Ukulele Lesson: Making Bar Chords Easier with Gravity!
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- Опубликовано: 24 янв 2012
- A lesson on developing the "Heavy Hand". A topic that could be explored daily for years--it will serve you well & might even make your practice into a meditation as you slow down enough to feel the "space" between each chord.
~Ukulele played in this video (Magic Fluke Ukulele) amzn.to/384nUSJ
~Support this channel on Patreon and get acmes to a library of great resources for your playing (tabs, songsheets, jam tracks & more!) / ukulelezen
DISCLAIMER: I am not a scientist - In this video, I think I may be mixing up gravity with air pressure. 15psi is air pressure. In space, you still have gravity, but you don't have the 15psi. THE POINT: relax & feel gravity do the work!
For more about my music & adventures, please visit www.stufuchs.com/
The Process:
1) Allow the hand to fall, surrender to gravity ("The Force" :) )
2) Float the hand up to the neck of your instrument
3) Allow it to fall from your instrument. FEEL IT RELAX. DON'T RUSH.
4) Apply the heavy hand to a bar chord, allowing gravity to do most of the pushing.
5) Move the shape up the neck (squeeze, release, move)
6) Smile, Breathe, and repeat. Be sure to eat healthy foods you enjoy in between practice sessions. ;) #ukulelezen #stufuchs 
Видеоклипы
I found this Tutorial by accident and it is awesome! Thank you so much for this lesson , After two years practising it is the first time I ' ve played a barrechord without pain in my finger. You're the best techer 😊🙏🏻 thx and greetings from Germany
Had to comment....
14.7 pounds per square inch is the average air pressure at sea level, which would be constant at all angles surrounding your hand.
The average human weighs about 70 kg, and the average weight of a human hand is .58 percent of total body weight. So the average hand weighs .5 kg, or roughly 1 lb.
Factor in the force of gravity, (9.8 meters per second squared) and multiply that by the mass (.5 kg) will give you the approximate force necessary to hold your hand up.
My apologies, I’m an engineer - which means I can switch my Zen on and off as needed :-)
Here’s my sad story regarding bar chords:
I was born with two thumbs on my left hand. That would be a great help with bar chords, except my parents decided to have one of them removed when I was two - something about 6-finger gloves.
The surgery left my remaining thumb pretty much useless, so bar chords are a challenge. Your method here looks promising and I will work on it.
Sorry about the science lesson - your advice has helped me, so I felt I should return the favor!
Take care
That’s awesome!! I appreciate the science lesson… I am really I’m glad that you brought the facts! I’m amazed to hear your story and your determination to learn inspires me. Like anything someone studies the personalization of the material can take some time to internalize until we find what is most natural for our own individual needs. Best of luck and thanks for watching my videos! Be well, Stu
I lol'd at "omg hurry play my guitar gently weeps already"
Glad I could make you Lol ;) Happy Playing, Stu
You had me at Costa Rica, I've been trying to play for ten years , i think i just learned more in 8 minutes than the last 2 years Muchos Gracias
I'm watching this sneakily at work while no one is looking. Your natural, insightful way of teaching is a revelation and a joy. I am soooo excited to try this out when I get home - I have NEVER been able to hit the bar chords! I always thought it was down to my weak, tiny fingers and the gap created between the underside of my knuckles and the strings. Maybe not, we'll find out tonight! Thanks again
Trust me Stuart!!! what you told in this video about to be relaxed and take it easy when you play. Nobody ever gave this kind of teaching in RUclips or anywhere as I have been watching tons of videos to learn ukulele.This is great what you just explained here and for sure there's a lot to do with playing by keeping this idea in heart and head.
Thanks
Thank you Rishabh...I appreciate your noticing the Yogic intentions behind my videos! I will be sure to create more of them soon. Staying connected to the relaxed/surrendered state while playing is blissful experience...it eventually becomes our normal mode of playing ;-)
Just found your channel; GREAT STUFF! At 56, I’ve just started playing the ukulele. As a practioner of Zen Buddhism, the title of the channel caught my eye. Really like your energy and sense of humor. This is a great lesson, and I look forward to checking out your other videos.
