getting ready too call it quits

I have been playing guitar for 6 years, been trying too play barre chords for 3 years, the

g string is always muted on 6th string minor chords. I'm left handed, I have tried moving my hand and finger every position possible. I'm really ready too through in the towel and say watching tv is a better option.

Hmm, that's tough.[br][br]Been there many times. Quit (well, faded away from playing without consciously quitting) many times, but I always seem to pick it back up again months (years) later, and I really kick myself for all the lost years, but I try and focus on the now. Wouldn't want someone else to experience that.[br][br]Barre chords are a PITA. For the Minor 6th string chord is it your barre finger that isn't making a clean contact or are you having trouble preventing the pinky on the D string from muting the G.[br][br]Are you on acoustic or electric? String gauges? [br][br]I do still struggle with getting a clean barre in many situations. I don't have big hands or fleshy fingers hence not much meat to get a clean sound, but I tell myself skinny fingers work better for other parts of guitar.[br][br]Some things that work for me are trying to angle my index finger to get more of the bony part on the strings rather than the flat fleshy part (I've seen Anders suggest this in some lessons), also adjusting the vertical position of the index finger upwards so that the G string is not directly aligned with the first joint where there is no flesh at all, and also trying to weight my arm so that rather than applying pressure with my thumb/fingers which just hurts, I'm using gravity to give me the extra pressure I need to get a clean barre.[br][br] Hopefully some others will jump in with better advice. Hope you don't quit!

I gave up on barre chords for a while. I know it's a powerful tool but i could never get it. Then one day, completely by accident, there was no more "plunk" on the g. Ironically, I was taking a 5 minute break between work calls and piddling while catching up on the local news on TV. For whatever reason my barre was good and I was able to repeat it.

Not perfected yet but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm sure there are more structured approaches but my advice would be to keep practicing but pick up the guitar while you are watching the tv and work on the barre. [br][br]

Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck.

Hang in there! We're all rooting for you!

No, no, no, no, no...... Don't quit !

Read the preceding posts again carefully. If you quit, you [u]will[/u] come back to it... in a year, or five or ten. And eventually, like martin.bayly says, you [u]will[/u] kick yourself for having wasted so much precious time; time that you'll obviously never get back. Because, just like Sour_Note says, one day it will just click for reasons unknown. That day could be tomorrow.

Just keep experimenting and trying different parts of your finger, different angles, different rotations. You [u]will[/u] eventually find what you're looking for. It took me hundreds of hours to finally just stumble onto what works for my sorry fingers. And in retrospect, it was all worth it.

Take a look at my bony-ass fingers. Just skin pulled over bone. No good for barre chords.

There's no magic bullet that works for everyone. But there is one that will work for you. Just go find it. When you do, it will be one of the happiest days of your guitar playing life.

Nicolai

Thank you everyone for the support. I will keep moving on. I do much better on electric than acoustic, light gauge strings on both and it is my barre finger that mutes the g string my fingers seem too be more fleshy than bony. One day it will happen.

That's the spirit !

Believe me, you don't want bony fingers, at least not for purposes of barre chording. Use whatever guitar make it easiest for you to practice. Do whatever it takes to keep from quitting.

Nicolai

I also use the rolled index finger position for barr chords of all stripes. That rolled position also has another benifit in that it will increase your fingers reach (between your index and little fingers) up and down the fretboard. So I use that position all time.

Originally Posted by: mcchuck47

Thank you everyone for the support. I will keep moving on. I do much better on electric than acoustic, light gauge strings on both and it is my barre finger that mutes the g string my fingers seem too be more fleshy than bony. One day it will happen.

If a proper barre chord is what has you vexed, keep in mind that you can cheat with a power chord style chord. Just hit the triad. If it's the G chord you want, just hold and strum the G (root), the D (4th) and the G (5th). For that matter, in a lot of rock songs, you can get away with the root and the 3rd of a power chord.

I'm not saying you don't want to get better at actual barre chords but that should not be the hill you die as far as not playing. Though there are more than just this example, in songs I like to jam to, 38 Special 'Hold on Loosely' has a small, recurring section that includes an upstroke of an F# barre and I can't say it's super-spectacular in execution but I find ways to make it work...and for the record, I recommend anyone learn the leads in that song for a great lesson on lead melodic themes.

That's always the point with guitar; it's a negotiation of what we want to acheive versus today's limitations and some limitations that are just always going to be there.

Good luck!

Love "Hold on Loosely"!! There is serious power in that song!

There was an old thread on here asking people about their best concerts they've been too.

38 Special ranks right there with mine. Saw them at the Centrum in Worcester Massachusetts.

They were opening for oddly enough for Huey Lewis and the News. It was an eighties night.

Anyway, so as not to derail too far from the op's dilemna I think if you took a poll of who's having or had problems with barre chords the results would be an overwhelming high percentage of "yes".

