Few things strike fear into the hearts of aspiring guitarists like the words “barre chords.”
The question I am most often asked is basically something along the lines of….
“I just can’t make a barre chord sound all the way. I have short/fat/stubby fingers and I just can’t get them to play a barre chord. Do I have any chance at all of becoming a decent guitar player if I can’t play a barre?”
First – yes, you will be able to play guitar, regardless of whether or not you can play a barre chord now.
Second – your finger shape/size really has nothing to do with your ability to play a barre chord. I know it probably doesn’t seem that way now, but in reality it’s the truth. I have yet to meet someone who couldn’t do it regardless of age or finger size and shape.
Playing a barre chord accurately is all about precision and placing your fingers in exactly the right place. The problem is, that “exact right place” is going to be a little different for each person because each person’s finger is shaped a little bit differently.
There are 2 common mistakes I see…. 1 is that your first finger must remain absolutely straight. I often put a slide across the index finger of my students and then ask them to play the barre chord. The slide makes it so the finger won’t bend.
What usually ends up happening is because they cannot bend the finger, they do the other things they should do because there is no choice. 1) They lift up the guitar neck to get it closer to their own head and this always makes it easier.. 2) The adjust the position of their wrist and thumb to allow the finger room to lay straight across the strings.
The other thing about barre chords is that they do take some time. Once you learn them, you may not be able to play them right away. But what you may have forgotten is that you couldn’t play any chord right away. When you first learn open ‘C’ you can’t just play it perfectly. It may have taken days or weeks to get it to where you could play it consistently, and your barre chord shapes will be no different.
Finally, remember that in most “band” playing you’ll play a full barre chord maybe 1% of the time. if you’ve heard me talk about “little chords” then you know that I use the barre chord shape as a guide, but I rarely play it entirely.
So relax, be patient, and have some fun with it. If it doesn’t seem like you’re getting anywhere, turn your guitar over and remind yourself what it was like to play as a beginner… always good for a laugh.
157 replies to "Barre Chords or Bar Chords"
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Thanks Griff, I’m taking some theory and inter/advanced guitar at a local JC and we are getting introed to barre chords. This makes all the sense in the world. Especially pulling the guitar closer to my head and wrapping my wrist around. Practicing every night seems to help too. Doh! keep ’em coming.
Nothing can be MORE Frustrating- than Barre Chords-( and the feeling of MUST PLAY THEM-MUST LEARN THEM(or ELSE)(especially F and A shaped barre chords)……( especially when you go into 6th and 7th and 9th chords( or other than Barred Major chords)
( and changing your chord shapes as you move up and down the neck…..( and the delay you get- getting a barre chord(into proper shape(on a chord change)…
I spent YEARS-trying to master that-( because I thought I HAD to…)( and forgot about all these OTHER non barre chord shapes( and sounds)( and Ive been playing since 1970……..)
FINALLY someone(you) comes along-and says Barre chords are NOT the Be ALL end ALL-of playing chords(ever read Ted Greenes classic book ‘Chord Chemistry?(mind boggling-to say the least…..)…
But from when I was learning to play-it seemed like Barre Chords-were a “MUST KNOW”-( so I spent YEARS(no DECADES) struggling to Perfect using Barre Chords….)
Thank you for what you wrote- and freeing me- from Barre chords…..
Nice.
First of all, thanks for this letter. I enjoyed it. I always tell my students that the F chord is the hardest. After they get that, barres are pretty fast to come. JW stated he sees band guitarists using barre chords all the time…I say he is probably seeing the hand on the neck. I play a lot of short chords with my fingers in the barre position because it’s faster and easier.( at least it is in traditional music) The blues I’m learning from you very seldom uses a barre chord. Still glad I can do it though.
I was one of those guys who gave up playing years ago because of Barre chords. that was back in my late twenties, now I’m in my 60’s and have cancer and determined to learn,I practise every day ,most often 2 or 3 times a day, I recently purchased your blues course and I look forward to your emails ,but this one I really needed to read ,thanks Griff.
My experience is just the opposite.
When I first started playing (about 35 years ago), no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t play a ‘simple’ standard F (XX3211) chord because I couldn’t get my #1 finger to sound both the B & e strings cleanly.
I was able however to play a barre F (133211) much more easily and then found I could play all the major and minor chords by moving the F & Fm (133111), and then Bb (X13331) and Bbm (X13321) barre shapes anywhere on the neck.
I’ve long since mastered the standard F (XX3211) and can play many, many chords in several voicings.
As an aside on the name ‘barre’ chords. When I was first learning to play, one of my favorite bands was Jethro Tull and I thought perhaps the ‘barre’ chord was coined after JT lead guitarist Martin Barre.
I constantly see “band” guitarists using bar chords. I don’t get why you said they’re used 1% of the time.
I look for your e-mails every morning. Here I am. Hate those barre (always thought it was bar not barre) chords and I only have to do them across 4 strings because I play baritone uke. One string ends up right in the crease of my finger and I can literally feel it vibrate in there and it muffles that string. I often “cheat” by barring only 3 strings when the 2nd finger has to be on the D string anyway.
I first started playing Guitar when i was oh about ten. Wasn’t consistent with playing mostly because didn’t believe i would ever be good:( However i did keep playing on and off:) Thank God really!!!! About two years ago,i picked up the Bass & Wow loving it :~} And I’m finding that what you are helping me with can be used with my Bass playing!!! So thank you!!! Happy New Year:~)
Learned to play Barre chords years ago. First played all those songs with 3 open chords which got awfully boring quickly. Then would play it all in Barre chords with the 6th string root then all with the 5th string root. Eventually mixed it all together. Great fun because I already knew the song. Learned alot doing that. Just got the course. Thanks for the emails and videos, learn something new each day. Have a great holiday. Tom
Hi Griff,
I learned to play the guitar with barre chords, using an E chord shape. This was sufficient for surf rock and roll. When the Beatles came along, I felt like a dope, because I was totally incapable of playing their music. This forced me to learn other chord shapes, and alternative fingerings. And the moral to the story is that I enjoy using full barre chords now, with many chord shapes incorporated into the mix. I have really enjoyed your teaching of the small chords, as it enhanced my ability to do a little more interpretive approach to my playing. BGU has made me a better student of music, and thus a better musician, not just on guitar. Keep up the good work, I appreciate your help, more that i can tell you. And for the troops out there… have fun with barre chords,as they are a means to an end. As my Grandmother told me, “there is more than one way to skin a cat.” I don’t think she ever really skinned a cat (for the animal activists in the audience)
Thanks,
Mike J
hi Griff,
maybe i’m to early and at this moment i’ve not anough time to go full speed on your course, but is it possible to tell more about using the pick? I started playing guitar-on my-own-way since Woodstock, never using a pick and only playing the chords with my nails. Freedom from Richy Havens i can play as good as himself, for instand, but when using a pick, it’s a mess. Please give some attention on how to hold a pick and how to get used to it. You’ll make me happy!
Greetings from Amsterdam,
Olav
jojojojojojoj
A lot of the time, when I NEED a barre chord, I use my thumb wrapped over the top to cover the low E string. I get yelled at for doing it by some but it’s easier for me. Most of the time, I’m only hitting the first four strings any way but this way I have the low note for an accent. I try to give the bass the majority of low notes but at time, and on some songs, I have to match in with the low E string and my thumb works just as well, some of the times lol.
Hi can anyone tell me how to get the sounds i want on a drum machine ,,thanks paul.
Griff, there is a reason for not being able to play barre chords that you probably don’t know about because it’s a rare congenital condition. It’s called Raidoulnar Synostosis, and what it means is that the bones in your forearms are partially fused, so that it’s impossible to put your palm parallel to the neck of the guitar, unless you hold it like an upright bass. Power chords are a help, but it’s not correct to insist that ANYONE can learn to play barre chords. I’ve been trying to overcome this for literally 50 years.
