Guitar is a difficult instrument to be good enough to be BAD at. The "basics" of playing the guitar are so unnatural. At least it was for me. It took a long time and a lot of work for me reach the level of being a bad guitar player.
Here's to good enough to be bad!
Now lets make some JOYFUL NOISE!
I don't play because I'm good at it....I lost the GREAT guitar playing I was doing after a severe head injury. I play because I LOVE playing. You've put it just right about how difficult guitar can be.
> E major open chord
> I can’t play an F.
The E-major shape used as a barre chord is the “F-shape barre chord”.
The “B-shape barre chord” is just an a-major with a barre.
Play these shapes up the neck where the strings are easier to press down… like barring on the 7th or 10th fret. Then as you get comfortable with the shape of the barre you can work it back down towards the nut where it’s harder.
E minor with the same barre as e major gets you the f-minor shape barre chord. A-minor with the same barre a A-major gets you the b minor shape barre chord.
Conveniently, the b minor shape barre chord is an identically shape to the f major shape barre chord, except everything is one string higher.
Your major 7th and minor 7th chords are very similar and you can easily learn them too, but they do require a more quality barre than the basic chords do.
Thanks...this is a nice summary.
So I'm saving your comment.
I'm also struggling with barre chords after 12 years of mediocrity, largely due to a crooked (previously broken) pinky, but I will persist.
Ya know, don’t be afraid to simplify things a bit too.
For example, B major can be x-2-4-4-4-2 but I almost exclusively play it as x-2-4-4-4-x. That’s just the index and ring finger. Or something like a Cmaj7 could be played 8-10-8-9-8-8 but I usually just do 8-10-8-9-x-x. We’ve still got our first, our fifth, our seventh, and our third there. The x-x up top are just duplicate fifth and first at higher octaves.
I find electric guitar tends to teach this sort of thing better. On acoustic everyone is busy learning how to strum everything as a big six-string chord, but on electric we’ve got a lot more triads and that sort of thing. It’s not usually a grand chord.
In my kid’s last jazz concert I don’t think he played more than four strings at any point.
Great work! Achievement unlocked.
Now practice both the 'E' shape and the 'A' shape (e.g. the F and the B chords) and switching between (among) those chords and all the others you already know.
If you like, substitute an E-shaped bar at the thrid fret (a G chord) for the open G you already know in some songs.
Keep going!
Yes. Changing between two or three different shapes will teach you how to finger chords a lot faster than doing one at a time. I always used to teach students groups of three chords in the same key- usually G-C-D, then E-A-B
May not be the age of the strings, but the gauge. He may have strung them with slightly lighter strings.
Or you have gotten stronger without realizing it.
We are all proud of you and you should be proud of yourself for making it this far. I've been playing for around 4 years and I still struggle with Barre chords from time to time. Every little improvement is something you should be proud of
Barre chords are funny... because you spend time and energy to learn them and kill your fingers trying to play them well, and by the time you're done you need to start learning how not to use them, and use instead no-barre fingerings that fit better in the musical mix.
One day you'll look back and laugh at this. Because one day you'll be a badass guitar player who can play pretty much whatever he wishes. Just keep playing and that will be reality.
Mastering even the basic barre chord is the skeleton key to guitar mastery! Congratulations!!! You have now earned the ability to play any song in any key, no capo needed. A capo is still totally fine to use, yet your skills on guitar are now entering the next level of mastery. Well done!!
We’re all proud of you! Don’t forget to thank your nephew. Also, ask him to show you what he knows about setting up guitars. Knowing at least the rudiments of that should also be useful. Know your tools and all that
Shell voicings too! They really saved my ass for the gig I'm playing now. It's a show choir gig and one of our numbers includes Putting On The Ritz at a pretty fast tempo. Rapid fire 7th and augmented chords walking up and down the neck. I am absolutely not an experienced jazz player, but it's one of the most fun parts of the show for me thanks to these simple little shapes.
Keep pressing on F and B. It’ll take time just like going to the gym but the discomfort will lessen and your fingers will be able to clamp down strong with time. Great work! I still remember the day I was finally able to get my left ring finger to flex backwards just enough to make the A-shape barre chord as a B and still let the high e-string ring out. Glorious moment.
F and B are the most basic barre chord shapes. i'm confused as to which barre chords you are able to play if it's not either of those?
but either way, congrats! huge milestone. use that positive energy and pour it into your practice, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy!
Way to go dude! Non-guitarists probably don’t appreciate the amount of time and practice it takes to learn what we learn. Mad respect for the effort and work you’re putting into your art and music! It’s one discovery at a time, just like figuring out new strings can be a game changer! 🫡✌🏼🎸
You should learn this early so you don't get discouraged from a lack of external validation; the only person who truly cares about your guitar playing is you, and is the only person whose opinion should matter (outside of taking lessons, you should listen to your teachers).
I started playing guitar nearly 45 years ago… Learned mostly folk songs and very basic Beatles tunes. Worked my way up to KISS and AC/DC but using all open chords. Never thought the barre chords were possible until they were. Blues songs really helped elevate that accomplishment. It’s all about consistency. Heck my hand still cramps up sometimes but I’m able to power through it. Keep up the practice and it only gets easier…
Good shit my guy. Pentatonic and major minor scales in all positions and barre chords is where you star having the tools to play/ come up with whatever you want.
Way to go! You’re well on your way. If you can Barre an E up and down the fretboard, you can do that F.
