Barre chord help

[Displacer]

hey guys,

I've taught myself how to play guitar, but i still have problems holding barre chords

for example:-

E--2--
B--2--
G--2--
D--4--
A--4--
E--2--

i can play low e, a, d, and high e, but the G and B strings are muted still
no matter how hard i seem to hold the strings.

does anyone have any tips from a guitar teacher or just knowledge of how i can get better at it?

thanks a lot

Displacer

[Dave How]

Hi Displacer,

One thought - when barring with the first finger, roll it over slightly so that you are using the side of the finger rather than the fleshy bit (ie so that your finger nail is facing the nut a bit).

Some questions:

If you form the barre with just the first finger and forget the other fingers do you still get the problem?

Are you playing an acoustic or an electric?

Have a look at the action on your guitar. Is it high, can it be lowered? Are the strings very stiff, what guage of strings are you using?

Can you play the chord shape you described higher up the neck without a problem?

More questions than answers I'm afraid but I hope it helps a bit.

[Bardsley]

Hey, Dave gives some good suggestions, that you should take note of. But the biggest thing with bare chords is this: time. Everyone I know who has played guitar has initial problems with barre chords, something that just seems to fade with time. I agree with dave that you should perhaps roll your finger slightly, but not that it should have anything to do with the action of the guitar. Unless you have been attempting them for ages, I don't think you need to think of the the guitar as being at fault, it just takes time.

[Fenderblues]

The truth is the more you practice the easier it gets, SAD but TRUE.

If you practice them on an acoustic it will be easier when you come to use them on the electric.

[blackrose]

make sure that when you do the chord that your wrist is perpendicular to the guitar neck instead of angled.