Yes, this is a good reminder and encouragement…I appreciate your emails because they alone remind me to get back into your course because I have other styles I’m currently studing…Thanks Griff! I love the blues…I’ll be using it in country music…I have over 200 riffs logged and learning how to put some lead licks to them! One technique to stengthen your hands to do bar chords is to hang from a bar over head daily, that will make your gripp possible to bring ease to your guitar playing! Or weight lifting…it works! Also, playing everyday can make your hands stonger to! Encouragement goes along way! If your week, you might get discouraged, so don’t quit!
I can do barre chords, just can’t play an open F.Thank you for your lesson’s, guitar is my escape right now, being unemployed in Illinois, Jim.
Oh man, I hate Barre Chords. I still can’t play them right.
My fingers hate them more. They can’t BEND right. The don’t enjoy covering the full length of the guitar. I cheat and play the first three strings and that gives me trouble.
I think I’m hopeless on those things. Half the time on F I cheat and play Am and it passes but sounds not as pretty as hoped.
Two weeks ago I hated barre cords…now it is geeting better….I think my problem was I was trying to hard.. with me if I just relax I have very little trouble with the barre cords at all..that is if I stay below the 9th fret
yeah i love the barre cords . but most of the time i dont play the full cord . i play the upper 3 or lower three strings .they are what i refer to as my little cords or extended cords. i believe a person just getting started should learn these after learning the basic cords . they have a relivence to one another . a resent grad from college where he majored in music didnt know the twelve barre blues . he could play sorta well but somewhere he is totally lost . he said after showing him the twelve blues that i should be a teacher on line .well thats part of my retirement plan seeing how im an older man . teaching how to bend strings then barre cords should be the other way around .how about that . you can learn some very basic songs right off if you learn the barre cords first. put that into your amp an smoke um.
Howdy,I love your info,and passion for what you do.I`m an old fart,a wanna be,who appreciates artists wether musical,painters,actors,etc.I`m 73,and still thinking that when I have time I`ll really get in to it.I bought a Fender Jaguar,used,but in good shape in Milw.,Wi.for231.75 with a 8830 A Gibson amp from West Allis Music Center,West Allis, Wisconsin.Myson just graduated from N.Y.U.(theatre and music),he is a song writter,musician,struggling to make it inthe Big Apple.Oops,forgot to mention date of puchase of my Fender and hardcase,7/5/63 I`m sure your efforts inspire many…..You can be proud. Frank G.Hohnke,Durango, Colorado.
Layne is so right on!!! enjoyme nt is the key for it encourages you to delve into pastures new; performing, gigging at venues you never dreamt of; listening to new music, developing new techniques; after all playing more means that you communicate more, discovering new voices as you go; there is no right or wrong way; just enjoy go with the flow and keep playing; and yes I played my first proper solo gig yesterday after playing with many bands, as well as repeated gigging; the result being that I have never enjoyed making music as much as I did during yesterdays gig; just persevere but most of all just enjoy yourselves; you never know what may become of your efforts!!!!!
Thanks for the encouragement Griff! Barre chords are tough, but like you said, we couldn’t do open c very well at all when we first started. I jam with my older brother who makes everything look easy (Including barre chords) and some of his favorite songs alo include a dom B7.
Well, at the time, that seemed to be my big hurdle (Let alone Barre chords)! I couldn’t seem to ever get it. My brother tricked me by teaching me “Abilene” in the Key of E which has a B7 and I happen to really like the song! This motivated me to practice my B7 and I have found two barre chord versions of B7 also to play with!
The Chords go, E (Open), G# (6 str.barre), A (6 str. barre) back to E the to F# (6 str. barre), B7 then back to E
I’ve seen it in my music books done in a different key, but my 67 year old brother likes this one probably because it got his little bother over his B7 problem.
The other day out of curiosity, I got on the internet and asked the ? How did Goerge Harrison learn guitar, the reply was, His mum bought him a guitar when he was 13, he,got his hands on a guitar lesson book and practiced till his fingers bled/ shear dertermination!
I recently decided I was in the mood for Leaning Spirit in the Sky and decided to mix it up with open chords and barre chords with some distortion, its fun and my 67 year old brother (I’m 56) commented “Cool Man”! Like you said Griff, Have fun!
Griff, its guy’s like you that keeps guy’s like me tryin! The more I practice the more I seem to notice the details of good gutarists and it gets frustrating cause good skill seems so far away but if your standin still it stays far away! Griff, I Appreciate all you do for us, Layne
Hi Griff, Greetings from The MIdland in the UK. I am an avid fan, and have been trying barre chords for a while and must admit am still strugling. I notice you talk about short version barre chords and am a little confused. I dont suppose you could do a video lesson on the dreaded topic and what exactly is a short version barre chord. I think I am hitting a little bit of a road block as all the songs a want to try contain at least one barre chord and I just dont seem to be able to progress. Can you please help. And by the way thanks for all your free lessons. I would like to purchase the full thing but was wondering if you could come with a payment plan for the next ones so us low paid novices can afford them.
Hi Griff, Greetings from The MIdland in the UK. I am an avid fan, and have been trying barre chords for a while and must admit am still strugling. I notice you talk about short version barre chords and am a little confused. I dont suppose you could do a video lesson on the dreaded topic and what exactly is a short version barre chord. I think I am hitting a little bit of a road block as all the songs a want to try contain at least one barre chord and I just dont seem to be able to progress. Can you please help.
Hey Griff,
Barre chords are the 1st thing I learned! The guy that taught me for the first year played alot of them! He also taught me music theory in about 1/4 the time that some music schools take to teach it! This guy can play “The wind cries Mary” just like Jimi , note for note! I learned almost all of “little Wing” from him (SRV version, which in my opinion is better than Hendrix) in almost entirely BARRE CHORDS! Those chords make switching from Majors to minors extremely easy! ALso, after reading this email, I tried the slide trick you mentioned, and I LOVE IT! (Played “Hats off to Roy Harper” for about 20 minutes until my wife asked me to play something else!)
In summary, BARRE CHORDS ROCK!
—- I also wanted to thank you for the valuable lessons you send me for free in my email. I haven’t yet been able to afford your BGU lessons, but as soon as I can, I will be purchasing them!
You are an awesome teacher, and a very generous person to provide hacks like me with free lessons! I’ve learned alot! Thanks again!
Big Fan,
DocMartin
yup i hate bare chords,. and i’m like you i will probably play a whole bare chord when i can get by with the short versiobn of the chiord
I’m a novice guitarist and would love to see a diagram of barre chords in which to pactice from.
Barre Chords are easy to play, And they open up a lot of variety in my playing…The only problem I have is playing a Guitar where the Action on the Fret Board is a 2 on a 10 scale…Hard to get a clean sound !
Hi Griff, greetings from the UK,
It has taken me about three years to perfect paying a barre cord and I agree entirely that it enhances the way a song or tune can be played.
I would urge all would be guitarists to persevere with barre cords because the ability to play a barre cord opens up the understanding of how chords progress up the guitar neck. Once you can manage a barre cord in, say, E you can begin to unlock the whole of the world of chord sequences and develop both accoustic and electric techniques that will amaze you, leading to a much clearer understanding of the way your favourite rock, folk or pop song is played by your favorite artists. I cannot stress enough how important and enlightening mastering barre cords is, and urge every beginner to keep working at it. The technique will eventually fall into place and exponentially extend you understanding and ability!
Best regards,
Alan
Hi Griff, I roll my finger to the left but it pulls my other fingers off a little bit and the whole chord sounds off,some notes ring others don’t.The same goes with the little f.I tilt my finger tip and the chord sounds fine,but switching to c takes too much movement to straighten it back out and then my c sounds terrible.I don’t know why but any f to c chord seems harder than it should be.Thanks,Dan
Good Stuff!
HI Griff, thank you for this info. I do use some bar chords, but still find then diffucult.
One reason being is that my left index finger is slightly bent to the left. (Hopefully not the precursor to rheumatoid arthritis). They are handy however for bringing the bass notes into the chord.
Your teaching method I find is very clear and applicable.