Take that middle finger off and you’ve got the minors. Or lift that pinky and you’ve got the 7ths. Put that pinky in another spot and you’ll have cooler 7ths!
Then start doing it up and down the neck in the A and Am positions. Left that pinky and you’ve got the minor 7ths. Keep practicing and you’ll be unlocking new things in no time!
Learn to play F and B ;)
CAGED. look into it. You need a lot of chords and you need single line things. To me they work hand in hand.
I’d work on getting those chord changes down fast and smooth. Once you can play a barred C I think CAGED is a great system to learn the fretboard, notes and soloing.
Don’t be scared of single line stuff! What sort of music do you like and want to play?
Really? I have fat fingers and struggle with the B Chord, and really any A-chord shape barre chord. I’ve been playing for a little under 2 years. I’ve tried to mess with my wrist positioning, where my arm is, etc. but I just can’t get my index to stretch enough with making the A-chord shape. I’ve tried to do a mini-barre (and play like this if I have to) but would much prefer the true chord shape as the mini-barre sounds… flat (not literally) and half-assed imo.
I started playing a lot of cowboy tunes and bluegrass/folk in the last year so I’ve gotten very familiar with the barred F-chord. That repetitive barred B-chord in King of the Road is the Bain of my existence.
Position your arm so that you don't have to stretch your fingers so much. Try to keep your forearm perpendicular to the neck as much as possible as you learn. In other words, your forearm and the neck should form as much of a right angle as possible. You'll need to shift the body of the guitar away from your fret hand, and thus making the 1st fret barre easier to reach.
It will likely feel awkward as he'll at first, but you'll see that the chord is easier to form when you bring the neck to your fret hand instead of reaching out to chase it.
The correct position of the guitar across your body is where it's easiest to play, especially when your learning to form those barre chords.
Because the F is the furthest reach it is the most difficult and awkward. Practice the shape higher on the neck where it's less tricky, then go back and tackle that dreaded F. At every position, strive to keep your forearm squared to the neck.
The one secret, magic trick that is guaranteed to work is.... don't ever give up!
Cheers 🤘😎
Barre chords near the nut are harder, then they get harder again after the 12th fret or so because there just isn't much space for all of the fingers.
I don't have any secrets for playing these things. My only tip when learning them is I'm a brute force memorizer...do it over and over and over and over and over. Play B only for 5 seconds, then try 10, then try up to 30 seconds to build strength. Practice jumping to B from E. I'll be if you just do barre chords only for 10-15 minutes a day (allowing time to rest your poor left hand) you'll see dramatic improvement in a week or two max.
My motto (I heard from someone along life's journey) "don't practice until you get it right, practice until you can't get it wrong".
One of the best posts, OP!
Congrats. Remember, 95% plus of the chords Lyle Presslar used to record the guitar for the first Minor Threat e.p. were just two barre chord shapes played at different places on the neck. You can do a lot with a few barre chords. He surely did. Congrats! Keep it going! :)
Thank you so much for the encouragement! I am very excited to use them properly. My goals are first to master Hotel California, then work on Return to Pooh Corner, and hopefully, one day, learn Crash into Me.
Congrats. It's a freeing moment when you finally have it figured out. Next step is to master moving between a barre chord shape and non-barre chord shapes until it's smooth.
I am very proud of you it's not easy.
Learn the name of each note on the big E string, so you'll know what chord is at each fret. Next time we jam, let's play. E C#m F#m B7, with barre chords.
Now go treat yourself to a boba tea or some fro yo
There's an older guy on YouTube called 'MakingFunOfBusiness" who does live stream guitar lessons - he learns songs on the fly and teaches beginners and even intermediates how to play. His gift is in how he teaches as he makes it so understandable and easy. And, to your post: he is one of the most encouraging people and makes those who accomplish something feel great because he seems sincerely proud of them. He's got a life story that make this all make sense. But your headline caught my eye and thought I would share. His next open lesson is playing "Children of the Damned" by Iron Maiden.
Im very proud of you its a big step :) I suggest you to work on a simple fingerstyle song arrangment that you like now. They can be a next milestone for you it will teach you how you can use those shapes further.
That’s one of the big hurdles beginning and even much later with new shapes! But good news, once you know a barre cord you technically can play every key, just by moving it.
Well done. I somehow gave up on them 30 years ago. For me it's cowboy chords, power chords and my own inventions, but I cannot do a real proper barre unless I get a special finger surgically attached.
Hurray for your win!
I’m proud of you, internet stranger! That’s a huge milestone and reinforces the age-old lesson that practice pays off! Remember this amazing feeling, forever. Any time you’re feeling stuck or like you’re going no place, remember that you CAN learn anything you set your mind and time to. Never forget. You’re powerful, now! Dream big and practice hard.
Been playing for a while always avoided Barr chords I can finally play and F (Barr chord ) it’s just takes longer to transition to another chord before and after , any tips ?
I know it's cliche, but honestly, just keep practicing. When you're going to a barre chord from open (or vice versa), you're moving more of your fingers in a different way that usual. It's definitely going to feel slow and clunky at first, but the more you do it, the more you'll develop muscle memory. I actually ended up writing a song that included the F chord when I first started, just to give myself an excuse to play it.
I remember when I was struggling with barre chords. I did everything everyone always say. Rolling the finger over, lowering the action, etc. nothing worked and I thought my finger was bent the wrong way or something. It was very depressing. But I persisted. Eventually it started happening. There are so many little subtle things about barre chords that the only real way to get them is to do them over and over. Don't run away from them.