Wonderful! I am considering offering a weekly session that is much more meditative in nature… As you can tell, I sprinkle some of the document into my videos in assessable way. I certainly wouldn’t want my content to be misinterpreted as pushing one belief system and someone needing to be attached to it 🙏🏻🎶 Happy playing and wishing you well Michael.
Stu, Always the best to know something different but very important! Thank you for this tip!
So happy I found this video. Thank you for the thoughtful technique and explanation :)
Woah, this made an immediate improvement in my bar chording.Brilliant. Love your approach. It really is so zen!
Glad you enjoyed it & got some benefits from this video! :) More videos posted all the time...thanks & happy playing, Stuart
This has just transformed my approach to playing bar chords. I had so much tension in my hand and fingers it was a real struggle which became a catch 22. More I struggled, tenser I got. Thanks!
Hey Stuart, thanks for this brilliant way of understanding Barres! I'll be doing these exercises from now on. Just great, really helpful. Respect!
you are an amazing teacher. I can't tell you what I want without sounding weird.... But learning with your vids I get to an almost hypnotic space where learning is so easy. Namaste my friend...
Hey Stu from the past! Good vid, I needed to hear this... the uke part too.
Omg you're absolutely amazing!!!! I love you!!! This works like magic. "If you haven't clicked, away, I love you". hahahaha. You're the best human i've come across in a long time!! :D
Awww, shucks :-). Takes one to know one, right? Take good care & play on!
This is really helping me. Thank you so much !
Thank you so much for this instructional video! By combining this approach with upper back/arm muscles I don't even need to squeeze at all! My wrists feel really relaxed on barre chords now!
Thank you! a great concept to keep in mind. Nice!
brilliant lesson, well explained and so useful - many thanks
loved this, thank you
First vid of the many I have watched that actually helped me out :) Thank you! B flat her I finally come!
+Xilia Faye Wonderful!! So happy to hear the video was helpful for you :D Keep up with this practice as often as you can and you will re-train your hand to be light & supple on the fretboard :) Enjoy the journey & I hope you'll subscribe to this channel"ukulele zen" for more goodies. Be well, Stu
I dig completely. Thank you very much Sensei.
This is a great question Ezra! Some folks play with a strap, which eliminates this issue entirely...try it out. Another solution is to develop a commanding (yet relaxed) hold on the Uke with your right forearm which will keep it in place while your left hand dances around the neck. :-) Good luck!
Love that humor! Nice video
Great descriptions-
Thanks for saying so...glad it was helpful!
Wonderful!! So easy now you have explained how to do it! I have hated barre chords and now I am starting to love them! Love your relaxed delivery and sense of humour too :-)
Thanks! Glad you found it helpful...the "Zen of Uke" :-) Happy playing, Stu
Very helpful. Thank you
hey, even if I don't enderstand everything you're saying (I'm from france) I must say that you're an awesome teacher. You helped me with the thing I was fearing the most : BAR CHORDS ! The most incroyable is that it took me 8 minutes (or less) to learn it. It's been 3 days I'm trying to make a C# in the right way. MERCI!!
so... if you would post some new videos for beginners like me i'll be realy grateful! (like how to hold PROPERLY your uku, or how to do the rithmes)
thank's!
Lucile
I got a ukulele for Mother's Day (
carla mackay Thanks for your comment Carla! Once it becomes second nature to approach the instrument with a relaxed hand (takes many "interruptions" of the old habit), the music will flow!! UKE ON.
I've been playing for a little under a year now, and for the first time ever I was able to actually get sound out of a barre chord. Thank you so much
+Jazmine Williams Glad you got something out of the video clip! More videos will be posted soon :) Happy playing, Stu
cosmic beads brother , love your teaching methods and easy to understand ways cheers min
Thanks so much Wee B! Glad you're tuning in to the Cosmic vibration within us all. Thank you for watching...More resources for your music journey with your membership support at www.patreon.com/ukulelezen
Happy Trails from Canby, Oregon! I really appreciate your integration of quantum physics into the lesson. I am playing/loving 'ukulele for 6 months now cause it is so totally harmonious with my belief that Music is a higher revelation than all Wisdom and philosophy. Music is the electrical soul where Spirit lives, moves and breathes. I am a new Patreon so looking forward to exploring your library. Thank you
Thanks for joining me here and at my Patreon Page CharLee! Wonderful to hear your share about your connection to the cosmos 🙏 Music is the healing force of the Universe ❤️☯️
Thx so much for the simple, yet very effective, tips. I have never been comfortable with bar chords. This really helped. I have found ur tutorials very helpful.
