guitar help (bar chords)

[tranceFusion]

I have been having trouble learning bar chords on a guitar. I don't know what the guitar equivolent of talkbass is so I am posting here

Anyway, when I play a bar chord with the root on the low E string, I have a good bit of difficulty getting a solid fret of the high B and E strings without contorting my hand in a painful manner.

Also, when I play a major bar chord with the root on the A string, it is nearly impossible for me to fit 3 fingers all on the same fret (for the 5th, octave, and 3rd).

Any advice or links to resources to solving these problems is greatly appreciated!

[dave64o]

One easy response is ... practice. As you continue playing your hands will get stronger. Also, are you playing on an acoustic guitar or an electric? An acoustic will very likely be harder to play cleanly and take a lot longer to build up your strength.

For an "A"-based bar chord, instead of jamming three fingers onto the D, G, and B strings, try just using your ring finger to bar all three strings. That definitely takes practice and is also limited by how much you can bend your joints backwards, but you can practice to get the most out of whatever natural flexibility you have.

[BB75]

Agreed. Practice practice practice. There are no substitutes or short cuts other than repetition. Also, if you wear your guitar slung low try raising it up a bit. Easier to barre when the guitar is hanging high.

[tranceFusion]

I am fine on an electric. An acoustic is where I get muted notes on some of the strings.

I was worried about starting a bad habit and wanted to make sure I was doing it properly to begin with. I am just trying to figure out the proper technique with the barred finger - flatten the bottom of my finger down, turn the finger to the side, move the finger up/down.. is there a good reference that explains the standard way to do this?


I can do the A-string chords with my right finger, but the problem is that either I mute the high E or I bend my finger back far and it hurts.

[The Golden Boy]

It's all practice and building the hand strength and the muscle memory to do it.

"A" form chords are all about using your ring finger to barre the strings, at most using your ring and pinky (which comes in handy for changing to other chords).