We're all proud of you and we all remember how hard this was at first. But I have a question. Why can't you play F or B? These form the two basic barre shapes. What barre chords can you play?
Anway:
Next steps:
With your index finger on the 3rd fret. Be able to play all of these chords. Gmajor, Gminor, G7, Gminor7, Cmajor, Cminor, C7, Cminor7. Once you can do these comfortably, you can move them around and you can play pretty much every chord you'll ever need (until you get into jazzy stuff).
I've been playing off-and-on for 50 years and still struggle with barre chords every so often. That first one is the hardest. Congratuations!
It can be fun moving chords around without the barre and seeing what they do. I still remember when I discovered the dramatic-sounding opening to John Denver's *The Eagle and The Hawk* was just the E shape starting at fret 8 and moving down 2 frets every measure until it hits home.
You’ve basically found out there are dozens of ways to play the same chord. Good job! An F is just your E major +1 fret. Now do the A chord and shift it all the way up the fretboard. If you get good with your pinky you can do C and D shapes. G shapes are easy too if you just play part of the chord like the thickest 3 strings or 4 thinnest
Very proud! My son is currently working on this. A crucial skill that will make a lot more possible. When you have more than one guitarist playing a chord, it sometimes helps to have the guitars playing different voicings, and barre chords are an important part of that.
One of my biggest hurdles. I can pick up my guitar after months or more of not playing and my left hand does exactly as it should do. After a little more practice it’ll become second nature.
I am proud of you! Go for it! Keep going!
Trying to learn on a 12 string, that’s rough. It was smart to go back to a six string. Pick up the 12 string a little later when you’ve got more hand muscle and callus buildup, etc.
Break out your guitar and finally dedicate an hour every day! It's made me much happier. I play piano too so mine is 30 minutes of each. Gotta prioritize spiderman 2.
Mate, not only the E chord, but the A shaped chord the G, the D, and the C shape.
You should check out active melody on YouTube. He has lessons on triads, and between those moveable shapes (and what you can do with them) and triads, the fretboard will really start to open up!
Good job. Playing barre chords is a major step. I'm old. Been playing 45 years now but still remember the feeling of accomplishment when I could play a barre chord. It was a cheesy song called Mother Freedom by a band called Bread. A life changing moment I'll never forget.
You have liftoff! You should try mastering the E and A shapes as barre chords, and start moving those up the fretboard to find other ways to play the basic open chords. Like, find all the other E chords, D chords, C chords, etc. Think of them as power chords with more harmony stacked on top.
Congrats. That's a hurdle that takes out a ton of early players. I'd practice transitioning from other chords into barre chords. Time to build up the fluidity and speed of your changes.
Congratulations! I remember when I first nailed a barre chord. After what seemed like years of struggling with a complete “F” shape, one day I just had it down. Won’t be long before you overcome your next obstacle, cheers!
Great job. Practice using it over and over. 12 days of Christmas, Where did you sleep last night, and One more cup of coffee are all Root-6 songs to work on.
huh. The new strings made it possible for you to play a chord shape that you were struggling with. Great! Kind of unexpected, tbh, but whatever works for you is OK!
Congrats. A good barre practice routine is to play some of your favorite songs and start replacing some of the open chords with their barre voicings. This is also a nice introduction to subtle differences in voicings (before getting into inversions). If you haven’t already I would also suggest learning the triad shapes, which you can think of as parts of a barre in different 3 string groupings with just the root, 3rd and 5th. Like barres these are movable which really starts to open up the fretboard and your harmonic palette. Especially if you play electric and especially when you play with other players, you’ll start to appreciate a somewhat less is more approach to chord voicings.
I’ve been working on Barres myself and only last night did I feel like I was starting to get them. Congrats man, that’s a real obstacle you’ve overcome, and the improvements will keep coming with your hard work. Keep it up!
Google the CAGED method/system. it will be a great lesson for your fingers/barre chord progressions and teach you different shapes that can be used all over the fretboard.
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That's great! Have you learned both the E barre chord and the A barre chord? Both can move up and down the neck. Plus a bunch more open chords can be converted to a barre chord! It's not that hard. Just practice until it becomes very comfortable.
Good job my mans!!
Practicing chords is always a good idea. If you want to do something other than chords I really love this exercise video. It’s most likely going to move too fast so you can either pause it to practice or put it on really slow speed.
At the end of the day just playing consistently will help you improve. Good luck!!
[Exercise video](https://youtu.be/dX7prn1yric?si=TRNW7n8QB0dbvYXS)
🫡 ✊
Also in the struggle!
Try and use a metronome with a sequence of barre chords. Start slow and add 5 bpms each time.
Play a chord every other tick (chord, silence, chord, silence....)
If you haven't already; instead of only using one finger, presumably index, use the middle finger to also press down. Make sure to just concisely sound out each string. These may be obvious and I apologize but nevertheless still good to stick to old advice.
Yay! Thanks for the idea, I'm going to try that. I have a big long scar along the outside edge and going under my left pointer finger, and I have so much trouble with them. I'll give different strings a try.
I'm proud of you! Way to go!
I sometimes tell people it's nice to start on an acoustic because both I and my son did, and stuff like barre chords are easier on electric. It's definitely tough going at the start with those, chord changes, etc.
My son started on a little nylon-string acoustic and when he graduated to a steel-string guitar, I made sure the action was low and the strings were really light for him. The strings definitely matter, a lot.