Good to hear from you & glad they are helpful!
As a first time ukulele student who struggled a lot with bar chords on the guitar, this was insanely helpful. I instantly found myself improving. Thank you so much for this video.
I'm SO happy that you found this video helpful! This one is a tongue in cheek tutorial on bar chords...funny stuff, but lots of good info - at the end I go over some other helpful info for bar chords...great for guitar AND ukulele. All the best - UKE ON! - Stu
Wow....it works and feels more natural than having a death grip and trying to make all the strings ring out. Thank you.
Jeanette Kimball Great to hear Jeanette! Eventually the heavy & relaxed hand will become your M.O...keep on pausing to see if your thumb is still relaxed & you'll train it as a reflex :) All the best, Stu
this is super useful. thank you.
Brilliant!
Thanks Terri!
Glad to hear you say so...I try to teach folks how to learn on their own--good techniques for playing with ease :)
Great advice.
Very helpful advice. TY!
Thanks! May your left hand be light :)
I can FINALLY play a D7. The "drop the hand" really works!
That’s GREAT Jim!! Thanks for watching and please share the video with anyone you think would benefit. 😊 May your playing be a relaxing oasis from stress. 🎶🙏🏻
your approach adds lightness to my struggling. It's still difficult, but i have to be patient now and practice...
Thanks for watching & being willing to apply this Jeroen. Just bring awareness to how much you were pushing and then interrupt the habit by consciously letting go… In time playing with less pressure and less tension will become a habit for you. At first it’s a lot of work… But pretty soon it becomes the way you play. Best of luck And I hope your subscribe to this channel for more videos thank you
One of old good videos. ;) So nice to learn from them...🙏🙏🙏
Glad you like them! 🙏🎶🤙
@@UkuleleZen Actually is the best video on bar chords;) This helped me so much. after struggling with them so long... Juhey, that is the sicred...this slight gravitational pressure. What an amaizing lesson. I hope all who are trying to learn will find it. Garzie mille🙏🙏🙏
Wow!!!! That is amazingly easy! For the first time, I was able to play a bar chord!!! Thanks so much :)
Great! Glad to hear it was helpful :) More videos on the way...Keep strumming, Stuart
this works well, i used to be very tense and my hand would get sore. thanks Stuart
That's the power of science
🤙😊☯️
HAHA your Jake Shimabukuro comment was hilarious. Another great video as always Stu. This lesson helped me perform "Jason Mraz's- I'm yours" more easily and efficiently, it has quite a few strenuous bar chords. Thank you. :]
holy shit... it worked! I did my first barre chord
NICE!!! Congratulations! Please subscribe for more videos & tips each week from Ukulele Zen! goo.gl/rMXsnw
Thanks, I think this video is going to help my guitar playing also, I never would have realized.
Hey Robert, that’s GREAT to hear! Thanks for watching & for leaving a comment! Hope you’ll subscribe tot he channel for more vids - please become a patron for more goodies & perks for your music! Be well, Stu
You're fantastic..
wooow, thank you !!!
Good instruction video. You explained that really well. It should prove valuable to many ukulele enthusiasts.
🙏🍀♥️ exactly what i needed, thanks 🙏
Great to hear Mario! It takes a lot of time to cultivate the light touch, but with patience it can be done! Be well, Stu
omgosh,, you are a gem! now I can do a bar !! yippee !!! thank you !
Sweet!! Mission accomplished!! It gets easier & easier the more you soften up (and still control it) Play on! 😊🎶 PS. Please subscribe to my channel for more goodies!
You are a gem! I am improving already. Thank you kindly!
Thank you Beth! Glad you find the videos helpful :) If you haven't already, hope you'll subscribe for more videos & lessons. Be well, Stu
I did subscribe and look forward to learning more from you! :)
Thanks :)
Thank you so much!
