Hi There-

Those are some excellent suggestions from Ryan!

Also, if the tone is giving you trouble but you still want to work on the theory and some outside-the-box variations on bar chords which are easier on the hands, I have a tutorial in "Open Bar" chords you might find useful. Here's the link:

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=432

Good luck and have fun - Lisa McCormick, Guitar Tricks Instructor