Something I'd like you to try

[MikeS]

I may have found just the thing to help you build the strength in your thumb, which should help you with your barre chords. I've been working on Brown Sugar from the My TwangyGuitar link that someone posted. Brown Sugar
I've been playing chords for 35-40 years so I thought that I had built up a pretty good thumb muscle. Well after to or three days of playing the intro to this song,I can definitely say my thumb is stronger.
I was wondering if this would help newer players. You have to play barre chords in it, but because (and here's the catch) you HAVE to tune to an open G (Dead Guy Dead Guy Bad Dog-654321) (Marty Schwartz has a pretty cool way to easily tune to G - Marty's Tuning Guide ), half the barre chords are one finger chords (I sometimes use my middle finger crossed over my index finger , but I try not to). I think that if you like the Stones even just a little, this is going to sound so cool to you that, like me, you're gonna play it till your finger aches. All you really need to play is the first few bars over and over.

I was hoping that someone who's having trouble with barre chords would try this out, and let the rest of us know if this helps. Don't worry about how it sounds at first, because you have to bounce between a single finger barre and a 3 finger barre chord, so the 3 finger one will give you fits at first.
Any way sorry for being so long winded. Give it a try I'm pretty sure that in a few days you will be shocked at how much better your barre chords are.

 

[Micheal]

thanks for the tip Mike

 

[Rue]

Thanks Mike....actually I don't have any trouble with barr chords but I have been using those for a long time before getting Griff's courses.   I did enjoy that BROWN SUGAR  site...cool song.

 

[Ray_UK]

I like the idea of this Mike, my barre chords are improving but I could use another exercise, especially one that sounds cool.

I'll have to check out the tuning to open G as I've not tried any alternate tunings yet, so another new thing to try there at the same time

I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[Lame_Pinkey]

I really don't know about that Mike.The barre chords in 'open G' are a lot easier & simple to play then your  'full' barre chord, i think.
For one you are only strumming 4 strings as oppossed to 6 & as you mentioned many of these chords is a simple bar of the index finger.
I can actually finger these chords without having my thumb on the back of the neck , but this does tend to pull the guitar away ( or into ) you & is not good for when moving (changing ) as you don't have an anchor for your hand position but it can & should be able to be done just as an experiment because as I said there is little pressure needed when compared to full barre's in standard tuning.
Thats how I find it & am not meaning to " diss " your post at all.

LP

ps "diss " you guys stil say that silly word ?   ;D

 

[MikeS]

LP, I just found that I was working the muscle in my fret hand thumb more than I usually do. I'm guessing it may just be because it's such a cool sound, (It really sounds like Keith (Sort of) )that I'm playing it more than other songs ( Several hours per day for the last couple of days). But the deal is that if someone is having trouble with barre chords, this is one song that can be barred easily and they might play (and enjoy) it more and more quickly build up the muscle.

 

[Lame_Pinkey]

Oh yeah for sure agree with you on that as long as they can come to terms with the ' open G ' tuning, which I think just needsto be tuned in open G then just play as it is & don't think about anything else for the time being.

LP

ps there is no need to tune the E 6th down to a D either as it is not used at all - Keith actually removes the 6th string alltogether.

 

[Ray_UK]

So, measures 1, 2 & 3 here are what to play & then repeat to get that Brown Sugar sound/feel?

 

[Lame_Pinkey]

Meaures 1 & 2 there Ray is the opening riff ( measure 3 is just the repaet of that ) so it goes ( use your imagination here  ) Da Dah , da dah dah'Dah duh , & is repeated 4 times in the opening.

LP

 

[Ray_UK]

Cool - right I'm off to become a new member of the Stones [in my own mind only, of course  ]

 

[RayL]

Thanks, Mike. If this helps me, you will be my hero.

Ray

 

[Ray_UK]

It's great fun & yes I can sure feel it in my thumb! I'm leaving my Squier in Open G for the time being

 

[MikeS]

Once you've mastered the first three bars, here are some more ( Tabbed them out using Guitar Pro 6).

 

[Ray_UK]

Thanks for that Mike! 

 

[Lame_Pinkey]

Also can look at this Ray , just follow the bouncing ball , & put up with the computerized music ;

http://www.songsterr.com/a/wa/song?trackPos=0&id=16360

LP

 

[SunnyOne]

mike, can you video yourself and post it in other recordings for us? thanks.

 

[Lame_Pinkey]

as long as he has a wide angled lens  ;D

LP

 

[allen]

mike what you have tab out is different to what is on the songsterr site,have a look at measure 10/11 the bar chord is how i think it sounds wright ,the way you have it is how i started playing it but didn't sound like it should ,may it's just me 

 

[MikeS]

Yep it's different, but To my ears (old and mostly shot) mine sounds more like the record. But they are so close it really doesn't matter particularly for the intent of the original post.

 

[MikeS]

mike, can you video yourself and post it in other recordings for us? thanks.

Sunny, I'm not that great at it, but here's the link anyway: http://bluesguitarunleashed.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1282237743/0#0