Need Help with Bar Chords

O.P.H

I have been learning the guitar over the last week and have all the standard chords down but I am having trouble with bar chords, at least I think thats what they're called, the chords where you have to place your index finger on all the notes for one fret (i.e B or Fm). My problem is that I don't get a good clean sound from the notes with my index finger etc, some notes come out fine but not others and when I correct this then other notes get messed up etc. So I was just wondering are there any tips on playing these chords or maybe excercises etc that I could do, any help would be great cheers.

Mr. Presentable

I feel your pain. Very discouraging. I look forward to advice here too.

Dregon

To be honest, theres no better way to get better at them other than practicing alot.If you can't get clear sounds from each note, try tilting your barring finger until you get a clear sound from each string. You should start off trying the barre chord at the 5th or 7th fret, as its gets tougher to barre the closer you get to the nut.

Owen

Remember when you started, and you had trouble shifting from D to G, and after a few weeks it got easier? Well, Bar Chords are like that. It hurts your index finger for a while, then the pain dissipates, then you find you hand fatigues, then that dissipates, and then you'll find your remaining three fingers don't have enough dexterity to sound notes cleanly - and guess what? That solves itself too with time. Practise makes perfect!

cornbb

It takes practice, practice, practice! You've gotta keep your finger as stiff as possible. Hold it just behind the fret, not right between 2 frets. And use the edge/side of your finger instead of holding it flat, this will make it easier to hold the strings down. Just like this guy is doing:



It gets a lot easier over time. All the best.

Dregon

I think its easier to barre if you keep your thumb between your index and second finger, and bring your elbow in close to your body; it helps

O.P.H

Cheers for advice

Paligulus

I remember when I was learning Barre chords, the thing that helped me was to play them higher up the fret board (because they are moveable shapes) and try and get each string ring clearly. Once you get that down, move down one fret and try again until you get back to the 2nd and 1st fret. Also, dont worry about playing barre chords as such. Learn to barre all the strings with your 1st finger and get all the strings ringing out. Once you have this sorted, then you can worry about making the E, A, C barre fingerings...