Thanks again. Gvin Smith
Hi,barre chords are so much faster and simple to use IF you are only using two types,the E shape and A shapes and mixing their use with open chords.Faster because you keep the same shape mostly but there is a hard part to it and some people can get forearm strain and or tired index fingers,but if that happens you can change to open chords and keep going.
Bar chords used to be difficult. But like anything else, stick to it and you will get the hang of it. I used to hate them….now, I don’t even think about how hard a time I had trying to get them right.
I just play them.
Griff,
Bar chords are part of the musical picture, but I was wondering what non-bar chord positions are there that I can use. An example; I play a “chord-lead” type of thing with an “E” on the 6th and 7th frets. The tab is: “D” string – 6th fret, “A & G” string – 7th fret. I have been able to play some nice blues rifts with that fingering. Got any other “chord” positions like that in your repertoire?
Yes barre chords are hard to learn initially, but once you learn them, there is no end to the fun things you can do with them. And you will find your fingers doing things that you though you could never do. After a while. you get used to them and your fingers just go to them with no thought on your part. I just can not imagine playing a guitar without being able to play barre chords. They also come in handy when the key changes right in the middle of a song. I love barre chords. Fun fun fun.
Barre chords are the easiest thing ever! I don’t understand why one would be terrified of them..
I’ve have adapted to bare chords quite nicely but I’m not sure when one would use them as opposed to using normal chords and I notice that you say that one will use barre chords only 1% of the time. So as a beginner, I’m a little concerned that I am mastering something that I might not use at all. Could you give some advice here please.
Many thanks for all your videos. I really find them very useful.
Regards
George
Thanks for all the help you give through your emails. Full Barre’s can be scary and I have to admit I try to avoid them. I will spend a little more time working on the forms. Just wanted to let you know recently bought a Seagul S6 guitar. No it is not an American Gibson but I have been suprised how well it plays for a 400 dollar guitar. Also wanted to know what strings you recommend to play David Gilmour style on an Acoustic guitar ?
Sometimes it takes a third person to break thru the muddy water to see the clear of it. Thanxs for the help..
Griff,
Thanks for the insight and encouragement. I have only been playing for 6 months and am on the Barre Chord journey of pain and frustration. I got so frustrated with the whole thing a few weeks back that I taped my index finger up to help. It was somewhat effective in making the barre but then I couldn’t bend it to make other chords, so off with the tape an on with practice. It is coming albeit very slowly.
Thanks, I’ll keep trying, but I’m sure I’ll get it..
It took years to get my index finger to behave as I wanted it to. But, after a while you also realize that in almost all cases guitarists are playing pieces of chords such as just the three strings of a barred C (5th fret). Or perhaps as Griff says “little Chords” or what I called “cheater” chords.
Many years ago when I started playing guitar barre chords was something I thought I would never master but after much practice I became proficient at it. Today barre cords just come natural.
Good luck……………Bill
Thank you very much. For this very helpful article. I have just recently began to try barre chords, and keeping that finger straight certainly does take practice. It’s coming.
Thanks again
linda
Thanks, I needed that. Signed [the woman who finally mastered the f chord.]
Thanks for this. Even though I can play a full barre chord, I sometimes find it difficult to move quickly from an open chord to a barre chord. I find myself fumbling or missing the fingering on the other fingers used to form the whole chord.
Thank you for the gift and inspiration.
A good explanation / a good reminder – thanks a bunch
i am impress, thanks
There is hope people! It took about 3 months of trying and missing barre chords. Fingers didn’t stretch enough, not strong enough, didn’t reach enough, didn’t have enough control. But it slowly improves. Then suddenly they start to work. You cross the line between not strong enough, to JUST strong enough, and the chord starts to ring true. Spend a couple of minutes each session, no matter how bad you are to start with.
Griff,
I use to play in a band 30 plus yrs ago and stopped playing guitar. I was a self taught player and never learned the true fundimentals of the lead guitar, you could say I played mimmick guitar… after finding your sight while trying to pick up the guitar again I was amazed at the ease in which you made learning the fundimentals was.
I want to thank you for this site and the emails.
Rock on!
Bubba
I REALLY LIKED THE VIDEO YOU SENT A FEW DAYS AGO ABOUT FORMING THE CHORD BEFORE FORMING THE BARRE. PATIENCE IS NOT MY STRONG SUIT BUT I’VE BEEN WORKING ON FORMING THE CHORDS THAT WAY.THEY DON’T SOUND GREAT BUT I’M GETTING THERE.
Well, I am one of those people who have tried the Barre Chords and I still can’t see how it will ever work!!!! It’s driving me mad but I assume I’ll try it again some other time in the near future. Hard and frustrating times ahead!
I’ve been a Bluegrass mandolin & guitar player for 35 years, but I wanted to stretch out. In April of 2010 I bought a LP. You know that dang guitar hung on the wall until Jan. 2011. It just didn’t play like a Dreadnaught and the barre chords totally eluded me. I recieved my BGU course on Dec 31 ’10 and guess what … the barre chords still freak me out.
Last night an old Buddy from High School came over. I got him to check out my axe and I was quite surprised when I saw the positioning of his fingers. That index finger was quite straight. As a matter of fact his whole hand seemed to come off of the neck at a right angle. Time to dust off lessons 1-5 of BGU and try it again.
I would like to start off by naming just a few bands -Alman Brother band,Santana,ZZTOP,yes that texas flood, Bad Company. Barre chords I guess came easy for me because thats what I started pretty much teaching my self to learn then went on to low standard chords. I would go to concerts and get there early so I could be front center and literary watch Barre chord progressions that this kick ass guitarst was playing and memorise them in my head on the way home and so much in thought that who ever was in the car trying to talk to me couldn’t break my concentration ,and coulden wait to get home so I could Play it on my guitar. My friends thought I was a party pooper because I wouldn’t hang out after the concert. I just had a different kind of high and it was learning to play guitar better than my brother who would not teach me anything or wasn’t around as much at that time.By the time four years past he first reconized that I could Play, I had all ready past his ability to concur me onthe guitar with a jar drop .So if your determaned enough you can teach your self anything .Today its at your fingertips,a lot easyer then when I was learning. I played drums on stage my first gig at age 13yrs old then you could get away with it .Started learning guitar at fourteen I was a late bloomer,anyway Im fifty three and still playing in my new band the Rising Tide Band. Most rewarding acomplishment was be ing onored to play backup band for Greg Alman his self at a local club in our town ,so the moral of this story is dreams do happen if you want it bad enough. Keep practice a day-ly habit.
To learn barre chords is very important because a lot of songs are being played using them.
Proof: There is this very good guitarist who is a member of our church choir.
Everytime he plays, I watched his fretting fingers and noticed that he uses a lot of barre chords up and down the fingerboard on almost all of the gospel songs. If barre chords are used in gospel songs, I concluded, how much more in contemporary songs!
Anyway, and I know you already know about this, but mention just in passing that you can barre chords in E minor, E major, A minor and A major chord shapes, not to mention the 7th chords!
To barre chords is really difficult! Reason: one has to build the muscle on your index finger assigned the difficult task of barring six or five strings on the fret! And to attain that goal, it takes time and a lot of practice.
My one cent suggestion: try to barre chords on the 5th fret, not on the 1st fret! Once you get it right, then move up and down the fretboard. Finally, go back to the 1st fret and by this time, hopefully, you have the needed muscle to the index finger to do it right!
It’s difficult to start on the 1st fret because it is the one closest to the nut and so the action there is really tough!
Kudos to both of you, Merlin and Steve B., for your perseverance inspite of your friend-teacher giving up on you, Merlin, and you, Steve, for your index finger problem. Now, you are reaping the benefits of your efforts! Isn’t it very gratifying???
Moral lesson you taught us: Don’t give up on yourself even if everybody has given up on you or, even if you have disability!
Happy guitar playing, eeeerrrrr, barre chords playing!!!!!