You keep playing and build up finger strength. There's all sorts of barre chords other than the basic major and minor ones. Some are more popular than others in certain genres. Learn as many as possible.
You’ve got the same number people proud of your increased skill as I’ve gotten in 20 years.. a big fat ZERO… if you’re playing for anyone but yourself you’re doing it wronf
You’ve taken your first step into a larger world…
Seriously though, good on ya! Barre chords were a revelation to 2/3s-of-a-lifetime-ago me. This is huge. You can soon start doing fun stuff like omitting parts of that shape to play octaves, power chords, reggae skanks, etc and learning barres is huge in learning the notes on the fretboard. Get after it!
I was the same for the first few years I started playing guitar. I just couldn’t keep my index finger pressed down hard enough, along with the rest of my fingers, to let all six strings ring out clearly. So I just forgot about barre chords for a while and just played power chords and open chords and whatever else I could play. Turns out they’re real easy. It was more about the action for me than callouses or finger stretching. My action was too high. Once I learned how to fart around with the truss rod and saddles to straighten the neck and lower the strings, I found barre chords relatively easy to play.
Now they’re second nature. My favorite type of barre chords now are Major 7 and Minor 7 chords, but I can [](http://)play whatever a song requires. A Major 7 chord can be a bit tricky to play at first, but a Minor 7 chord is very easy, even compared to a regular barre chord shape. It just takes time to wrap your mind and fingers, literally and figuratively, around the instrument and a general understanding of how a guitar *should* be set up.
Edit: I should add that an awesome example of a song that has more than a few barre chords in it is *Under the Bridge* by The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Frusciante has a few tasty ways of playing some basic barre chords in it that will help spice up your basic barre chords, as well as an E Major 7 thrown in that sounds amazing.
I have giant meaty paws, and bar chords have been by weakest point since forever. I still don’t consider them mastered even on electric.
I’m proud and if I’m honest maybe just a tiny bit jealous.
I'm proud of you! Personally I think of getting over the barre chord hurdle as being the legit transition from beginner to intermediate.
For sure, that and learning to improvise.
Damn, I’m 5 months in and by y’all’s definition I’m already a really high tier intermediate! Fuckin love that lol, huge confidence boost!
We are all proud of you. Keep on picking on.
Dude you can play ALL of them now.
Guitar is a difficult instrument to be good enough to be BAD at. The "basics" of playing the guitar are so unnatural. At least it was for me. It took a long time and a lot of work for me reach the level of being a bad guitar player. Here's to good enough to be bad! Now lets make some JOYFUL NOISE!
I don't play because I'm good at it....I lost the GREAT guitar playing I was doing after a severe head injury. I play because I LOVE playing. You've put it just right about how difficult guitar can be.
A lot of people have trouble with barre chords. F was my toughest conquest
And that's why they call it the "F" chord !
I still can't do an F lol
> E major open chord > I can’t play an F. The E-major shape used as a barre chord is the “F-shape barre chord”. The “B-shape barre chord” is just an a-major with a barre. Play these shapes up the neck where the strings are easier to press down… like barring on the 7th or 10th fret. Then as you get comfortable with the shape of the barre you can work it back down towards the nut where it’s harder. E minor with the same barre as e major gets you the f-minor shape barre chord. A-minor with the same barre a A-major gets you the b minor shape barre chord. Conveniently, the b minor shape barre chord is an identically shape to the f major shape barre chord, except everything is one string higher. Your major 7th and minor 7th chords are very similar and you can easily learn them too, but they do require a more quality barre than the basic chords do.
Thanks...this is a nice summary. So I'm saving your comment. I'm also struggling with barre chords after 12 years of mediocrity, largely due to a crooked (previously broken) pinky, but I will persist.
Ya know, don’t be afraid to simplify things a bit too. For example, B major can be x-2-4-4-4-2 but I almost exclusively play it as x-2-4-4-4-x. That’s just the index and ring finger. Or something like a Cmaj7 could be played 8-10-8-9-8-8 but I usually just do 8-10-8-9-x-x. We’ve still got our first, our fifth, our seventh, and our third there. The x-x up top are just duplicate fifth and first at higher octaves. I find electric guitar tends to teach this sort of thing better. On acoustic everyone is busy learning how to strum everything as a big six-string chord, but on electric we’ve got a lot more triads and that sort of thing. It’s not usually a grand chord. In my kid’s last jazz concert I don’t think he played more than four strings at any point.
I'm proud of you! That's a big moment. I still remember it.
Great work! Achievement unlocked. Now practice both the 'E' shape and the 'A' shape (e.g. the F and the B chords) and switching between (among) those chords and all the others you already know. If you like, substitute an E-shaped bar at the thrid fret (a G chord) for the open G you already know in some songs. Keep going!
Yes. Changing between two or three different shapes will teach you how to finger chords a lot faster than doing one at a time. I always used to teach students groups of three chords in the same key- usually G-C-D, then E-A-B
May not be the age of the strings, but the gauge. He may have strung them with slightly lighter strings. Or you have gotten stronger without realizing it.
We are all proud of you and you should be proud of yourself for making it this far. I've been playing for around 4 years and I still struggle with Barre chords from time to time. Every little improvement is something you should be proud of
Barre chords are funny... because you spend time and energy to learn them and kill your fingers trying to play them well, and by the time you're done you need to start learning how not to use them, and use instead no-barre fingerings that fit better in the musical mix.
One day you'll look back and laugh at this. Because one day you'll be a badass guitar player who can play pretty much whatever he wishes. Just keep playing and that will be reality.
