Bar Chords

[Blues_Dude]

Before I purchased this course, I asked Griff if it was really necessary that i was solid with basic bar chords.  I was told not to worry if I was not very good using them.  I got my course and the very first lesson is using bar chords.  Let the struggling begin.  However, as I looked through the courses material, I began to noticed that the "mini-chords" and using the 9th chords to substitute for the 7th chords were used far more often than full bar chords.  So I tried a couple of these shapes and found that I don't have much trouble with them.  So my question is, why in the world do I need to struggle through lessons one and two using bar chords, when it appears that lessons 3 through 10 uses mini-chords rather than bar chords?   :-/

 

[Silicon Valley Tom]

I would suggest that if you have a problem playing barre chords, and are playing Blues then not to worry!  Just play the flavor chords you like and that sound good to you.  You may want to practice barre chords to some extent but do not let that delay your progress.

I play many styles of music and use chords that I consider best for what I am playing.

If you are serious about learning how to play barre chords then I would suggest finding a good instructor, or at least check out youtube.  If someone who is knowledgeable observes your technique then I am sure that he/she can give proper instructions as to how to do it correctly.  There are small differences in hands and a slight correction can be very beneficial in playing a barre chord correctly.      

Tom       

 

[02KnowBetter]

It seems that barre chords are a hurdle that all guitar players face. As Tom says above, the importance of barre chords vary with the style of music that you are playing. Solo acoustic music is probably the most demanding and playing the blues in a band format is towards the other end of the spectrum. I too worried about my seeming lack of ability to play barre chords and did my YouTube research. There is no 'one size fits all' solution. I believe that it was the infamous Griff who pointed out that often it is only three or four of the notes in the chord that matter so concentrate on playing those notes cleanly. Don't sweat it too much, just keep plugging along and your hands and muscles will figure it out.

 

[Vegas_Lane]

had same problem but the BEST advice I recieved was to act like you are trying to break your guitar across your chest (very lightly) and this helps the "barre" part.  Just gettin your other 4 fingers to work takes some practice

 

[gravity003]

Barre chords are a pain but once you can play them they will become your favorites.  I bought a book by Hal Leonard called Barre Chords that has drills to work on first the sixth string barre chords, then the fifth string and then combination of the above.  It also has songs like "On the Dock of the Bay", Stray Cat Strut and others to help put barre chords in a musical setting.  One of the best books I have bought on guitar instruction.

 

[Griff]

Before I purchased this course, I asked Griff if it was really necessary that i was solid with basic bar chords.  I was told not to worry if I was not very good using them.  I got my course and the very first lesson is using bar chords.  Let the struggling begin.  However, as I looked through the courses material, I began to noticed that the "mini-chords" and using the 9th chords to substitute for the 7th chords were used far more often than full bar chords.  So I tried a couple of these shapes and found that I don't have much trouble with them.  So my question is, why in the world do I need to struggle through lessons one and two using bar chords, when it appears that lessons 3 through 10 uses mini-chords rather than bar chords?   :-/

First, you did exactly the right thing in looking ahead to see that the barre chords aren't actually used that much.

The purposed behind learning them is more academic. Seeing their shape helps you to visualize the little chords better (trust me, I've tried it both ways.)

Unfortunately, it's just one of those things where as long as you have them basically memorized, it's no big deal if they don't sound so great. They will before too long whether you really try or not as your technique in general will continue to improve.

 

[jackderby52]

back when I was "we" little boy, I recall thinking there's no way in heck I will ever be able to play an F bar cord..  (take that "F" any way you want ...  But the bottom line is, it's like anything else, repetition is the mother of all learning... Keep at it and it will come.. Once you get that first one down, the next will be that much easier!!         

 

[jmin]

...when I was in the 8th grade the only other guitar player was a girl in the other class...and she could play the barre F chord! That was all the motivation I needed!
(I really do think it IS a requirement for playing the guitar - well).