To barre chords is really tough because you need to build muscle on your index finger and to attain that goal, it takes time and a lot of practice. My one cent suggestion: please start barring chords on the 5th fret instead of on the 1st fret. It’s more easier there and once you got it, move on other frets, then finally, go back to the 1st fret! Reason why 1st fret is verey difficult or tough to barre chord on the 1st fret is because it the fret closest to the nut!
Yes, barre chords are used in so many songs! There was this very good guitarist in our church choir! I always watch his fretting fingers and noticed that he used a lot of barre chords up and down the fretboard to accompany almost all of the gospel songs. That’s how I came to realize that barre chords are really very important in all styles of songs!
I truly admire you Merlin for your perseverance inspite of your first failure and, most importantly, inspite of your guitar teacher giving up on you! Yes, that’s the right attitude – even if everybody gave up on you, don’t give up on yourself! You are the only one you’ve got!!!! And you are now reaping the benefits of your endless efforts, right?????
To barre chords is really tough because you need to build muscle on your index finger and to attain that goal, it takes time and a lot of practice. My one cent suggestion: please start barring chords on the 5th fret instead of on the 1st fret. It’s more easier there and once you got it, move on other frets, then finally, go back to the 1st fret! Reason why 1st fret is verey difficult or tough to barre chord on the 1st fret is because it the fret closest to the nut!
Yes, barre chords are used in so many songs! There was this very good guitarist in our church choir using an electric-acoustic guitar! I always watch his fretting fingers and noticed that he used a lot of barre chords up and down the fretboard to accompany almost all of the gospel songs. That’s how I came to realize that barre chords are really very important in all styles of songs!
I truly admire you Merlin for your perseverance inspite of your first failure and, most importantly, inspite of your guitar teacher giving up on you! Yes, that’s the right attitude – even if everybody gave up on you, don’t give up on yourself! You are the only one you’ve got!!!! And you are now reaping the benefits of your endless efforts, right?????
hi griff,i can play barre chords,on elect or accu.but practice on accu,makes your hands stronger.
Great job as usual Griff, thanks. I agree with Merlin….practice playing the A and E chords and their sevenths… using the pinky finger a lot. This makes forming the barre chord easier ….. especially for the pinky which is often ignored at the top of the neck. Lead guitarists may not use barre chords much but it makes the guitar much more interesting for us rythm players. Best wishes all.
Griff if there was an nobel award for guitar teachers you Marty Schwartz and Claude johnson should all get one. Thanks from the heart, you guys all kick ass.
I started playing about 20 yrs ago but had to stop playing after about 2 years as I lost the tip of my index finger (to the 1st joint) in an industrial accident, however a couple of years ago i decided to have a go at it again but thought barre chords were out of the question but this wasnt the case, with practice I’am now able to barre quite well. The point of the matter is if I could do it with my disability anyone with all their fingers should find it even easier, it just requires a lot of practice, patience and a bit of experimentation until you find a way. It will all be worth while eventually. Barre chords give you so much versatility and boy what a buzz you get when it all starts to gel. Good luck and stick with it.
That was great and I agreee 100% you
will learn them, just a bit of time’ No you
wont plaý the fùll chord most of the
time. Play on!!!!
on the bar chords chart i got there are 5 strings to be pressed ,i only got 4 fingers ????.
I started out playing bass in 1967 in a rock garage band, and when I moved up to learning six-string I did it on a 1948 Epiphone Emperor which I purchased for $90. Because it is fundamentally a jazz guitar, it is predisposed to easy barre chords. the other secret to barre chords is that your fretting hand only really holds the strings down for the duration of you sounding the chord with your strumming hand. If you try to hold them in place longer you wil have an aching wrist. Stay at it though, because once you master barre chords they are just a mobile wring and pinkie finger away from owninge dozens of full chords with instant riffs buried inside of them. Watch a good jazz player sometime, he does barres at least 80% of the time!
Why I hate Bar Chords. – my little finger is broken and can’t use it for some 25 years now. I cheat on my other chords to but thats how I have to play. Now what about these bar chords, can you simplify them for me. Just the basics.
Although I agree barre chords are not essential they are a valuable tool to have in you repertoire. I play with 3 other guys and I play rhythm (all acoustic) and use barre chords extensively. I frequently have people come up to me after and inquire why my guitar stands out predominantly from the others. The others play Gibson’s,
Martin’s, and Dean’s. I play a Seagull. I also would be first to admit I am not the best player among my friends. So only conclusion I have been able to come up with is I use barre chords much more than the others. A “B” barre chord on the 7th fret is a beautiful sound compared to the standard ways on the second fret. Just my 2 cents worth.
ANY BGU STUDENTS IN NEW JERSEY?
your lesson are great i have played for 50 yr i did not play lead there to many better guitar ply. and when your on the road you better have the best yo can get i know i made 45s years a go and you better good. joetheshakerRBLEG
This was told to me by a 12 y/o girl who could barre any chord and have it ring true. This is especially true with acoustic I’ve found.
Guitarists, as they are holding the guitar, put inward pressure on the lower body of the guitar (press it in against stomach/rib area) with their elbow/arm causing the neck of the guitar to move slightly away from the body, as you stop the neck from moving away from your body, and keep the guitar balanced (so to speak), it automatically applies pressure to the barre. Its this inward vs. outward pressure that makes barring easy. This is also why, as Griff said, it doesn’t matter how strong you are or finger size – your arm, which is much stronger than your thumb, is really what’s doing all the work, not your thumb or finger. So you can play barre chords all night and your hand does not get tired. If your squeezing between your thumb and finger, your doing it wrong.
When I started with barre chords it seemed like everyone had them down. I had real problems in the beginning until a friend showed me a trick using the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers in the shape of an E chord then sliding your hand up the neck to the third fret making a G chord then two more frets to the 5th fret making it an A chord, one more fret to the 6th for an A# an so on. I know it’s the wrong for many as it’s the wrong position for an E chord but it worked for me and after a while I could do all chords either way without thinking about it. Because of the difficulty playing barre chords I found myself not trying them anymore until this trick perked up the interest again. Whatever works for you is what I always say.
When I started barre chords I thought it was going to be impossible but like all the things I learn on guitar I get up each day and keep trying and some things take longer than others but it got really easy after a month and I could play just about all the positions they had to offer. Only thing is with barre chords after playing them for years I got tired of the sound as I like an open chord much better most of the time. However they are great when playing rock and learning a different position in the beginning helped me a great deal and it started with using my 2-3-4 fingers for an E at the start then my fingers were already in position for any barre chord up the neck by just leaving them in place and sliding my fingers up the neck. For example sliding up to the 3rd fret I have a G. It’s a good way to start if your not making any progress but of course it’s better to eventually
It took me 8 months to perfect barre chords. I can now play them anywhere on the neck. When you learn the full barre chord first it is much easier to learn and understand the smaller chord versions that Griff uses. With one or two finger changes you can play minors, dominant majors, 6ths, 7ths, 9ths and 13th notes easily.. Also if you just hit the four high strings with a full barre shape you get a brighter sound that Griff recommends in band situations. The Kinks early hits You Really Got Me etc are all full on barre chord songs and the best example of how great they can sound. Good playing.
Hey everyone, Just wanted to chime in on the barre chord discussion. I have an acoustic set up with .0016 strings. They are logs. I gotta say they sound awesome, but really hard on the hands. However when I pick up the electric the neck is like butter. If you really want get a good workout try pulling off some of those Hendrix style claw chords. You know, the chords that use your thumb to play the low E string. These are movable shapes as well. Once you start getting these down. Barre chords will never seem so bad ever again. Also try alternating between playing your barre chord then playing the chord arpeggio style. When your hand starts cramping play the arpeggio. when the arpeggio gets too fast and thin go back to the Barre. And like Griff says you’ll probably just start using the parts of the chord that you need at any given moment. Listen to the sound your making as you play the chord.
I remember having some trouble with barre chords when I first started playing guitar… now they’re almost second nature; I can handly even ‘double barre’ chords (as long as I don’t have to hold ’em for too long!)
If I have a tip to add to the good advice given above by Merlin, as well as Griff of course, it is that barre chords are easier to play further up the neck (as long as your guitar doesn’t have a ridiculously high action; in which case, have it fixed!)