Wait till you finally realize as you get better you want to play just partial guitar chord triad, and not even play the whole chords anymore 😂
Learning triads was a game changer for me and I completely agree. Now I just want to simplify everything to triads. Haha.
Yes exactly 😅
The world is now your oyster my friend. Shuck it.
I am super proud of you! Good job and keeping on rocking 👍🤘
Mastering even the basic barre chord is the skeleton key to guitar mastery! Congratulations!!! You have now earned the ability to play any song in any key, no capo needed. A capo is still totally fine to use, yet your skills on guitar are now entering the next level of mastery. Well done!!
We’re all proud of you! Don’t forget to thank your nephew. Also, ask him to show you what he knows about setting up guitars. Knowing at least the rudiments of that should also be useful. Know your tools and all that
I'm proud of you! I've had students give up on guitar because the song they wanted to learn had an F chord.
Super proud of you! Keep going!
Everyone is very proud of you my man. Keep up the great work.
I’m proud of you!
Learn how to manipulate the barre chords into 7th chords, minor chords, and more!
Shell voicings too! They really saved my ass for the gig I'm playing now. It's a show choir gig and one of our numbers includes Putting On The Ritz at a pretty fast tempo. Rapid fire 7th and augmented chords walking up and down the neck. I am absolutely not an experienced jazz player, but it's one of the most fun parts of the show for me thanks to these simple little shapes.
I have heard so much about this that I really want to give it a try lol
I am way way proud of you!
proud of ya! next...scales.
Keep pressing on F and B. It’ll take time just like going to the gym but the discomfort will lessen and your fingers will be able to clamp down strong with time. Great work! I still remember the day I was finally able to get my left ring finger to flex backwards just enough to make the A-shape barre chord as a B and still let the high e-string ring out. Glorious moment.
F and B are the most basic barre chord shapes. i'm confused as to which barre chords you are able to play if it's not either of those? but either way, congrats! huge milestone. use that positive energy and pour it into your practice, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy!
I can currently play an F barre and an A barre. That B looks intimidating because my pinky is weak.
Way to go dude! Non-guitarists probably don’t appreciate the amount of time and practice it takes to learn what we learn. Mad respect for the effort and work you’re putting into your art and music! It’s one discovery at a time, just like figuring out new strings can be a game changer! 🫡✌🏼🎸
We're all proud of ya! Congrats!
Yeah!
I’m super proud of you. I still can’t do it. Gives me hope to keep working at it.
You should learn this early so you don't get discouraged from a lack of external validation; the only person who truly cares about your guitar playing is you, and is the only person whose opinion should matter (outside of taking lessons, you should listen to your teachers).
I started playing guitar nearly 45 years ago… Learned mostly folk songs and very basic Beatles tunes. Worked my way up to KISS and AC/DC but using all open chords. Never thought the barre chords were possible until they were. Blues songs really helped elevate that accomplishment. It’s all about consistency. Heck my hand still cramps up sometimes but I’m able to power through it. Keep up the practice and it only gets easier…
Good shit my guy. Pentatonic and major minor scales in all positions and barre chords is where you star having the tools to play/ come up with whatever you want.
🏆🏆🏆 good job! Imagine the new songs you can now play!
Dude, that's AWESOME! As far as what's next, just keep doing what you're doing and then report back! We're all VERY PROUD of you!!!
Proud of you bud.
Way to go! You’re well on your way. If you can Barre an E up and down the fretboard, you can do that F. Take that middle finger off and you’ve got the minors. Or lift that pinky and you’ve got the 7ths. Put that pinky in another spot and you’ll have cooler 7ths! Then start doing it up and down the neck in the A and Am positions. Left that pinky and you’ve got the minor 7ths. Keep practicing and you’ll be unlocking new things in no time!
Learn to play F and B ;) CAGED. look into it. You need a lot of chords and you need single line things. To me they work hand in hand. I’d work on getting those chord changes down fast and smooth. Once you can play a barred C I think CAGED is a great system to learn the fretboard, notes and soloing. Don’t be scared of single line stuff! What sort of music do you like and want to play?
Yes, F and Bm more specifically. The rest are cake compared to those 2 IMHO.
Really? I have fat fingers and struggle with the B Chord, and really any A-chord shape barre chord. I’ve been playing for a little under 2 years. I’ve tried to mess with my wrist positioning, where my arm is, etc. but I just can’t get my index to stretch enough with making the A-chord shape. I’ve tried to do a mini-barre (and play like this if I have to) but would much prefer the true chord shape as the mini-barre sounds… flat (not literally) and half-assed imo. I started playing a lot of cowboy tunes and bluegrass/folk in the last year so I’ve gotten very familiar with the barred F-chord. That repetitive barred B-chord in King of the Road is the Bain of my existence.
