Frustrated changing from open to barre Chords

Hi, I am a perennial beginner. I can do some barre chords but it transitioning from open to barre is really difficult for me. I fumble around and if I do it too quickly I get lots of buzzy notes. I am doing the beginner song- Mr. Postman and I am trying to go from D to [br]Bm barre but at the speed required it is impossible for me. Feeling discouraged!

Hi vjkarna58! [br][br]

I just looked at Caren's tute for you and just tried it myself. I always do a hands on before commenting.

[br]Are you playing it on an acoustic as Caren is or an electric?

First thing to check to see if its making your play harder is that your guitar's not causing you problems. If an acoustic, do you know what string gauge you have, are the strings relatively fresh, and is the neck relief set properly for as low an action as you can achieve with your config. Assuming it's a decent quality guitar, the height of the strings at the nut shouldn't be an issue at the second fret and the frets should be OK (level and undented with flat spoits/damaged).

If all of the above aren't right, it will render chord changes slower, harder, and old strings can do strange things to tone including induce buzz even when the action is fine.

If we assume all those things with your guitar are OK, your current problem as I perceive it seems to be expectation out of alignment with current skillset.

[br]First thing. Hand and finger stretches, then play something easier to warm up.

[br]Don't forget to use liftoff on the "and" timing technique to transition. Start playing the transition slowly, forming and reforming over and over until you can do it quasi instinctively and sound the chords cleanly. It might take you several sessions. Once you can, start out at 60BPM, then gradually start increasing the speed in increments mastering it at each speed step until you can eventually perform it at its tempo of 120BPM, which whilst certainly at the brisk end of Moderato rather than slow, isn't fast. Strangely, it didn't feel like 120BPM to me when playing it along with Caren, but I'll believe the notation.

Channel your energy into the solution rather than frustration. It is Technique, Time, Perseverence and Repetition until muscle memory rote. Little and often if frustration is an impediment. Get up and walk away once you feel frustrated, have a cup of tea, coffee, cold drink, then return to it. Rinse and repeat. Do that several times a day if needs must for as long as it takes. In the end, you'll wonder what it was you actually found so difficult?

Thanks for that great advice. I think the guitar is ok. I had it adjusted so that the action is not too high. It is basically technique and I will keep trying.!

After an afternoon oldie powernap, curiosity aroused, I started mucking around (is that a comprehendible phrase in your part of the world?) with "Mr. Postman" as taught by Caren.

A few things I discovered which might be of interest to or benefit you.

Keys to that change from open D to barre Bm. It is more critically timing dependent in order to form the barre formation and minor in the available time, does require a lift off and 100% instinctive barre Bm finger placement. It is the only arguably challenging change in the riff, and is dependent upon proficiency with Bm. I play a lot of The Beatles, so Bm is a stock in trade chord for me. What will get you over the line with it in this riff is changing from D to Bm over, and over and over, and over until you just get the timing of the the lift off and landing including the fingering and clean notes ringing from each string in the barre chord for tone right.

Now if you're frustrated and just want to play the song whilst you're working on that, it's much easier to play the riff in the same key using all barre chords. If you can play it on either an amplified acoustic that way, or an electric, it sounds even better accompanying voice IMO. The all barre progression from D to Bm is even easier than from open D, as are the progressions repectively to barres G, A and back to D. Just food for thought. You can play in key along with Caren that way while working on your open D to barre Bm competency.

Another alternative if you just want to play the song, again while still working concurrently all the time on that open D to barre Bm challenge, is to play "Mr. Postman" transposed into either the keys of G or C. It is much easier as the progressions of the riff in those keys can be all open chords if you want them to be, so they flow easily off the fingertips as well as the musical staff to work well either way. I just tried it. My Mrs. thought they all sounded pretty cool. She was tapping and singing along. A lot like "Hallelujah" which works in multiple keys (I play it mostly in C) or "Love is All Around" which works equally well in the key of G as its original The Troggs key of D.

Remember to keep the fun in it all. You will get there. 👍😄