Originally Posted by: richard.m.heath

Bill, great videos, very professional, in lock down in London and elbow trick is insightful. I thought you were also going to say sometimes beginners press too hard and that doesn't help as well - just got a Yamaha FS850 so perhaps the strings are quite tough. My simple C also touches the E on occassion. I am slightly concerned there is a real juxta between bending fingers vs wrist bend ie I can really bend my wrist and not bend fingers as much and how do you get the balance right at the start to ensure you don't create bad form. Also assume aim is for strings to be surpressed by the very tip of the fingers (as vertical as possible).

Hope that makes sense, Happy Easter

Thanks Richard and happy Easter to you.

The question of angles is something I am constanly struggling with. You can see a vid I just posted on Barre Chords to illustrate this nightmare. And although I don't know the FS850, the guitar I am using to practice barre chords on is one miserable piece of wood. But I love her anyways.

So I think the question of angles is really an experiment of all the jointed parts in the chain: fingers, wrist, elbow, shoulder and trying to find what works. On Friday night Mike held a free lesson on barre chords and he stressed several times the need for "deliberate practice". Slow it down and try a position, does it work? No? Shake it off, try another. Did that work? If so, shake it off, try to repeat the same etc. It was a great lesson in experimentation to find a "position".

On the finger tips, I know we are taught this, and I do my best to keep on the tips, but sometimes when I am playing fast, I frankly can't do it and keep up to tempo. So I do my best and maybe in time it will come. But what is most important for me is I am able to keep tempo and play along to a song and when I am playing it sounds like the song.

Now, I will add one more thing that Mike brought up and not to get Mike in trouble, but he said guitar players cheat :) So if is ok for Mike to say this, I think it is ok for me to cheat a bit as well.