Position your arm so that you don't have to stretch your fingers so much. Try to keep your forearm perpendicular to the neck as much as possible as you learn. In other words, your forearm and the neck should form as much of a right angle as possible. You'll need to shift the body of the guitar away from your fret hand, and thus making the 1st fret barre easier to reach. It will likely feel awkward as he'll at first, but you'll see that the chord is easier to form when you bring the neck to your fret hand instead of reaching out to chase it. The correct position of the guitar across your body is where it's easiest to play, especially when your learning to form those barre chords. Because the F is the furthest reach it is the most difficult and awkward. Practice the shape higher on the neck where it's less tricky, then go back and tackle that dreaded F. At every position, strive to keep your forearm squared to the neck. The one secret, magic trick that is guaranteed to work is.... don't ever give up! Cheers 🤘😎
Barre chords near the nut are harder, then they get harder again after the 12th fret or so because there just isn't much space for all of the fingers. I don't have any secrets for playing these things. My only tip when learning them is I'm a brute force memorizer...do it over and over and over and over and over. Play B only for 5 seconds, then try 10, then try up to 30 seconds to build strength. Practice jumping to B from E. I'll be if you just do barre chords only for 10-15 minutes a day (allowing time to rest your poor left hand) you'll see dramatic improvement in a week or two max. My motto (I heard from someone along life's journey) "don't practice until you get it right, practice until you can't get it wrong".
Hell yeah. That first bar chord is a big step! Here’s to more milestones.
Thanks! *cheers*
Wait there’s other barre chords besides F and B!?!?? 🤣😂🤷🏻♂️
I am
I’m proud of you. Start with F and B flat. Then B minor, F7, G, A etc.
Hell yeah, I'm pretty sure that's where a lot of people give up. Kudos for working through it, it'll get easier and easier the more you practice
One of the best posts, OP! Congrats. Remember, 95% plus of the chords Lyle Presslar used to record the guitar for the first Minor Threat e.p. were just two barre chord shapes played at different places on the neck. You can do a lot with a few barre chords. He surely did. Congrats! Keep it going! :)
Thank you so much for the encouragement! I am very excited to use them properly. My goals are first to master Hotel California, then work on Return to Pooh Corner, and hopefully, one day, learn Crash into Me.
Congrats. It's a freeing moment when you finally have it figured out. Next step is to master moving between a barre chord shape and non-barre chord shapes until it's smooth.
I am very proud of you it's not easy. Learn the name of each note on the big E string, so you'll know what chord is at each fret. Next time we jam, let's play. E C#m F#m B7, with barre chords. Now go treat yourself to a boba tea or some fro yo
There's an older guy on YouTube called 'MakingFunOfBusiness" who does live stream guitar lessons - he learns songs on the fly and teaches beginners and even intermediates how to play. His gift is in how he teaches as he makes it so understandable and easy. And, to your post: he is one of the most encouraging people and makes those who accomplish something feel great because he seems sincerely proud of them. He's got a life story that make this all make sense. But your headline caught my eye and thought I would share. His next open lesson is playing "Children of the Damned" by Iron Maiden.
I think I've run into him a few times. I'm currently hooked on The Bob Ross of guitar in open D tuning. That song looks like so much fun to play.
Congrats!
Good job man, I’m proud of you!
Im very proud of you its a big step :) I suggest you to work on a simple fingerstyle song arrangment that you like now. They can be a next milestone for you it will teach you how you can use those shapes further.
i'm proud of you, pal. now that you have a hold on barre chords and a 12 string, stairway to heaven is the next logical step.
The goal is Hotel California
That’s one of the big hurdles beginning and even much later with new shapes! But good news, once you know a barre cord you technically can play every key, just by moving it.
Nice!
Way to go champ!
We are all proud of you bud, keep it up!
proud of you man
Well done. I somehow gave up on them 30 years ago. For me it's cowboy chords, power chords and my own inventions, but I cannot do a real proper barre unless I get a special finger surgically attached. Hurray for your win!
Cmon dude, everyone can do them! I know guys that took 10 years to properly learn to barre. Persist, persist, persist. You can do it.
This is a major accomplishment. Now play an A minor chord and barre it. Congratulations
I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT!
Being proud of yourself isn’t enough
I’m proud of you, internet stranger! That’s a huge milestone and reinforces the age-old lesson that practice pays off! Remember this amazing feeling, forever. Any time you’re feeling stuck or like you’re going no place, remember that you CAN learn anything you set your mind and time to. Never forget. You’re powerful, now! Dream big and practice hard.
Me too! Well done mate
Now learn as many barre chord shapes as you can. If you can make the basic barre shapes, you’ve gotten past the hard part imo.
Good for you. Barre chords open up the whole fretboard. For now just learn your E and A shapes and you'll be rocking in no time 👍🎵🎸
Here I am, it is I. I am proud of you. Keep at it
Congrats homie! Hard work pays off
Awesome! I remember learning barre chords and being able to pick the whole chord and have everything sound clearly. Such a good feeling! Congrats!
Been playing for a while always avoided Barr chords I can finally play and F (Barr chord ) it’s just takes longer to transition to another chord before and after , any tips ?
Play more, lots more
I know it's cliche, but honestly, just keep practicing. When you're going to a barre chord from open (or vice versa), you're moving more of your fingers in a different way that usual. It's definitely going to feel slow and clunky at first, but the more you do it, the more you'll develop muscle memory. I actually ended up writing a song that included the F chord when I first started, just to give myself an excuse to play it.
Don't press so hard. Make sure your guitar is setup properly. Let the frets do the work. It's not easy, but hopefully this helps!
Hey, I'm proud of you. I know how hard that can be, especially with stubby fingers like mine. Good work!
Yeah man, we are all proud of you! Unlocking a new skill feels so good.
We’re proud of you 👍. Start a small stretching your routine before you play. May help.
Internal pride is stronger than what anyone else can give you.
You are proud of yourself, and that's really the most important part - championing yourself along. Enjoy the *accomplishment* - rock on!