Thanks for watching - glad you got something out of it!
A very good video thankyou
Glad you enjoyed it 😊
I lol'd at your impression of "teach me how to play Jake Shimabukuro's 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', hurry!"
Great vid, thanks :)
Bravo! Bravo! I've been playing ukulele for a little under 2 years, but I've been a professional piano player for 50 years. This lesson reminds me of classical lessons I had many years ago. We referred to it as arm weight, hand weight and finger weight. The relaxed state is the norm and the momentary effort is so short as to become incidental. Thanks for the great reminders.
Thanks John - I too encountered this during classical training...it is amazing when effort becomes short & incidental to the relaxed & graceful state of effortless movements. It's so very easy to over compensate on the uke w too much pushing so I made this video - glad you dug it. :) All the best to you
And to you.
I simply love your videos. So easy to pick up everything you teach. Please keep up the good work. Greetings from India. :-)
+Abhisek Dutta Thanks so much for watching - I'm really glad you got something out of this video! I just posted a NEW bar chord tutorial to my YT page: ruclips.net/video/gGSU3P77RTQ/видео.html it's a funny but effective one I think :). All the best, Stu
Thank you Steve I've been playing a couple of month's now and had quite a few chord nemesis,s but the Bb barre chord is my current one but after about a week of following your instructions release drop I get it 95 percent of the time changing from one chord to the barre is still slow but its happening.Just practice and more practice but thanks to you I'm improving leaps and bounds.
Cheers Tony
Thanks for watching Ukulele Zen! Keep working at it… And you will find that lateness of touch. It takes time for your fingers to be accustomed to the strength needed for the bar chords and just where they can relax… Good luck! Please subscribe for more vids...happy playing, Stu 🎶😊
As a newbie to the ukulele, I've been challenged with barre chords and the D7 just happens to be the first such chord I encountered in Uncle Rod's Ukulele Boot Camp practice routine that I've been following. Well, I didn't turn away (though sometimes I'm a bit ADHD and want to skip ahead) and I was rewarded with your sage advice. I got a decent (non muffled sound) in playing the D7 and other chords up the neck. I'll practice this "tai chi" weightlessness technique daily as you suggest. Up to now, I've been strengthening my grip (on a Gripmaster) in the hopes of forcing a barre. Though a strong grip can't hurt, this more subtle approach is great. I can see how that applies to other areas in learning to play the ukulele. I guess you could call your method the "Tao of Ukulele" Thanx!
Thanks for sharing your experience Irv. Glad the Tao of Uke has helped you...I'm writing a book on the subject actually :) Finger strength is certainly a part of playing, but it's about where we place the weight in an intentional way...but not overthinking it, har har. "Eventually water carves away the mountain" Thanks & Enjoy your music journey!
old video , but fantastic tips !!! many thanks
Thanks Patrick… Filmed on my iPad 2. Good times 😉
Thank you so much for this video!! You just delivered my left hand from continuous cramping and my teeth from grinding :)
this is akin to genius - thank you so much
Oh, my god! I've been fighting with this for 4 months - thought I had a defective uke. You just solved it in 7 minutes. Thank you!!!!!!!
NICE! A little Ukulele Zen for ya ;) When we focus on the non effort side of the action, things do get lighter. Happy to hear from you...enjoy your playing, Stu
Well that makes bar chords easier, an E chord tho, yeah, practice the challenges and everything else gets easier too!
Thanks for watching! It is all about the repetition… Learning how to repeat things with kindness has helped me tremendously. Keep on jammin!
Brill 2nd video I've seen of yours and both great advise :-D
Hi, Stu! A decade after this video was posted, I’m going to be the jerk who points out that those 14.7 pounds PSI are air pressure, and they are pushing up, as well as down. Gravity is directional, but air pressure surrounds and is unidirectional. Great lesson, though!
Nah, that's great to hear! My "pseudo science" is corrected and I appreciate it. I will speak of GRAVITY and not air pressure (I stared doing that I while ago...). Thanks Tom!
Oh my god I can finally do barre chords without my hand hurting from it. Thank you so so much I finally get it
1blinktink That's GREAT! So happy for your breakthrough! Subscribe to my channel for more good lessons :) Free tabs & lessons for sale are here: www.stufuchs.com/store All the best, Stu
Magic!
