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Post by WickedWishes on Apr 25, 2004 9:12:36 GMT -5
I'm looking for suggestions/advice on hand and arm positions when making "barre chords"
Also any particular hand/finger exercises to allow a wider reach to cover 4 frets.
Whoa,....these "barre chords" are tough,...!!!
Thanks in advance,...*S*
^5 ya'll
WickedWishes
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Post by hcoll on Apr 25, 2004 19:25:50 GMT -5
...don't know how you have your strap adjusted...I have mine so that when I sit down the guitar rests in my lap...same length when I stand...in oher words the strap is short...the lower the guitar is...the harder it's going to be to curl your hand around and get your finger across the neck....
...my role model for this is John Lennon...check out the pictures of him playing a J-165E...it's right up on his chest....
...for lower notes...I find raising the neck/rotating the guitar helps...it's all muscle building through practice....
...my teacher gave me a piece to play as a stretching excercise...Joe Satriani's Tears in the Rain...I'm sure that there are a lot of other pieces that will do this for you too....
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Post by dennisobell on Apr 28, 2004 21:12:20 GMT -5
I'm looking for suggestions/advice on hand and arm positions when making "barre chords" Also any particular hand/finger exercises to allow a wider reach to cover 4 frets. Whoa,....these "barre chords" are tough,...!!! Thanks in advance,...*S* ^5 ya'll WickedWishes My teacher solved my problem with barre chords in five minutes! It was really all in the mind! All he told me to do was to begin by thinking and fingering the chord first (and properly) and then place the barre (#1 finger) just a split second after. With only a little practice, I was able to do the two simultaneously. I found that a"Gripmaster" (about $12) works really great for building finger/fretting strength and flexibility-especially in #3 and #4. Hope this helps. |
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Post by Steelpriest on Apr 29, 2004 2:42:34 GMT -5
Well, what I would suggest is: Yes, keep the strap short. For a beginner it is more comfortable, the lower your guitar hangs the more tricky it gets,... then try if you do a barre chord that your thumb rests on the back of the neck and points to the headstock (yes, the classical position), it makes it easier alot. Thus the hand is in the right angle to the neck automatically. Don´t sling your thumb over the the neck... (just my personal opinion and advice), check it out... Well, stay away from gadgets like gripmaster they are pretty useless musicwise... maybe you can built up strength in your fingers a bit, but you also train your finger by simply playing the guitar...  Those gripmasters are likely to cause a serious tendon sheath inflamation if you overdo it!  (also just my opinion, but I speak about it because a pal made bad experiences with it...) |
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Post by AYTONROB on Apr 29, 2004 6:16:19 GMT -5
not sure if this will help but i use two methods of playing a barre chord one is the classic thumb behind the neck and index finger to produce the "barre" remaining three fingers produce the chord and the other is to use the thumb and index finger to produce the barre that is the thumb covers the low e and sometimes the a string and the index takes care of the bottom 2 or three strings depending on which chord shape you are using.....with the classical position i recomend changing between the e shape a shape and d shape (d shape can be tough for beginners) to build up strength and speed
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Post by WickedWishes on Apr 29, 2004 17:33:09 GMT -5
My sincere thanks to everyone that replied to my question.
I have made note of each and every suggestion so far and I plan to encorporate each into my practice routine, and find the ones that work best for me.
^5 ya'll
Thanks
WickedWishes
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Post by zep on Apr 29, 2004 17:55:09 GMT -5
Yeah, they are tough.
I'm trying to learn the major and minor barre chords that had their roots on the E and A strings. My only problem seems to be making sure that my first finger goes across all the strings and presses them down all the way. So far, that seems to be pretty difficult sometimes.
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Post by ZacAttack on May 1, 2004 13:40:07 GMT -5
ok here is a simple exercise ok make a D barre chord on the A string first finger five frets up and D string third finger seven frets up you know a D barre chord ok now do a little blues chug you know one two one two one two one two. OK now with your forth or little finger skip the 8th fret and go to 9 on the D string as you hold the barre chord. ok now do the blues chug thing and hold it for 2 and let go for 2. Nice little stretch huh? OK when you can do that well stretch all the way up to 10th fret and slide down to 9th an let off to seventh. OK if you get that try doing it while covering 3 strings with your little finger. Don't feel bad if it takes a while and if you have small hands you "may" never be able to make that stretch but if you can its a hell of a way to work up finger strength. And if you can make that stretch slide down 2 frets and do it there and if you get that you can make any stretch on the neck.
p.s. if anyone knows how to spell this out so its easier to understand be my guest.
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jukes
Full Member
Posts: 40
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Post by jukes on May 3, 2004 2:05:40 GMT -5
what i learned off an old timer is all of the above
and...make sure your index bars right almost on top of the fretwire(well just behind it).this way you get used to it there and it usually rings like it should.
i always had problems with the high e but when i learned this it was a revelation to me.
it was like
oh!?that is so much easier
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Those gripmasters are likely to cause a serious tendon sheath inflamation if you overdo it! 
(also just my opinion, but I speak about it because a pal made bad experiences with it...) 