They’re also easier to play if you use a capo, as this lowers the amout of pressure you need to form the barre… of course, it raises the pitch, but that’s a trade-off; my point here is that if you have trouble at first making barre chords sound clean, try them with a capo, or further up the neck; once your fingers know what they’re doing they won’t find it so hard when you go right back down to the first and second frets…
It worked for me anyway…
🙂
hey the barre cord is a night mare i have tryed to play guitar for two years i still struggle have you any short videos on the subject hey griff your guitar playing is brilliant keep sending the videoes steve
I think barre chords will be the death of me! I keep working at them and have almost injured myself trying to master them in the process!!! very frustrating but I know I will learn them someday – right?!- LOL. Oh well, I can still play in open chord land!
Barre chords are easier on electric. Not really too good for acoustics.-watch out, too much strain can cause carpel tunnel syndrome!
The best thing of all by far, playing Barre chords, is your chord vocabulary increases as well as your fingerboard knowledge….you can..map and target chords…on the fly…play them if you wish or not at all…there are (chord sounds) that you cannot get using "OPEN" chord shapes.
In particular "Fifth’s" and "Seventh’s" All in all, as difficult as they appear to be the reward is definatly worth the pain and effort.
The best thing of all by far, playing Barre chords, is your chord vocabulary increases as well as your fingerboard knowledge….you can..map and target chords…on the fly…play them if you wish or not at all…there are (chord sounds) that you cannot get using “OPEN” chord shapes.
In particular “Fifth’s” and “Seventh’s” All in all, as difficult as they appear to be the reward is definatly worth the pain and effort.
170345
Hi Griff
earnin ea
I am 68 years old and I gave up on playing a few years ago and I am starting again on learning how to play the guitar and I sure wish that I stayed with it, I should have never given up, so let me say to all of the the would be guitar gaints out there , remember when you see a butt kicking guitar player that skill did not come in a bottle that you drink down like a potion with magical powers, no one becomes great without great pratice.
The key is complete commit to your dream with no compromises if you mean what you say do not ever quit or you may be one day 68 and starting all over again, I wll never quit again and above all neither should you.
I still have dreams and goals before I die, one of them is learning to play the guitar well enough to play with a band some day (become what you dream to be)no but you can end your dream.
550948
Hi Griff
earnin ea
I am 68 years old and I gave up on playing a few years ago and I am starting again on learning how to play the guitar and I sure wish that I stayed with it, I should have never given up, so let me say to all of the the would be guitar gaints out there , remember when you see a butt kicking guitar player that skill did not come in a bottle that you drink down like a potion with magical powers, no one becomes great without great pratice.
The key is complete commit to your dream with no compromises if you mean what you say do not ever quit or you may be one day 68 and starting all over again, I wll never quit again and above all neither should you.
I still have dreams and goals before I die, one of them is learning to play the guitar well enough to play with a band some day (become what you dream to be)no but you can end your dream.
222761
Hi Griff
earnin ea
I am 68 years old and I gave up on playing a few years ago and I am starting again on learning how to play the guitar and I sure wish that I stayed with it, I should have never given up, so let me say to all of the the would be guitar gaints out there , remember when you see a butt kicking guitar player that skill did not come in a bottle that you drink down like a potion with magical powers, no one becomes great without great pratice.
The key is complete commit to your dream with no compromises if you mean what you say do not ever quit or you may be one day 68 and starting all over again, I wll never quit again and above all neither should you.
I still have dreams and goals before I die, one of them is learning to play the guitar well enough to play with a band some day (become what you dream to be)no but you can end your dream.
thanks guys ,newbie here, griffs beginner blues tape made me want to stay with it. i try to do a f barre chorde and almost broke my finger. they seem so difficult to learn but so easy sounding to play. i accused my guitar friend of showing me the wrong way because at times it does seem impossible but iknow otherwise. i just keep working on it. can hardly wait to it all gels together. griffs tape is execellent.he is the reason istay with it. went to 4 different teachers and just lost money. the teacher makes the difference. now thanks to griff and practicing iam finally learning guitar. thanks once asgain guys . happy strumming!!!!
Griff’s remark about only using full barre chords maybe 1% of the time is correct for some outfits, but in my garage-rock band Used Goods I employ them fully 75-80% of the time–literally couldn’t live w/o ’em–so I think the type music you’re playing is largely what determines how often you’ll need to barre and thus how important it is to practice and get them right. Oddly enough, I really didn’t find barre chords that much more difficult to shape than open forms, though I know that’s atypical. And yes, most electrics do make it easier to barre but great advice about not giving up on acoustic–even if you primarily play electric, practicing on an acoustic will make your barres easier and let you play them faster when you shift to electric…
I agree with whats been said so far but would like to add that yes, playing barre chords on an acoustic can be tough, but there are benfits, you build the muscles in the hand due to the greater effort required to play them, so once you’ve mastered them on the electric guitar, go back and play on your acoustic.
If it really is too tough and you’re thinking of throwing in the towel – don’t!, Instead get your music shop or luthier to set up your acoustic with lighter strings making it more like your electric to play, thats the secret to being able to play either type as and when the mood takes you.
I have an old 12 string guitar, which is a not the easiest beast to play but I keep it because it gives my hands a work out a couple of times a week which makes playing my electrics seem effortless.
Finally, bear in mind that not all electric guitars are easy to play there are some real cheese cutters out there, so badly set up they’re just about unplayable.
Even if they’re set up perfectly certain guitars can be a challenge, try and play a Rickenbacker 330/12 for an hour at a gig using barre chords, your hand will be screaming……(this is because Rickenbacker don’t make the neck any wider on the 12 string models, so to play one well you have to be very accurate when you’re fingering the chords to avoid buzzes, this increases the tension in your hand and after a while it starts to ache…)
Keep playing but more importantly keep enjoying it!
I agree with whats been said so far but would like to add that yes, playing barre chords on an acoustic can be tough, but there are benfits, you build the muscles in the hand due to the greater effort required to play them, so once you’ve mastered them on the electric guitar, go back and play on your acoustic.
If it really is too tough and you’re thinking of throwing in the towel – don’t!, Instead get your music shop or luthier to set up your acoustic with lighter strings making it more like your electric to play, thats the secret to being able to play either type as and when the mood takes you.
I have an old 12 string guitar, which is a not the easiest beast to play but I keep it because it gives my hands a work out a couple of times a week which makes playing my electrics seem effortless.
Finally, bear in mind that not all electric guitars are easy to play there are some real cheese cutters out there, so badly set up they’re just about unplayable.
Even if they’re set up perfectly certain guitars can be a challenge, try and play a Rickenbacker 330/12 for an hour at a gig using barre chords, your hand will be screaming……(this is because Rickenbacker don’t make the neck any wider on the 12 string models, so to play one well you have to be very accurate when you’re fingering the chords to avoid buzzes, this increases the tension in your hand and after a while it starts to ache…)
Keep playing but more importantly keep enjoying it!
Griff, to all players that are trying to use " Barre Chords"… have to understand that Pratice makes perfect… once you master it, you will find out that some songs almost require barre chords to sound fuller. Also you gain so much speed when playing… I wish the best of luck to all who are trying to learn barre chords… you’ll love it !!! Nobody was born playing guitar, nevetheless playing barre chords… Don’t get discouraged… Most of all don’t give up !!!
Best of luck, and Griff is the best teacher… stick with him… Artesia, Ca.
Griff, to all players that are trying to use ” Barre Chords”… have to understand that Pratice makes perfect… once you master it, you will find out that some songs almost require barre chords to sound fuller. Also you gain so much speed when playing… I wish the best of luck to all who are trying to learn barre chords… you’ll love it !!! Nobody was born playing guitar, nevetheless playing barre chords… Don’t get discouraged… Most of all don’t give up !!!
Best of luck, and Griff is the best teacher… stick with him… Artesia, Ca.