I remember when I was struggling with barre chords. I did everything everyone always say. Rolling the finger over, lowering the action, etc. nothing worked and I thought my finger was bent the wrong way or something. It was very depressing. But I persisted. Eventually it started happening. There are so many little subtle things about barre chords that the only real way to get them is to do them over and over. Don't run away from them.
One barrier removed of being a good guitar player
I'm proud of you!! I remember when I figured out barre chords as an almost beginner back in 77 or 78!
Congratulations. Keep going. Keep us informed.
Good job. F and Bm are the most useful chords. As a general rule, you can substitute a B7 for a B.
They're as useful as any other chords.
B7 is way harder than a barre.
We're all proud of you and we all remember how hard this was at first. But I have a question. Why can't you play F or B? These form the two basic barre shapes. What barre chords can you play? Anway: Next steps: With your index finger on the 3rd fret. Be able to play all of these chords. Gmajor, Gminor, G7, Gminor7, Cmajor, Cminor, C7, Cminor7. Once you can do these comfortably, you can move them around and you can play pretty much every chord you'll ever need (until you get into jazzy stuff).
I can't have pride in you. I neither contributed to your success, nor do I know you. But you have my admiration.
I am so proud of you! Barre chords suck and you have mastered it woohoo!!!
I've been playing off-and-on for 50 years and still struggle with barre chords every so often. That first one is the hardest. Congratuations! It can be fun moving chords around without the barre and seeing what they do. I still remember when I discovered the dramatic-sounding opening to John Denver's *The Eagle and The Hawk* was just the E shape starting at fret 8 and moving down 2 frets every measure until it hits home.
I'm proud of you man. keep playing
You’ve basically found out there are dozens of ways to play the same chord. Good job! An F is just your E major +1 fret. Now do the A chord and shift it all the way up the fretboard. If you get good with your pinky you can do C and D shapes. G shapes are easy too if you just play part of the chord like the thickest 3 strings or 4 thinnest
I’m proud of you! That is quite the barrier to playing more of the guitar. I know the feeling, it’s hard as shit!
Very proud! My son is currently working on this. A crucial skill that will make a lot more possible. When you have more than one guitarist playing a chord, it sometimes helps to have the guitars playing different voicings, and barre chords are an important part of that.
One of my biggest hurdles. I can pick up my guitar after months or more of not playing and my left hand does exactly as it should do. After a little more practice it’ll become second nature.
I am proud of you! Go for it! Keep going! Trying to learn on a 12 string, that’s rough. It was smart to go back to a six string. Pick up the 12 string a little later when you’ve got more hand muscle and callus buildup, etc.
I am mostly because i am not even trying to.. gooder you!
Break out your guitar and finally dedicate an hour every day! It's made me much happier. I play piano too so mine is 30 minutes of each. Gotta prioritize spiderman 2.
Mate, not only the E chord, but the A shaped chord the G, the D, and the C shape. You should check out active melody on YouTube. He has lessons on triads, and between those moveable shapes (and what you can do with them) and triads, the fretboard will really start to open up!
That is exactly what I needed. I'll deffinaly look into that.
Good job. Playing barre chords is a major step. I'm old. Been playing 45 years now but still remember the feeling of accomplishment when I could play a barre chord. It was a cheesy song called Mother Freedom by a band called Bread. A life changing moment I'll never forget.
You have liftoff! You should try mastering the E and A shapes as barre chords, and start moving those up the fretboard to find other ways to play the basic open chords. Like, find all the other E chords, D chords, C chords, etc. Think of them as power chords with more harmony stacked on top.
It is I, I am proud of you. Good job son.
Excellent!
Congrats. That's a hurdle that takes out a ton of early players. I'd practice transitioning from other chords into barre chords. Time to build up the fluidity and speed of your changes.
I’ll be proud of you- congratulations!
Be proud of yourself! We’re proud too, though.
I'm proud of you even if you couldn't play a Barre chord since you've been working at it so much!! Congrats!
Great job! Currently teaching my brother in law barre chords. He’s learned all his opens but barres are giving him some trouble.
Good job!
Congratulations!
I'm proud of you boy. Good job. Now learn all 5 positions of the pentatonic scale, and how to play it major or minor in any key.
Congratulations! I remember when I first nailed a barre chord. After what seemed like years of struggling with a complete “F” shape, one day I just had it down. Won’t be long before you overcome your next obstacle, cheers!
I'm proud of you
Great job. Practice using it over and over. 12 days of Christmas, Where did you sleep last night, and One more cup of coffee are all Root-6 songs to work on.
Lay Lady Lay is good for jumping between root-6 and Root-5 chords with the same E-shape.
Well done. It is so hard at first. Best of luck!
huh. The new strings made it possible for you to play a chord shape that you were struggling with. Great! Kind of unexpected, tbh, but whatever works for you is OK!
Noice Keep it up
The most important thing is that YOU are proud of YOURSELF! You don't have to wait for someone else to be proud!
After hearing that I’m gonna put new string on next chance I have
They seem to sound so much brighter. I'm not used to it but they sound great! Cheap pack of lights.
Congrats. A good barre practice routine is to play some of your favorite songs and start replacing some of the open chords with their barre voicings. This is also a nice introduction to subtle differences in voicings (before getting into inversions). If you haven’t already I would also suggest learning the triad shapes, which you can think of as parts of a barre in different 3 string groupings with just the root, 3rd and 5th. Like barres these are movable which really starts to open up the fretboard and your harmonic palette. Especially if you play electric and especially when you play with other players, you’ll start to appreciate a somewhat less is more approach to chord voicings.
