Problems with the B chords. Please help.

thanks a lot guys. I've been trying to make my positioning better but I just can't seem to get comfortable. I alwasy sit when I play, because I don't have a strap and I like to sit. Can someone take a picture of themself SITTING and how the guitar should be held..because I still can't find the right positioning..THANK YOU

Hi again :)

Sorry, I have no way to take a picture for you :x

I was looking at your original pic though.
It's hard to see what you are doing exactly.....
I'm going to suggest that you try placing your thumb behind your index finger on the neck (see Pete's pics)
It looks like you might be putting your thumb in the middle of your hand spread - cocking your fingers off to the side
like that.

Once again, I have large hands, so I have large thumbs that are also double jointed.
I press my thumb to the neck, not at the middle pad, rather on the left side, sorta rolled to the left side - this brings
my elbow out more away from my body and get's my wrist more in plane with the neck line.

Also - and this may be bad form for a beginner: I don't drop the tip of my barre finger below the low E string.
I just kinda push my elbow out more and rock the pressure on the tip of my finger off of the low E enough to mute it.
It also takes a bit better of a picking technique to use this style so you don't hit that string (which will have some pressure
still on it)
Worth it for me though. I have to find ways to extend my fingers out far enough so that the knuckles dont lock.
This method also comes in handy for playing things like Bruce Springsteen's Fire, in which you play a stacatto bass line
on the low E string while keeping the Barre chords ringing.

Ken

There's a few pics at Jamie Andreas' site that show some options for sitting. Click on the link below.

Sit and play

Okay, I was re-reading your original post.
In it, you say that you can play a G Barre Chord....?
The G Barre is based on a moveable open E chord.
And if you know how to play an open E Chord and an open Am chord - you know that you keep your fingers in the
same pattern and drop them all down (or technically up) a string. Are you with me so far????

So, if you can play a G Barre chord - keeping your index finger barred and dropping all of your fingers one string
will give you a Cm Barre chord.
Sliding that from the 3rd fret to the 2nd fret gives you a Bm Barre chord.
You just have to remember to either take the pressure off the tip of your index finger to mute the low E string,
or slide the index finger down off of the low E string while still muting it with the tip. :shock:
So - instead of going thru all the trouble of playing a G then a Cm and sliding it, just make a G form barre chord on the
2nd fret (giving you an F# barre chord) and then drop all of your fingers one string and viola - Bm :D

While these pics are not of Bm Barre chords, they are of my Barre chord form. (Actually, I was playing a I-IV-V blues in D7
based on an Elmore James style rhythm. It's got a nice 1/2 step slide in it and all :D )
Hope this helps :)

Ken

Here are some photos showing a 90 degree turn of how I play a barre chord while sitting (it's a Bm). Sorry they are a bit obsquere, its hard to take photos when you are accross the room! :lol:

Hope those are of some use to you. I know barre's are hard, but keep going and you'll get there. :)

Pete

you just have to work at em. I have a student who is having a very hard time with Bm, even though most other barre chords present him with no problem.

heres a tip try playing E (079900) then play C#m (046600) then play A (002200) then up to B (024400) . its a progression in E that is really easy and gets you playing cool sounding barres on the a string without straining.

play em like this

|E |C#m | A | B E :||

Theory note: there are all sorts of fancy extensions on the chords above, but its easier just to write them as roots.

Another option is to substitue a Bm7 for the Bm chord.

e--2-- (pinky)
B--0--
G--2--(ring)
D--0--
A--2--(index)
E--X

Still, you'll eventually want to get a proper Bm.