best way to do bar chords?

i have real trouble gettin a decent sound when i try do do a bar chord eg an F how can i improve? any tips anyone?

try barring across all the strings at the first fret with your index finger only...and make sure you can get each note/string to sound....play them one at a time...
after you can do that...
add your ring finger to the C (a string-3rd fret) while keeping your barre on teh first fret...
(does this make a Fminor 7)
now make sure they all ring out one at at time..
after that...
add your pinky to the F (d string-3rd fret)
make em all ring out...one at a time..
after that...
add your middle finger to the A (g string-2nd fret)
pick em all one at a time again...
after you can do that and make em all ring clearly...
you did it!.

when i first started the F chord was the hardest for me.

but i feel that, like other things, if you just break it down into its simplest parts....it's easier to manage and get ahead.

i hope i made some kind of sense.
good luck
-G

The F chord is the hardest barre chord to get a decent sound out of because it's right next to the nut where the strings are closest to the frets.

Try starting out with an A barre chord at the 5th fret. Once you get that basic shape down you can move it around.

I agree with chris some-what!
All students when first starting out have trouble,
with the Grand bar F chord plus a partial F chord.
Sometimes you can use your index finger at an angle,
plus position your thumb behind the neck to make,
this work for you, but the main thing is not,
to have any pain in your wrist or left hand when doing the Grand Bar chord.This can cause injury and you do'nt want,
that..........................

Note:Learning to relaxe your left hand,wrist,and arm,
is very important.
In fact when playing anything i'm always telling my,
hands wrist ect to relaxe.
This is a good excercise for any Guitarist.(Relaxe)
Mark

[Edited by skee1 on 10-12-2001 at 02:26 PM]

Or, if you have big hands, you can just do it the way Hendrix made his cords. Use your thumb to cover the two lower strings and position your other fingers as Jarviss told you. Either way, if you practice enough, your hands will soon find the position that's most comfortable for them. Just make sure none of your strings are muted! It's really hard to play a chord a new way once you've learned it. So make sure you get it right the first time.

When you have to take a G chord 3-2-0-0-3-3 do you pick the high e +b with the small finger?

Originally posted by Jedi69
When you have to take a G chord 3-2-0-0-3-3 do you pick the high e +b with the small finger?

The way you have your numbers written it would be,
Fingering->second finger=3 index=2 third=3 pinky=3

I would call this G chord a G5 or a G/C can't remember,
right now,first time i used this chord was on a gorden,
light-foot song plus Eagles ,plus L skinner still use,
it alot but the basic open string G is below!
second finger=3 index-finger=2 third-finger=3
3-2-0-0-0-3

Hope this helps! Mark

I answered this in another thread...........



Markzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'm 12, but don't delete the message quite yet. i'm grade 5 on the classical guitar but i am in a band doing red hot chili peppers and i am pretty good.

Try twisting your finger round so your doing it with the boney bit. it takes practice. try to make the bottom of your finger come a bit further up the fret board than the top of it. reply to me if i've helped.

If you have access to an acoustic,practice your barre chords on that.Practice the "E" form from the first fret,moving up fret by fret as high as you can go.Take your time and position your fingers so every note rings clearly.At first this will seem impossible and your hand and wrist will cramp-this is not a bad thing!!When you can take it no longer,extend your arm and flex your fingers back
towards you until it passes.Remember to keep your barre finger as close to the fret as possible especially near the nut.If you do this religiously every day,you will see your strength and endurance increase markedly.You will be amazed at how easily you can barre your electric after just a short time.Also get some books or web references to finger exercises and practice them RELIGIOUSLY every time you pick up the guitar before you do anything else.Do them until you
can't do anymore.This is one of the areas that makes or breaks guitarists.I have known many who aspired to play but gave up because they didn't want it bad enough to endure the labor.Good Luck

Barre chords are indeed very difficult at first, but they get easier with time, due to building muscle strength. But more importantly, these guys who make this look so simple, are usually not barring all the strings. You don't have to. You just have to barre the strings you're going to be picking.

For example, in an EAB shuffle, to barre the A, go up to the 5th fret, and bar with the index finger across the 5th fret, and make an "E" formation with the other 3 fingers. To play the shuffle, you're going to move your pinky around, (ala SRV, "The House Is A Rockin"), but you don't have to bar all the strings to make this sound right. Just the bottom 3.

And so on. Get it? Ease up on the index and just barre what you need to. PLC