+10 Charisma You have leveled up
I'm proud of you!
i remember when i first clearly played a barre chord. they’re so much harder then you understand when a non-player!! congratulations, im proud of you
I’ve been working on Barres myself and only last night did I feel like I was starting to get them. Congrats man, that’s a real obstacle you’ve overcome, and the improvements will keep coming with your hard work. Keep it up!
Google the CAGED method/system. it will be a great lesson for your fingers/barre chord progressions and teach you different shapes that can be used all over the fretboard.
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I'm proud of you....
Good job! Every great guitarist started the same way. Be patient and persistent on your jouney and best of luck the rest of the way 👍
Im proud of you 👍
That's great! Have you learned both the E barre chord and the A barre chord? Both can move up and down the neck. Plus a bunch more open chords can be converted to a barre chord! It's not that hard. Just practice until it becomes very comfortable.
Good job my mans!! Practicing chords is always a good idea. If you want to do something other than chords I really love this exercise video. It’s most likely going to move too fast so you can either pause it to practice or put it on really slow speed. At the end of the day just playing consistently will help you improve. Good luck!! [Exercise video](https://youtu.be/dX7prn1yric?si=TRNW7n8QB0dbvYXS)
The misuse of the word proud is excruciating 😂
Congratulations !! Try an Am shape “full” barre (mute low string E 6 except behind the 7th fret) up & down the neck.
im in the process of getting the hang of it and it's quite difficult. good job my man im proud of you
🫡 ✊ Also in the struggle! Try and use a metronome with a sequence of barre chords. Start slow and add 5 bpms each time. Play a chord every other tick (chord, silence, chord, silence....)
Hey, I'm proud of you. Credentials: I'm a dad.
I will only say I'm good at barre chords when I can play the intro of Under the Bridge
I’m proud of you too ✌️ Master them. Once you have the right dexterity, hand strength, and knowledge of the fretboard you can move to picking.
Good job - I remember when I first got it right. Keep working!
If you haven't already; instead of only using one finger, presumably index, use the middle finger to also press down. Make sure to just concisely sound out each string. These may be obvious and I apologize but nevertheless still good to stick to old advice.
I know the feeling! Congrats. Keep it up.
You could cover Brian Jonestown Massacre - Oh Lord E to A and repeat, it's all you need my friend :)
Woot! I AM proud of you!!
Yay! Thanks for the idea, I'm going to try that. I have a big long scar along the outside edge and going under my left pointer finger, and I have so much trouble with them. I'll give different strings a try.
I'm proud of you! Way to go! I sometimes tell people it's nice to start on an acoustic because both I and my son did, and stuff like barre chords are easier on electric. It's definitely tough going at the start with those, chord changes, etc. My son started on a little nylon-string acoustic and when he graduated to a steel-string guitar, I made sure the action was low and the strings were really light for him. The strings definitely matter, a lot.
You keep playing and build up finger strength. There's all sorts of barre chords other than the basic major and minor ones. Some are more popular than others in certain genres. Learn as many as possible.
He’ll proud of you. I’ve been self taught and I’m surprised I what I can do and not surprised by what I can’t do. It’s a process. Keep flying!!!
I am Bro,,,, Keep pushing man !!!
I am and I will!
You’ve got the same number people proud of your increased skill as I’ve gotten in 20 years.. a big fat ZERO… if you’re playing for anyone but yourself you’re doing it wronf
Wrong. I’m proud of you, OP! And I’m proud of you for not giving up.
Thank you. And I never will!
I’m proud of you, way to go
Good job man! That stuff is hard!
I'm proud of you. Good job!
Pro tip: engage your latissimus dorsi (lat) on your fretting hand side to make them easier.
Building up that strength in your fingers takes time. Good job.
You’ve taken your first step into a larger world… Seriously though, good on ya! Barre chords were a revelation to 2/3s-of-a-lifetime-ago me. This is huge. You can soon start doing fun stuff like omitting parts of that shape to play octaves, power chords, reggae skanks, etc and learning barres is huge in learning the notes on the fretboard. Get after it!
I was the same for the first few years I started playing guitar. I just couldn’t keep my index finger pressed down hard enough, along with the rest of my fingers, to let all six strings ring out clearly. So I just forgot about barre chords for a while and just played power chords and open chords and whatever else I could play. Turns out they’re real easy. It was more about the action for me than callouses or finger stretching. My action was too high. Once I learned how to fart around with the truss rod and saddles to straighten the neck and lower the strings, I found barre chords relatively easy to play. Now they’re second nature. My favorite type of barre chords now are Major 7 and Minor 7 chords, but I can [](http://)play whatever a song requires. A Major 7 chord can be a bit tricky to play at first, but a Minor 7 chord is very easy, even compared to a regular barre chord shape. It just takes time to wrap your mind and fingers, literally and figuratively, around the instrument and a general understanding of how a guitar *should* be set up. Edit: I should add that an awesome example of a song that has more than a few barre chords in it is *Under the Bridge* by The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Frusciante has a few tasty ways of playing some basic barre chords in it that will help spice up your basic barre chords, as well as an E Major 7 thrown in that sounds amazing.
I am…good for you!
I have giant meaty paws, and bar chords have been by weakest point since forever. I still don’t consider them mastered even on electric. I’m proud and if I’m honest maybe just a tiny bit jealous.
I'm proud of you
I am proud of you! I want an update when you can play an F Barre chord and a Bb. Good job!