Barre chord thumb position

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  • JalapenoJalapeno Frets: 6378
    ICBM said:
    Jalapeno said:

    On the topic of barre chords - they suck for anything other than solo/singalong performers - especially amplified, they fill out the mids in a really unattractive way. I'm trying to coach my other guitarist, if he can't be bothered to learn non-barre fingerings, then to only play the top 4 strings to avoid the dreadful din they make.  Compounded if you add distortion IMHO - yuck !
    You'd hate my playing then :) … I use a lot of full six-string barre chords, often with moderate distortion. It gives a huge sound in a one-guitar band.

    Not at all, I'm saying in a two guitar band it sounds fecking awful. Nowt wrong with Pete Townsend's sound in The Who !

    As for the thumb - nothing wrong with a wrap around (oo-er missus), it's the thumb position when barre-ing that needs to be middle of the neck, and up&down the neck to avoid injury - failing to barre properly gave me arthritis. Just played a 2.5 hr jazz gig without pain using 3 or 4 finger inversions and wrap-around barres (for min7 root on 6th string), with no pain at all !
    Imagine something sharp and witty here ......

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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8591
    Evo said:
    Another nice Dmaj7 voicing...

    XX4635
    The question is where you put your thumb. On that shape I'd have it well behind because of the stretch.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • underdogunderdog Frets: 8334
    I can't play with my thumb over the top, even when intentionally trying (learning some Hendrix licks) it's just feels alien and cumbersome to me.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    underdog said:
    I can't play with my thumb over the top, even when intentionally trying (learning some Hendrix licks) it's just feels alien and cumbersome to me.
    One reason for this is that Hendrix had enormous hands. Mine are tiny by comparison - a little over half the span he had, going by what I've read - and I simply can't fret the low E string with my thumb and play anything more than a couple of frets further up on the first three strings even if I wanted to.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    Had to get a guitar out... astonished 

    I rarely use full six string barre chords and find them uncomfortable after quite a short while. If I do then it's definitely thumb behind although I suspect it creeps up a bit high around the back of the neck. I do a few Steve Jones style middle four string barre majors and they are thumb behind as well, although as far as possible I play everything else thumb over and keep the thumb behind for special occasions. I don't have Hendrix/ Paul Gilbert style big hands though so the thumb is pretty much just for the low E. 


    Although, let's be clear, playing guitar how I do it is no recommendation...
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • TheBlueWolfTheBlueWolf Frets: 1536
    Behind the neck for barre chords; I tend to adjust my fretting hand to get it comfortable. For widdly stuff my thumb ends up over the top.

    Twisted Imaginings - A Horror And Gore Themed Blog http://bit.ly/2DF1NYi


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  • thomasross20thomasross20 Frets: 4423
    Good to get some reassurance. Stupid YouTube video!
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  • thomasw88thomasw88 Frets: 2316
    a few years ago I was getting some agonising pain in my wrists when playing.  went to a physio who said it was probably how I I was playing my guitar.

    So I  went to a teacher for a few lessons. he looked at my technique and thoroughly recommended playing with the Thumb at back of the neck in the centre.    
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  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11674
    Over the neck or at the back in the middle?
    Both - I can play most things with my thumb at the top but need to work on my finger at the back of the neck for chords like the 4-fret one in the middle of the arpeggio on the manics Design For Life, for example.
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
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  • sekerisekeri Frets: 2
    I think you can find many resources here related to the topic https://www.myguitarworkshop.com/search/results/all/1/8?search_string=barre
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  • PolarityManPolarityMan Frets: 7273
    The over the neck guys are you fretting the E and A strings with you thumb? Even that fees super cramped to me but i dont even understand how you would bar with your first finger across the whole neck and put your thumb over

    ဈǝᴉʇsɐoʇǝsǝǝɥɔဪቌ
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8591
    edited June 2017
    When playing thumb-over I cover E, or both E and A, with my thumb. My index finger does a partial barre of the top three strings with my first finger. E and A can be fretted or muted. Using my thumb means that I can have independent muting of upper and lower strings, which is much more difficult to achieve with the index finger. On the other hand a full barre make it easier to mute all six strings evenly, especially when hitting muted strings as part of a strumming pattern.

    As I get older I tend to use full barre and thumb-over interchangeably to give my fingers a rest.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • mburekengemburekenge Frets: 1054
    I learned the classical way, so I'm happiest that way.

    That being said, despite having midget 'chode'  fingers, I've been able to learn to fret the lowest e string with my thumb. Took a lot of work though.
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