Bar Chords

i played guitar for a little bit then put it down. but now i've been playing a lot for like 3 weeks, and i've noticed that if i play songs that are all bar chords about halfway thru my left hand starts to kill me. i don't know if i am pressing too hard, or if this is a normal part of building up muscle when coming back to guitar after a while. anyone have thougts?
thanks
-addam

It could be a question of pressing too hard. But then again, it just might be your muscles just trying to get used to that position again. It's not exactly a natural position for anyone other than guitar players, I would think. Unless you're a professional shadow puppet maker! :)

Stick around, I am sure that the resident experts and gurus will weigh in on this one shortly.

thanks for the reply. yea, i feel like my thumb is pressing very hard in order to make sure that all the notes ring well, but like i said, this might just go away after i build the muscle back.

Yeah, I know what you mean. When I first started playing (not all that long ago), bar chords about killed my left hand and forearm. I was doing the same thing, pressing like h*ll with my thumb, cranking on it for all it's worth. But now, not so much. I've sort of developed a technique for myself where I hold my thumb a little lower on the neck so I have a better angle on the bar.

Of course, it's still tough on an acoustic guitar.

Like anything, it'll get easier with time. :)

Here's a few tutorials that cover the bar chords.

You might also want to look at Bar chords and movable shapes
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=378

Bar Chords
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=124

Ive been playing for 11 years and I still have that problem. Take note of your wrist position/angle also. That, combined with pressing to hard will lower your endurance even more.

Originally Posted by: hunter1801Ive been playing for 11 years and I still have that problem.

Yup.. me too.. and though I can last more than one song these days, once it starts to hurt you're pretty much dead in the next 10 to 15mins of constant playing in the same way..

It's really the tightness of your muscles, so if you are gripping the neck too hard, your muscles are very tight.. so even if you just held your hand muscles tight for the same period you would have the same problem..

Discomfort is inevitable when you start out as Hunter60 says, but it should pass. I'd be willing to bet you're holding on to the neck to tight to try to get all the notes out and stop the buzz. Hold a barre chord and look at your fingers/thumb - your nails probably look white because you're pressing so hard.

Try backing off a bit to find out exactly how much pressure you need to use. The strength in your hand to apply barre chords should come from your fingers rather than pressure between fingers and thumb.

After some time your fret hand will know just how much pressure to use, before that point your fret hand needs to develop strength so you can last the distance. Also consider how high the action on your guitar is cause if it's too high you'll be using far too much energy fretting those strings. An acoustic guitar is obviously harder to fret than an electric and keep in main that even seasoned pro's play acoustic will suffer after a long play barre chord song. Check out the barre chord songs to practice on at www.nofretguitarlessons.com.au

Hey there-

It's possible it's not all "your fault". You might want to have the action on your guitar checked to see if it's set too high. If the strings are too high off the fretboard, it can make it a lot harder to press them down and lead to the hand-fatigue problem you are having. Also, a lighter gauge set of strings might make it a little easier on you while you're building up your hand strength.
Good luck!
Lisa McCormick - Guitar Tricks Instructor