The floating hand...it really works!! :)
Hey, Stu - this is awesome - going to practice this. Love the zen approach! My bar chord challenge comes when playing in odd keys (like Ab, F#, C#), where *every* chord is a bar chord. How do I stay relaxed enough to not tire out when I'm playing non-stop bar chords for several minutes without a break? The brief "space" of the chord change moments does not feel nearly sufficient to regain my nice relaxed zen left-hand state. I'll bring this intention next time though, and also keep building the hand strength. I'm also re-examining my playing position - I know that has a lot to do with the ability to play and stay relaxed too! Thanks so much for this. Also gonna practice this in my life as I go through my day - this advice, of course, goes way beyond ukulele. 😄
I'm happy to hear from you - and super glad to hear from someone like yourself that there's a connection to the larger picture of life. Keep working on sinking into the "Space" between chords...yes, we have to bring some effort, but like a net that catches the trapeze artist, that space will always be there for you when you let go. And yes, some of it is a factor of finger/hand strength...build up both sides of the equation...action & non-action. Of course...with a smile :) Be well, Stu
Hi Stuart
I found your tip on letting your hand drop to be extremely helpful as I was struggling to play barre chords. But then it seemed to me that what was actually happening was that as I let my hand drop it made my thumb push into the neck and so I didn't have to use as much pressure with my finger to play the chord as my thumb was helping by pushing into the neck. Whatever, your tip is brilliant.
Thanks
Alessandra
I'm glad you found the video helpful! I liked what you described...I am always happy to hear that people find their own access points & customize the lesson for their own needs. It is certainly my intentions o show something & then have folks like yourself connect the dots in a way that makes sense for their own experience. Sweet! Have a great day, Stu
@StUkulele First chord B, then F sharp, G sharp minor, E chord. My hands would get tired after playing the chorus maybe twice because I would be kung fu griping the bar chords the whole time haha. Now my hand does not get nearly as tired because I only apply pressure when I need too.Thanks again Stu! :]
And I love your for this good meaningful vid! I am a guitar player and I hurt my hand from playing bar chords the "wrong way".
I've never been able to play bar chords. One lesson here, and I'm making progress! Thank you .. and when are you coming to Australia??
That's awesome! Glad you're making progress! I hope to come for the Cairns festival or any of the great uke fest you all have down there....it would be dream come true to come to your country! Always wanted to go :) (I'm a didj player too so I would love to explore what I could learn...) All the best - happy playing, Stu
I need you to come and live in my town! We don't have a ukulele teacher, a thi che teacher or Qui Gong teacher. I need your teachings!
Paula, I offer hi quality lessons via skype and video chat. Get in touch at stufuchs.com for more info. Qigong - music connection can be explored for sure!
Awesome!!! Jedi mind trick...
+cameron La Bass "Play Ukulele we must!" - Yoda :-)
Do or do not, there is no try.
Stuk you are my new best friend. Just picked up a ukulele for the first time. Have never played a string instrument in my life. having a lot of fun and my fingers are killing me. I am from Liverpool England, you should come over and do the Cavern Club home of the fab four. wide range of music for a week, all over the City check it out.
Costa Rico would be a great place to play the uke.
It's a sweet place for just about everything ;-). Thanks for watching William
3:12 perfect impersonation! 😆
I've been struggling with my fingers wanting to twist. :(
I hear you. Make sure you personalize your approach - after all, no one's fingers are alike...but, I'm glad you're getting something from this video & hope that this serves as a guide for your own explorations into a more effortless technique. Be well, Stu
Hey, thanks for the refinement/correction! My memories of 8th grade Earth Science ARE shaky I suppose. I guess the correct thing to say would be that GRAVITY is the sole force & not the atmospheric pressure?
As you know, atmospheric pressure is just the wait of a column of air per area unit.
Great lesson... It has really helped me. Did you ever do a video on similar guidance for scales as you mentioned at about 3:06? Thanks.
That's a good idea...I'll make that video sometime soon...
Cool! I've found that simply playing the C major scale for about 10 minutes each day has really helped me hear intervals better and I am now much better at picking out tunes by ear. I'm really looking forward to taking the next step in improvement like your lesson on the bar chords has helped that area. Thanks!
