and I are in terms of learning to play. In fact, the main reason I post so little is because Mike usually beats me to it, and all I have to do is read the replies.
GREAT minds think alike Grimm! 8) Also I wish you would post your questions because sometimes I feel like I am the only one having these problems. It's reassuring to know that the problems I am having are "normal".
everybody faces problems in guitar ( and in life i guess ) but few accept them and work on them 8)
Add me to the Grimm, Mikespe list. Seems like about the time you guys are starting something, I am starting the same thing. Last weeks guitar lesson was playing House of the Rising Sun using barre chords..
I'm a little slow at them right now but they usually sound decent. I am guessing that speed will increase as I get better.
Geoo
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
Mike: if you can play some three or four chord songs you might want to try them with barre's. Using the different shapes you can usually play basic progressions without moving your hand all over the fretboard, and it's a fun way to practice. Once it gets going somewhat ok you can start experimenting using muted strokes: doing a strum while yoru fretting hand isn't pressing but just sitting on the strings. Will open a world of new ways to play your songs. If you have difficulty locating the barres feel free to dump the progression here. Good luck!
Mike: if you can play some three or four chord songs you might want to try them with barre's. Using the different shapes you can usually play basic progressions without moving your hand all over the fretboard, and it's a fun way to practice. Once it gets going somewhat ok you can start experimenting using muted strokes: doing a strum while yoru fretting hand isn't pressing but just sitting on the strings. Will open a world of new ways to play your songs. If you have difficulty locating the barres feel free to dump the progression here. Good luck!
WOW Arjen....you give me WAY too much credit! I haven't even THOUGHT about songs with barres in them yet! I'd just be happy to change from chord to chord. Usually I can slide the barre chords up and down the neck about 5-6 times before I need to readjust my fingers...I tried changing from the G barre chord to the open G since the open G is easy for me...it was VERY tough.
But I expected trouble with barres so it doesn't frustrate me that much. It is kind of like a Right of Passage in the guitar world. Once you can play barres cleanly and change to and from them it's all down hill from there, right? :wink: :wink:
I'd say bar chords are one of the easiest obstacles to overcome.
I'd say bar chords are one of the easiest obstacles to overcome.
I'll bet there are 100 members on this site that will disagree with you Rip... 8)
Redneckrocker said it best, you need very litlle pressure to make these chords ring true. As a matter of fact after a bit of practice you will be able to fret these chords without any thumb involement at all. Take it from me, a newbie who uses these chords in lieu of open chords because they seem so easy. Give it a week or two and try substitute these chords for your open chords where possible. You will soon favour these chords over the open chords
Robbie