In the tweedlies I was brought back to the Begininning Lick by Richie Blackmore on the song STRANGE KIND OF WOMAN of the DEEP PURPLE fame, the Made In Japan album. please someone go check it out,It’s the very first notes of the tune and makes-up the whole stucture of the song.This lick is very fundamental but try it the way he plays it. and then go faster then faster then faster and you still won’t pull it off the same ,,,Very ODD.
Barre chords are such a richer voicing of many chords. I almost always use them for F,G,B and A. a C is a little high on the neck but it works well if you are already up there anyway. I learned to play AND sing all the time so whatever I can do to help the guitar fun and easy are good.
I started playing my first 3 chords d,g,a, manyyrs ago .I have beeen playing Bar chords for years I use both acoustic and electric . lots of fun . enjoe if you want to pla y all styles of music . Carl Bissonnette
I totally agree with the electric being used here. I was also totally frustrated with bar chords . I tried so hard but nothing seemed to work. then one magical day I got my first one to ring out true. What a good feeling. I am no expert here. but do not give up it will eventually happen.
barre chords easy,Keith Richard uses nothing else. learn on acustic then its simple on electric
The problem with playing the guitar (other than all the confusion about notes chords, minor, major, augmented and such) as I see it, is its physicality meaning it goes against the natural physiology of the human body. Example: In Martial arts if you want to remove a weapon from someones hand you simply bend the wrist moving the palm toward the inside of the fore arm. Try it ! See your hand automatically opens and makes it very hard to hold your fingers and thumb together thus releasing the object. Well guess what? That is the same position your hand is in when you play the guitar! You have to train your muscles to go against their natural inclination and you have to build muscle memory and that can only be done by practice. I have a friend who has just earned his red sash in Kung fu. I asked him How did you get that good ?
His answer: ” By practicing and making my body do everyday what I knew to be right and building on that simple foundation.
Sure it’s hard but it’s worth it!
Oh yeah, it took him eight years and guys Johnny Winter can break walnuts between his thumb and forefinger!
I often just play my electric guitar without plugging it into the amp. I will agree with others here that an electric is much easier to practice with (and easier on the fingers too) than an accoustic. My electric is a student model Epiphone SG that I paid less than $300 for the entire kit. Great little guitar.
I will never forget the day I played my first bar chord. A friend of mine had tried and tried to teach me how, for days and days on end, he finally gave up in total frustration and left, after telling me I would never learn how to play the guitar while alluding to some mental defect on my part being the problem. I just couldn’t get my hand and fingers to co-operate. What he said really upset me, so much that I finally gave it one more try in total determination and to my total amazement I did it, the hand and fingers just clicked into place. WOW! I was no longer stuck on the first three frets, I could play chords all the way up and back down the neck, major, minor, 7th, 6th, and more just by moving one or two fingers.
So don’t give up, no matter how long you have to try again and again, just remember that the magic moment WILL arrive when it just happens and when it does you’ll have it forever. Something that might help is if you learn to play all the E and A chords without using the index finger, once the other three fingers gain the muscle memory the rest just falls into place.
i saveing up for your great course ,you have the best way of showing and make the hard easy,, ive played for years but just from the e-mails i have recived, i have taken a big leap forward in my playing .thanks so much for the e-mails
and i will be getting your course soon …thanks again
Gary
Agree 100% with Jerry’s comment on the advantage of buying an electric guitar as a practice tool for playing barre chords. I started playing guitar (acoustic) about 5 years ago, and barre chords were so frustrating to me that I came close to giving up. I few months ago I bought a Squire Strat, and all of a sudden things started to work. The best part is that I can now play many of the barre chords on my acoustic as well.
Getting the electric did a few other things for me. It expanded my playing opportunities, because now I can practice (with headphones) without disturbing anyone (and without feeling self-conscious about my errors).
I know Griff keeps telling us that he just picks up an acoustic or an electric on a whim, and that it doesn’t make a difference. I understand what he means, and I suspect he’s right. But as a learning tool the electric offers a couple of advantages.
Agree 100% with Jerry’s comment on the advantage of buying an electric guitar as a practice tool for playing barre chords. I started playing guitar (acoustic) about 5 years ago, and barre chords were so frustrating to me that I came close to giving up. I few months ago I bought a Squire Strat, and all of a sudden things started to work. The best part is that I can now play many of the barre chords on my acoustic as well.
Getting the electric did a few other things for me. It expanded my playing opportunities, because now I can practice (with headphones) without disturbing anyone (and without feeling self-conscious about my errors).
I know Griff keeps telling us that he just picks up an acoustic or an electric on a whim, and that it doesn’t make a difference. I understand what he means, and I suspect he’s right. But as a learning tool the electric offers a couple of advantages.
For you beginners. Barre chords are much easier to learn on an electra guitar vs an acustic. About half the pressure is needed. Today, even a cheap electric guitar like a Squire Strat for less than 200 bucks is easier to play than your average 600 dollar acustic. And you\\\\\\\’ll sound better on the electric as well. Years ago cheap foreign guitar\\\\\\\’s were junk but that\\\\\\\’s no longer the case. I have a 1200 Gibson Les Paul that doesn\\\\\\\’t sound or play any better than my Arbor 200 dollar copy.
For you beginners. Barre chords are much easier to learn on an electra guitar vs an acustic. About half the pressure is needed. Today, even a cheap electric guitar like a Squire Strat for less than 200 bucks is easier to play than your average 600 dollar acustic. And you\\\’ll sound better on the electric as well. Years ago cheap foreign guitar\\\’s were junk but that\\\’s no longer the case. I have a 1200 Gibson Les Paul that doesn\\\’t sound or play any better than my Arbor 200 dollar copy.
For you beginners. Barre chords are much easier to learn on an electra guitar vs an acustic. About half the pressure is needed. Today, even a cheap electric guitar like a Squire Strat for less than 200 bucks is easier to play than your average 600 dollar acustic. And you\’ll sound better on the electric as well. Years ago cheap foreign guitar\’s were junk but that\’s no longer the case. I have a 1200 Gibson Les Paul that doesn\’t sound or play any better than my Arbor 200 dollar copy.
For you beginners. Barre chords are much easier to learn on an electra guitar vs an acustic. About half the pressure is needed. Today, even a cheap electric guitar like a Squire Strat for less than 200 bucks is easier to play than your average 600 dollar acustic. And you’ll sound better on the electric as well. Years ago cheap foreign guitar’s were junk but that’s no longer the case. I have a 1200 Gibson Les Paul that doesn’t sound or play any better than my Arbor 200 dollar copy.
For you beginners. Barre chords are much easier to learn on an electra guitar vs an acustic. About half the pressure is needed. Today, even a cheap electric guitar like a Squire Strat for less than 200 bucks is easier to play than your average 600 dollar acustic. And you’ll sound better on the electric as well. Years ago cheap foreign guitar’s were junk but that’s no longer the case. I have a 1200 Gibson Les Paul that doesn’t sound or play any better than my Arbor 200 dollar copy.
I’ve played barre chords for about 40 years and can verify that you very seldom use the full chord (at most 2%), it’s always the “little” chords, either top end strings or bottom end strings depending on music genre.
I play a lot of blues,{electric}, and classic rock and it is true, I do not play full 6 string bars very often except when in the instance of an arpeggiated ? sequence such as Master of sparks by Z Z top. Even though I am a well educated musician, I still find a lot of interesting things in these articles. A lot of times I see things that I have forgotten about over the years. The small chord formations you talk about are very good for any guitarist to learn. Hows about you throw one in about 5ths.?
Barre chords aren’t the problem…it’s whether you should hit the entire chord, the bass notes, the middle notes or the upper strings when holding it down…there’s a time and a place for each choice as I’m sure you know.
ADDENDUM-I ONLY USED IT TWICE A DAY FOR TWO DAYS!!!!!
This stuff is acidic so you dont want to get crazy with it
Im gonna share a trick I discovered by accident
I got a wart on my finger so I went to the store for some wart remover medicine and I bought the cheapest,generic solution I coud find.
I brushed it on and next morning it was all calloused up!!