It's a great feeling to feel the progress, isn't it? Thanks for watching...more videos coming...just released one the other day...
Is it possible yo have a crooked pointer finger that makes it difficult to put pressure, especially when trying to place finger 2 or 3 on board. I will continue to practice your exercise...
We do have to customize things for our own fingers for sure...do what feels most comfortable for you :) Hope you'll subscribe for more videos at my channel: goo.gl/rMXsnw Be well & happy playing, Stu
Please, like you showed if we just pressed the fretboard just a little bit it will make the sounds but mine still makes the sounds like if i was just placing my fingers on there lightly even do i push them hard. any solution? thanks
Keep the fingers, wrist, thumb as relaxed as possible while make a clear & clean sound at the same time. Seek and you will find the perfect amount of pressure. Pay attention to your knuckles. Feel it. Embody the hand.
As a guitar player with carpal tunnel I'm thinking of switching to a ukulele. Bar cords on a guitar are a bear as far as pressure and tightness in the wrist. I don't have a uke - just started researching. Wish I knew exactly how much pressure you were applying.
Hey Stu! Just found this... and it was the very question I'd wanted to ask you back in November. :^) What about my thumb?
But gravity + tui shou with the uke answers the question. ;^)
Hope you're well!
+Mark Peterson Hey Mark! Nice to hear from you here. :) The thumb...it's good to keep it as soft & relaxed as possible while we play...but it's not ALWAYS possible to do so. I like to combine the use of gravity, a relaxed thumb & finding the small spaces in-between the times we have to push down on the strings. When we can access the space - as you well know - things become easier. All of these elements along with the strength that the hand naturally develops over time are all part of a balanced bar chord breakfast ;)
Stu,
I'm having trouble closing down on the bottom string-- When I play the bar chord, the top 3 strings are barred but the bottom one seems to escape. Any pointers?
Hmmm....You can try moving the finger up & down a bit until you find the place where your finger's knuckles line up with the string you pressing down...everyone's finger is just a little different & you'll want to find the knuckle placement that works for you. Hope this helps!
I'm italian... MOLTO MOLTO BENE!!! thank you so much! 😂
I hope I said it right! I love Italia ❤️🇮🇹(I need to get back there!)
Peace be upon you Stue. This video its really help me. I have been playing uku one months. I have very small hand and very short fingers.
When I try to play Barre chords my left shoulder really hard me. I get also trouble to hold uku correctly, it's sweping everywhere around my legs , dasn't stay in one position, cause i like to hold uku more like guitar. I try to hold under my rights arm, but also dasn't work for me. I think it's very, very small for me. It's make me really go crazy 😜 😜. Can you post some tricks how to hold ukulele correctly pls? Thank you. Katerina
My problem is when you have to bar 3 chords on the 4th fret (G,C,and E) while playing A on the 2nd fret. How do you make you finger thats baring the 3 chords not touch the last chord?
3:13 LOL
This is good, but I think it would be helpful for some to see a closeup of your fingers - also to see the position of the thumb on the neck. Just a suggestion.
I totally agree! Someday I hope to have the equipment and the know how to create multi camera angle videos...this was was low tech & in the woods :) Thanks for watching, Stu
That's the first few strains from J.S. Bach's Cello Suite no 1, atrranged for the Uke by John King. A hard piece...I've learned it on guitar in two keys...classical & electric guitar & now another key for the Uke. I must really like the song, eh? It's available on my cd. Details on stufuchs.com Peace!
Yep. Atmospheric pressure is equal all over our bodies; gravity is what we measure as weight.
Still a good technique to relax, though.
What's that song you start playing at 5:17?
Thank's stu I will train to speak like a italian ;)
Nice!
Buzzing. It drives me CrAzY! I wish I could show you! How do I make it stop without applying RiDiUlOuS pressure? Sometimes it’s the A string, Other times the E
Could be the way your placing your finger on the string. Watch my video “10 minute bar chord overview”… The second half of it shows for tips for really getting into what the fingers need to do. Be well, Stu
3:20 lumpy space princess from adventure time ! lol