OK, once again my apologies for posting a very amateurish question but I do appreciate your help
i have been struggling for a while now with trying to play barre chords and have finally realised that I think a fair bit of the problem is an old injury I have to my left thumb. Many years ago now I put my hand through our glass front door very badly cutting round the base of my thumb. I had a load of stitches in it and was still getting glass out of it occasionally 20 years later! This has left my thumb very weak and with restricted mobility. I found out much later I should have had surgery on it to repair the various tendons that were severed in the accident but the hospital were pretty useless at the time. I had to ask them to put a dressing on to even!
This weakness and immobility seems to be really hampering my abilities to play barre chords. Does anyone either have any ideas of what I could do (I know, stop complaining and get on with it!) to improve the situation or any ways around playing barre chords without totally wrecking my chances of progressing. Or should I just give up now!!
Any thoughts or ideas much appreciated thanks.
Comments
I think all guitarists have to overcome the barre chord problem at some stage.
There actually is no need to have too much pressure on your thumb.
The best tip I had was to really try to dig your left elbow into your ribs while fretting a barre chord, almost exaggerating that position at first.
That kind of rotates the wrist and makes fretting the chord easier. It will become an easier and more relaxed position over time.
Stick with it.
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If, due to your hand injury, you want to avoid barres altogether then play partial chords. For example just finger that part of chord that doesn't involve the barre and only play the fretted strings. (Later on you might also like to experiment with other shapes that don't fit with the norm - for instance the open AMaj7 shape if you only play the fretted strings is also a C#m. Move it up a fret and it become Dm, another fret and it becomes Ebm etc etc.)
Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21)
This is from David Russell's website accenting precision:
Many times students ask how they can improve their strength in the left hand. I think the best way is to improve your precision.
If your finger is placed close to the fret, it is not necessary to press so hard to get a clean note.
Spend those practice hours becoming more precise.This has helped me in my playing. I am sure it can help you be a better guitarist.
David Russell.
And 2) set the action to the lower end of its acceptable range, rather than higher.
I appreciate some people like to "feel" the guitar or, almost, "fight" against the physicality of thick strings but after I'd seen the video which showed there's no actual (perceptible) sound difference, I swapped from 010s to 009s and didn't regret it. Also it makes bending notes easier. We are gifted with not having to move too much stuff too great a distance on an electric guitar, because the electrics amplify a small vibration, its not like having to use a heavy bowing action to produce loud volume etc, or blowing a wind instrument harder.
Thank ni you so much
Good luck, you'll get there.
Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21)
i find proper barres easy to do when sitting because your lap is holding the weight of the guitar, or its at a different angle, or maybe because it is higher up. or a combo of all.
tits (maybe you have, maybe you don't) mean i can only have my guitar up so high when standing, so the thumb around trick feels far easier for me when i'm standing.
a lot of people say you can only do it if you have big hands. but a thin neck fixes that. if you can't make your hands bigger make your neck thinner. it works for me.
try it?
& maybe get a skinny neck tele to try if it doesn't work straight away on what you have.