It was on the EXACT space on my pointer finger that I press down on to make a barre chord!!!
SO-I took the stuff and for 2 days I brushed it on my fingertips and the "Barre Spot"on my pointer and I had instant callouses right where I needed them.
Try it,you’ll see its just what a "soft tissue" guitar neophyte needs
Joe
\"When I was a kid we didn\’t even HAVE barre chords! And we liked it! Hell, I thought BARRE chords were the chords we played in the BAR. I\’m talking the 60\’s. I\’m loving\’ Griff\’s stuff and I still don\’t play barre chords very well. Unless you are really trying to be some pro or something, why worry. My neck sits between my thumb and index finger in the \"wrong\" position just like it did in the 60\’s but I\’m still havin\’ fun.
Gary
Hi guys,
Where can I find a review of the little chords?
I can play most Barre chords if they stay within a 3 fret limit, but like most I guess
stretching to a 4th fret is troublesome. Like an Eb7. any help?
Dave
It really just takes practice. I started playing when i was 7, i played for 10 yrs when i was 17 i had an accident and lost joints off of first, second,and third fingers. the only whole finger i have is the pinkie. I play all barre chords, little chords,and awesume leads now with griffs help. I am now 50 and made a nice living playing in bands all my life and still am learning more at this age since ive been with griff, only wish i would have had a griff around when i was learning way back then, thanks guy
Still learning
Terry B. from New Orleans
If anyone should have problems with barre chords it’s me. God gave me eight sausages and two thumbs instead of fingers! One day I went to the Guitar Center to look at books and stuff and watched, in amazement, an older guy playing a Strat with fingers that were fatter and shorter then mine! He was flying up and down the neck using barre chords and playing riffs like there was no tomorrow. I’m 67, I discovered that it was easier then I thought to learn them. You know what it takes? Grab a good guitar with good low action, sit down and do it over and over and over. Each practice lesson, will sound better then the one before it. Before you know it, you got it! Promise! Ken
Hi Griff, thanks a zillion for the lessons. Been playing since i was 12 and am now 65. Still wanting to learn and you are the best. Bar chords are the best for me as you can work off of them. anyway thanks again.
I live on barr chords. I started 40 plus years ago playing a 12 string acoustical guitar when there wasn’t a capo that worked very well and toughed it out. It’s not easy, but persist and you will be able to play in any key including 4 and 5 flats.
Learn a bit of music theory and you will find slight variations will give you 7ths, maj 7ths, 6ths, sus, augmented, 11ths, 13ths, min 7ths etc. Add a 9th for a nice ring on some chords. I am not a lead player but do programs playing and singing and totally love the sounds I make with chord variations and occasionally inserting bits of melody to round out a great sound.
When starting barr chords, set your guitar up as close to the frets as possible without buzzing and use lighter gauge strings. I used to play electric and steel string acoustic and now play a classical with my own condenser mic set up through a good PA. I love the so-called standards with a jazz flavor and continually rework the arrangements. Pick the guitar you like, play the music you like, and enjoy your flavor of the wonderful world of music.
I also recommend getting involved playing music somewhere on a regular basis. With a group, at church, or wherever you like. It will keep you playing and the rewards of playing music you like are without limit.
Best wishes and enjoy.
barre chords are always the ones i have trouble with when i first started a few years back.i can bar 5 strings but cant really get the hang of baring all 6 strings but i think that will take some time for me to get used to but i keep this tips in my mind
Barre chords take practice, and lots of it. I found it very satisfying the first time I heard a pure sound from one I had played! The capo is great too, but I recommend perservering with shaping the barre chords first. I have the shortest and fattest fingers in the world, so I’m living proof that barre chords can be played by anyone! Thanks Griff for the straight finger tip, and to those who recommend rolling the index finger. That’s exactly what I did to start with.
This may not be the right forum for this but I just thought would share my recent experience with a very long hiatus from playing. Not to get sympathy (and yes it did suck) but I just went through a divorce. During the time I was married almost five years I maybe picked my guitar up once or twice. The wife didn’t care for it at all, so I put it away. I am 42 now and played all throughout my twenties in bands. From 30 to just this May I played maybe a dozen times, so not a lot. Ok the point. After my wife left I picked my guitar up again and to my amazement not only did I get back to where I left off in my twenties in a short week, but only a few days later realized I was better than ever (much better). My chops were ten times as strong as they were when I was playing profesionally and my picking hand just blew me away. Now what does that say about practice? I guess you could argue that if I hadn’t put it down I would be even much better today, but I worked my ass off in my twenties for a decade to get chops like I do now to no avail (hours everyday). Is it becasue I am a woodworker now so work with my hands daily? That is my only guess. Well I wont look a gift horse in the mouth but needless to say I am thrilled and to be relevant to this blog I use barre chords galore and have no problem even with the notorious F chord. Also I have small hands and could never do the thumb over the top Jimi Hendrix chords.
You can’t play in bars if you don’t know a “bar” chord. lol It’s not so much how it’s played as much as how you play it. The main part of the chord is the first two strings and if you can get the third cool. We all know playing two note chords are not as full or colorful as open chords but they really do work well in bars and places where the sound gets kinda garbled due to crowd noise etc… So don’t get to worried about not being able to play them as the are “supposed” to be played, as they say “just do it”! Long Live BB King dj
bar chords impossible on my folk acustic, tryed a classic in a music store, much easier bought the classic on the spot. Told my instructer it’s not sufficient enough for me, he said it was the ax not me, lowered the action (sanded down the bridge-saddle)strings closer to the fret board and “MAGIC” happened to both of my ax’s. r.s.v.p. o
Yes Barre chords are very usefull if you are recording they thicken the mix with out using double tracking and should be used for effect only,very usefull if you only have a four track recorder!!!for power play love ,em
I remember them as power chords, so simple, all the old stuff was played using power chords. Once you learn the secret to playing them you’ll ask yourself what was I thinking.
i’ve played for 45 years majored in music education and taught lessons for 30 years. prior to all this, the dreaded barre chord was a monster i just could not master! I smashed one guitar over the bedpost while in the navy due to frustration, next day bought another 10 dollar guitar and tried again. I’ve found out that rollin the index finger a bit helps alot. as a teacher i tell students to imagine not having an index finger, and then have them play a 1st position E chord, then i tell them to slide that hand shape to the middle of the neck where the tension is less and then add the index finger. this usually works. most of the time all the notes aren’t clean but as strenght gets better the chord cleans up. just always be patient and the power of the barre chord will be yours. also picture smaller portions of the barre chord,for instance strings 1,2,3 or 2,3,4 or 3,4,5, etc. a whole new world will open up, fact is you don’t need all of the chord all the time. keep on pickin’ never give up and i wish the best to all the pickers around this world. sincerely paul m.
I had ONLY played Barre Chords till a short time ago.. Not knowing any better (Taught that way) it has always seemed perfectly natural…. Small chords tended to seem harder…. Like anything…practise and time, and it all becomes second nature.
I started to play guitar in the mid 60s. It was a Nylon string/Classic guitar which IMHO, are better for newbies because they are much easier on the finger tips(callouses’). Also, the strings are usually farther apart (wider neck) which makes finding the desired string much easier.
Anyhow, as for bar chords, if you know what a capo is, then you have it made. (Use you left trigger finger as though it’s a
capo, play a chord as desdribed and off you go.) If you do not not have a capo, Google or Wiki for Capo. Either, or both, will show you what a capo looks like and how it attaches to the neck and what to do from there. If you put the capo on the F fret and play an E chord, take a look, you are playing an F with 3 fingers. Get used to using your middle finger, ring ringer and pinkie to form the desired chord. Move the capo to any fret, use the same 3 fingers to play any chord, IE, an A, and you will be playing a D chord.
Google: How to use a capo? SEARCH GO>
So, your left finger becomes a capo and play as if you cannot
play regular chords with your trigger finger. If your hands are as big as mine I can do so. I had the 1st digit of my left trigger finger squashed off 4 years after starting to play, and I was playing rhythm in my 1st blues band, so it was learn the above technique or quit. I was too into the blues to quit.