Cheer up though because from what I read the important thing is that you can make the chord. I too sometimes get a weak tone almost half muted sound on the G string cause that's where the thinner part of my index finger rest on. As others pointed out it's just a matter of tweaking angles and pressures. It's a tonality problem. That will only be solved by time. I don't let it hinder me from learning and playing a song. It just becomes a daily part of your routine practice and as time goes on it will start to sound better and better. Try not to focus on it too much, just keep playing.

My two cents. Good Luck,

Moe

Originally Posted by: JeffS65

That's always the point with guitar; it's a [u]negotiation[/u] of what we want to acheive versus today's limitations and some limitations that are just always going to be there.

Great line, Jeff

Can't tell you how many times I wanted to just fade away and give up, but I never did. Got past each obstacle and adapted and overcame the situations. Am so VERY GLAD I kept with it because now I enjoy playing and creating music on my guitars. I'll probably never be a Christopher S or Mike O at GuitarTricks, but I'll learn and continue growing and grooving till I die. Don't ever give up, Life is better with a guitar

Originally Posted by: mcchuck47

I have been playing guitar for 6 years, been trying too play barre chords for 3 years, the

g string is always muted on 6th string minor chords. I'm left handed, I have tried moving my hand and finger every position possible. I'm really ready too through in the towel and say watching tv is a better option.

I am no longer able to play Barre chords due to tendon issues in my fretting hand thumb.

All this has done is forced me to adapt. It's possible to play all the notes of a Barre chord by using your index finger to fret strings 1 and 2, and wrap your thumb around the neck to fret the 6th string - this applies to the 'E shape' Barre; a slightly different technique is needed for 'A' shape, but easy to figure this out.

Also a bit of a beginner and have issues with barre and g string etc. Pulling that elbow in next to the body (so left elbow if you fret hand is left) is the best piece of advice I've received. Does help

Originally Posted by: aliasmaximus

No, no, no, no, no...... Don't quit !

Read the preceding posts again carefully. If you quit, you [u]will[/u] come back to it... in a year, or five or ten. And eventually, like martin.bayly says, you [u]will[/u] kick yourself for having wasted so much precious time; time that you'll obviously never get back. Because, just like Sour_Note says, one day it will just click for reasons unknown. That day could be tomorrow.

Just keep experimenting and trying different parts of your finger, different angles, different rotations. You [u]will[/u] eventually find what you're looking for. It took me hundreds of hours to finally just stumble onto what works for my sorry fingers. And in retrospect, it was all worth it.

Take a look at my bony-ass fingers. Just skin pulled over bone. No good for barre chords.

There's no magic bullet that works for everyone. But there is one that will work for you. Just go find it. When you do, it will be one of the happiest days of your guitar playing life.

Nicolai

wow your pointing finger is on steroids. It's way bigger than all your other fingers. I have been working on strengthening that finger so I can apply pressure without killing myself. It still hurts after a long session, but it is getting better.

Originally Posted by: dnkygirl23

wow your pointing finger is on steroids. It's way bigger than all your other fingers. I have been working on strengthening that finger so I can apply pressure without killing myself. It still hurts after a long session, but it is getting better.

Actually, dnkygirl, there are no muscles in the human fingers (don't we all wish there were). It's all just bones, tendons, ligaments and nerves. The muscles needed to perform a barre chord are in your hand and forearm. Seems strange, I know, but fingers are basically just ropes and pulleys.

I think that my finger looks bigger in that photo only because I'm pressing down hard on the fretboard. There could also be a bit of swelling from overdoing it. I'm still not where I want to be in terms of endurance. Muscles just fatigue after a while and I have to stop and rest. Sound like both of us need to keep practicing! It will get easier.

Nicolai

Originally Posted by: aliasmaximus

Originally Posted by: dnkygirl23

wow your pointing finger is on steroids. It's way bigger than all your other fingers. I have been working on strengthening that finger so I can apply pressure without killing myself. It still hurts after a long session, but it is getting better.

Actually, dnkygirl, there are no muscles in the human fingers (don't we all wish there were). It's all just bones, tendons, ligaments and nerves. The muscles needed to perform a barre chord are in your hand and forearm. Seems strange, I know, but fingers are basically just ropes and pulleys.

I think that my finger looks bigger in that photo only because I'm pressing down hard on the fretboard. There could also be a bit of swelling from overdoing it. I'm still not where I want to be in terms of endurance. Muscles just fatigue after a while and I have to stop and rest. Sound like both of us need to keep practicing! It will get easier.

Nicolai

Interesting!! Thanks for that info. I will keep practicing!!!

Interesting!! Thanks for that info. I will keep practicing!!!

You have just attained the perspective of a sucessful guitarist. If it doesn't work, keep practicing and sooner or later you will get it. Keep that perspective in focus and you will be well on your journey to mastery. Seriously, when all else fails that kind of determination is the key to the answers you seek. Maybe not right now... but as soon as humanly posible.

I struggled with barre chords for a long time and thougyt I was never going to get them. Then I read something about putting your forearm into it by pulling on the neck while barreing. That puts your arm muscles into it and really helped for me. Believe me, I still struggle at timers with them and don't have the stamina to do barre chord after barre chord but it has helped a lot.