Barre chords

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skunkwerxskunkwerx Frets: 6838

Starting with the classic F. 
I can finger it ok, and get the notes clean (when played anywhere beneath the 10th fret). Above that requires some work. 

Chords. Always neglected for me, especially barre chords.

My aim is to be able to switch into it much faster than I currently can. Currently cant really play with any tracks at speed. Sometimes it flukes but then the muscles get confused and fuck up!

Any tips, other than to just keep switching between chords and stuff to a metronome or song?

Currently using The Passenger by Iggy Pop, as its not too fast, and loops 4 chords over and over again, one of which is the F barre. 

+ With the passenger I can play just a single strum of each chord on the beat for practice keeping things slower.

Other than that I’m using a part in a tune called Kyrptonite by 3 doors down which uses arpeggiated chords, one of which is the same F shape but on the A string. Also 3 chords repeated so easy to repeat over and over. 

And Starships by Nicki Minaj haha.. just a bunch of F shape Maj and Min in the intro all rooted on the low E. 


The only easy day, was yesterday...
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Comments

  • greejngreejn Frets: 127
    Thumb over the neck version often works better....
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  • CrankyCranky Frets: 2629
    greejn said:
    Thumb over the neck version often works better....
    I wouldn't have understood the thumb thing when I was just learning.  Just as an fyi for the op, you can get away with playing an f, for example, by only playing those notes on the b g and d strings, or even b g d and a (for an f/c chord).  Once you get the hang of those, try bringing your thumb over the top where you would normally be barring the low E.  It's tough down on the f chord but gets easier up the fretboard.

    Or just barre the b and e strings and leave the low E alone.  This will get you by on a lot of songs.

    Keep practicing, brother!
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  • FuengiFuengi Frets: 2849
    I've been playing barre chords almost exclusively for about two years now. I have just got the major shape from the 5th string sorted, it felt like it would never work for such a long time but now I get it perfectly 4/5 of the time.

    It takes a while for some.of us. 
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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12255
    I tend to learn new songs as basic open chord versions first then switch all the chords to barre chords in various positions until sounds right. 

    I seem to gravitate more to barre chords naturally now. 
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  • TheBigDipperTheBigDipper Frets: 4722
    edited July 2020
    Skunkwerx: That looks hard to play with your hand position like it is in the photo. Is it any easier for you if you change playing position? Can you rotate the guitar neck in a horizontal plane so the headstock comes closer to your body? You'll get better downward pressure on the barre if your thumb is right behind your first finger.  When you're playing at the 10th fret or so, that's what you'll be getting, I suspect.
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  • WhistlerWhistler Frets: 322
    Continuing TheBigDipper's comments: your wrist looks too cocked to me. Getting that neck up so that you can get a straight wrist will help a lot.
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  • vizviz Frets: 10644
    edited July 2020
    Skunkwerx: That looks hard to play with your hand position like it is in the photo. Is it any easier for you if you change playing position? Can you rotate the guitar neck in a horizontal plane so the headstock comes closer to your body? You'll get better downward pressure on the barre if your thumb is right behind your first finger.  When you're playing at the 10th fret or so, that's what you'll be getting, I suspect.
    Yes, it looks like you might be digging your elbow into your waist a bit from that photo. If you try having a slightly greater angle (not twist) at your wrist, and consequently your elbow will come out a bit from your body, the chord might be easier. Try standing up, with the guitar not too low, or if sitting, try putting the guitar on your left knee, not your right. And try not looking at your fingers. If you’re bending over your guitar to see your fingers, and therefore rotating the guitar upwards to get a good look, that will be putting more strain on your wrist. 
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • skunkwerxskunkwerx Frets: 6838
    Sweet cheers all! 

    I’ll give some experimentation a go tonight :) 
    Didnt think of the angles tbh!
    The only easy day, was yesterday...
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  • carloscarlos Frets: 3426
    Move your elbow away from your body until your elbow and your wrist line up in right angles to the guitar. In the picture you can see your index finger is resting on its side because the arm is pulling your hand away from the neck. If everything's lined up you'll have an easier time with your fingers coming from above rather than from the side when they apply pressure.
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  • HattigolHattigol Frets: 8176
    Without a doubt for me, barre chords were the hardest part of the learning curve. 

    Get your technique right then just practice practice practice. You'll get there. And it'll be well worth it.
    "Anybody can play. The note is only 20%. The attitude of the motherf*cker who plays it is  80%" - Miles Davis
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  • hasslehamhassleham Frets: 598
    One of my favourite songs for teaching barre chords is Sky Is A Neighbourhood by Foo Fighters, as it the whole song involves moving the same barre chord shape across different frets and strings. If you have a quick listen to the song and look up the tab on ultimate guitar you should be able to pick it up pretty fast.

    You can start with playing just the bass notes, then go to power chords, then three string power chords, then full major/minor chords (like the 3 string power chords but with the major/minor note), and then full barre chords. So there is a really nice, gradual increase in difficulty based on how comfortable you are with the chord shape.

    The verse riff is just playing stabs on beat 3 so you've got a rhythm similar to "we will rock you" which gives you time to think and change chords during beats 1 + 2, which again helps with the gradual increase of difficulty.

    Then you have the chorus which is exactly the same chords but with a down strum on every single beat, so less time to think and change between chords - more challenging.


    Even if you don't like the song, the riff itself is fun to play and you can steal it as a way of practising barre chord movements up and down the fretboard and across the strings.
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  • HAL9000HAL9000 Frets: 9551
    skunkwerx said:

    Currently using The Passenger by Iggy Pop, as its not too fast, and loops 4 chords over and over again, one of which is the F barre. 


    Actually five chords - Am F C G Am F C E7
    I play guitar because I enjoy it rather than because I’m any good at it
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  • JalapenoJalapeno Frets: 6378
    carlos said:
    Move your elbow away from your body until your elbow and your wrist line up in right angles to the guitar. In the picture you can see your index finger is resting on its side because the arm is pulling your hand away from the neck. If everything's lined up you'll have an easier time with your fingers coming from above rather than from the side when they apply pressure.
    ... and thumb middle of the neck, parallel - to avoid ligament damage long term. Do thumb on the low string OR barre - don't mix it.
    Imagine something sharp and witty here ......

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  • GuyBodenGuyBoden Frets: 733
    Great song choice, Iggy Pop's Passenger was one of the tunes I learned to play barre chords with, back in the late 1970's. Keep practising every day, it'll be much easier next week.
    "Music makes the rules, music is not made from the rules."
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  • Danny1969Danny1969 Frets: 10357
    Jalapeno said:
    carlos said:
    Move your elbow away from your body until your elbow and your wrist line up in right angles to the guitar. In the picture you can see your index finger is resting on its side because the arm is pulling your hand away from the neck. If everything's lined up you'll have an easier time with your fingers coming from above rather than from the side when they apply pressure.
    ... and thumb middle of the neck, parallel - to avoid ligament damage long term. Do thumb on the low string OR barre - don't mix it.
    I've been having some twinges lately and I tend to use the thumb over the neck constantly  ... which is a shame because it initially felt more comfortable and easier to add little trills and things to chords 
    www.2020studios.co.uk 
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