I could have just said “Google or Wiki” Capo. But I never take the quick route. Sorry.
I found playing bar chord where i realy didn’t have to like instead of an open F or G. Was a great help. After a lot of frustration they just get easier and easier.
I am having a difficult time trying to barre cords. I have a larger neck on my electric guitar as it is a semi hollow body gretsch. Would buying a guitar with a smaller neck really allow me to play barre cords?
I have been skipping some of the lessons that show barre chords unless it when I’m able to use the capo on the chord. I have bought a finger exerciser and working with my hand strengthing gripper in trying to strenthen the fingers. It is a pain.
Rose
I have 18 years of playing and gigging experience. Take it from me and skip learning barre chords …unless you want to sound like a folk or rock wannabe.
When I first started learning chords I only played chords that would use one or two and eventually three fingers and few strings.(Later I’ve heard them called kernal chords and double stops.) This forced me to learn a significant amount music theory and play economically (use the same moveable shapes for a different sounding chords.)
When playing in a band barre chords and full open chords take up too much musical space, and sound novice-like. My advice; learn what a barre chord is and how to fake it with a few strings. Learn your intervals. Does any one really think John Lee Hooker or Muddy Watters made a living off of playing barre chords?
Keep your thumb off the back of the neck, grab your guitar like a baseball bat and play it like a god-damn bluesman!
I see a lot of guy’s online playing a simple boogie. It looks and sounds so fun. Problem is that they don’t slow down enough.
I struggled with Barre Chords on my electric guitar, so a friend lent me a PRS SE Custom (don’t know if i’m allowed to say that)and i could do the barre Chords striaght away. I am told it is becasue the neck/fret board is a differnet shape. So if you continue to struggle try a few differnt guitars.
Dave
so is there an aternative while we learn to master barre? eg there is a simple song that has a F major thrown in there. other chord in meantime?
All I wanted was some pics of where to place my fingers payin’ proper chords! I do not wish a bunch of senseless time consuming comments! sorry for the slow learners but……….hey 😉
annmarie
hI,. i CAN’T ply too well. I’ve been taking lessons, started knowing
a cdefg and now b… I jumped right into the blues, while one teacher uptown taught me progressions, ionon scale, phyrigian, etc… bends, hammers, caged system.. and all the dvd’s I’ve bought before Griff (and I still got to buy some of our stuff), I’m learning all about the blues and all the above and love it. I can play the caged from the g down to the e past the 12th fret.. it’s pretty neat and I’m diggin it… lol I’m over 60 and have known the open chords most of my life but never got into it as much as now.. Just commenting on the helpful tips on barring, I’ve recently come to realize the bar chords aren’t that difficult if I play slowly but still working on getting it right quickly.
Been taking lessons year now and still can’t bar seriously.. oh well.
Everybody just relax-think back how intimidating every chord was when you were first learning.Barre chords are no different-just takes the determination you used for eveything else you’ve learned on guitar.The fear of the chords will defeat you more readily than the actual chords themselves!Keep working.
Barre Chords are the work of the devil!!!!
I like others have avoided songs with them in but I have been helping my niece recently with some strumming patterns and song structures. She has found barre chords almost natural !!. I hate her !!!!.
I started playing just after my 50th birthday because I wanted to try to do what I did’nt have the patience to do when I was 16 !!.
My problem is that wilst I understand the chord shape I struggle with positioning my fingers quickly enough and with sufficient pressure to play it !! aaarrrggghhh!!!
Oh well I suppose at my age it don’t matter too much. I’ll keep on because I’ve found that there is a great feeling when you have nailed a song you like..particularly if you’ve done it in front of an appreciative audience.
By the way my audiences are usually at family get togethers, maximum 12 people !!.
Still feels good!!!!
thanks for the tips. i’ve mastered barre chords but your tips will help me to teach better.
cheers
danny
What’s all the fuss about. They’re bar chords. Remember the first day you rode a bike, or the first day of school, what about your first day at work …. Yes all things things are challenging, but with discipline, hard work, not too much time, and a bit of passion, it’s possible. Remember, it’s not rocket science; if it was we’d be playing sticks pretending to play guitars.
When I first picked up the guitar I bought The Beatles song book. I saw some of the patterns and looked at the shapes and counted my fingers. Teaching myself I was confused. Six dots in a ‘G’ chord and only four fingers and a poor little thumb! Imagine my relief when I learned to barre. I didn’t have to somehow grow more fingers! As an addendum thanks for your informative site.
Jusy a quick note of thanks Griff for all your info/help. I too cant purchase your disc yet, but I do read with interest all your emails. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I still remember the first time I managed to play a barre cord correctly. I’ve been playing them easily ever since. Just don’t give up and keep trying! It’s not so much about how hard you press, but where you press. I rotate my index finger a bit on it’s side so the bone is putting pressure on the strings rather than soft flesh. It hardly feels like I’m pushing down at all now.
Thank you sincerely Griff – I have to admit that not being able to make much progress with barre chords had taken some of the fun out of learning & I had considered giving up, especially as there they are in Lesson 1. Your tips today could not have arrived at a better time – now, where’s my axe! 🙂
One of the first/main concepts of Barre Chords is to make sure the wrist is directly below the fret board whilst your guitar is still comfortable held.The fretting fingers should be able to move freely.
Try them on a 12 string and you’ll know you’re alive. Just keep practicing. Barre chords can’t be played at first – you don’t have the finger strength. This has to be developed. It’s like weight lifting – it takes time and effort to improve.
Hi all,
Such an honor to have like minded people sharing their trials and tribulations. A good pointer is the “little chords” I’m just beginning to explore these. Once you have them buttoned down it gives you time to place the other fingers correctly and it doesn’t sound like you’re fumbling around. Keep up the great motivation. It helps tremendously. Much appreciated.
Yep they (barre cords) are great to get a fatter voice than open cords, Gigging I alternate between them. works for me
Yep, I remember bar chords being hard to play at first. Having a low action guitar, lighter gauge strings, and starting with a bar chord half way up the neck helps. Some of it is just time for your the fingers to get physically stronger.
Don’t give up ‘cos it gets easier.
Griff, just wanted to let you know I’m proud of you for sharing your expertise with so many others. There are those who just won’t do that. I read all of your information with interest. I’m an old geezer who’s been playing a long time and you’ve taught me some things and provided another look at things I’ve been doing for years. I try to share my knowledge with anyone who needs it. If we all do that, we all win. Again, thanks for all you are doing.
P.S. I would buy your course but the financial situation will not allow it at this time. Keep on keeping on.
I’m a beginner guitarist and was thinking the same things in this post. I use to turn red every time a song called for barre chords. I would choose a song I was interested in playing and they had pretty easy chords but always threw something like an F#m chord in there and I would get so flustered. I’m still not very good with barre chords but much better. It felt like it was something I would never be able to do because I was trying and practicing so hard but still couldn’t do it. I just kept at it and it did get better and I’m still working on it to get it to sound better. Right now I still don’t feel like I’m getting anywhere much but looking back I know I’ve come a long way. It is funny to look back just a few months ago when I didn’t even know how to play any chords at all or change chords quickly, I thougt what am I doing, it seems like it will take me years to learn how to play one simple song LOL and now since I know a few chords I can just look at the tab and play any song that has chords I’m famililar with 🙂 I’m going to keep on pushing!!!!! Thanks for the info about keeping your finger straight that helps.
Barre Chords are hard for some easy for others As you can see by Eddy’s Post.
When I first started I used alot of 3 note Power Chords (R5) Chords. Well a good friend said Play more Barre Chords and It was a little difficult at first Cuz it was hard on the virgin flesh on my Pointer finger. But it took a while to get everything sounding the way I wanted it too..
I learned the barre chords when I was very young in the 1960’s. It took some time, but I learned dispite my short fingers.
After a pause in about 40 years (playing trompet)I now play guitar again and I could play the barre chords from the first day on without problems. So just hang on..