This is all so true guys. I've been struggling with F for a couple of months. Than I've watched a couple videos like this one and discovered 2 types of exercises: this one for finger strength (just play the bar up and down the neck) and a second one from elsewhere where you practice alternative F chords to familiarize your muscle memory with the layout. And after just a couple of days I wake up, I take my guitar (a classical) and play a good full F on first attempt. It still takes a lot of pressure and a lot of time to place all the fingers, but at least i can actually do it. I was amazed. Next milestone is learning to change to an F fast.
I've watched a number of tutorials on barre chords and although I picked up tips and tricks from each, this lesson for me, has been the most helpful. I finally feel close to playing my first barre chord. Thanks a lot for the detailed tutorial 🙏💙...I've also been practising spider exercises on scale for finger flexibility.
Another great video, James. Your videos are excellent. I really enjoy playing my guitar and you are helping me enjoy it even more with your song tutorials and instructional videos. I can't thank you enough.
Wow James, hours of looking and there's finally someone who actually shows you to do a barre chord. That's a subscription and a like from me! Great video man!
Thank you so much, I just played my first barre cord properly. If you guys are struggling, don’t think about playing the cord too much and don’t apply and insane amount of pressure. Good luck👍
I've watched a few of these barre chord videos to try to improve on it of course. The only thing I would add that I thought was helpful is: try using the guitar's body to help leverage force and take some pressure off your pointer finger and your arm. For example push back on your guitar so the front (fret board) is pushing out so now you can use the pressure from that push and take the pressure off your fingers from squeezing. Essentially it's just moving the pressure points to another spot, hope that helps anyone struggling with barre chords.
@@Good_Guitarist Thanks for the very helpful content! I really appreciate you breaking it down all the way for us beginners. Didn't even know about the "swing" strum in the song "Layla" until I watched your video. Thanks again!! 🙏
Definitely the best guitar teacher on all of RUclips! You make it so simple and easy to understand! I love all of your videos! Thank you so much! Also I've been trying to learn about riffs ( I'm not really sure what they are) do you have any videos on those?
You are an excellent teacher and explain the Barr Chord shapes so well! What kind of strings do you recommend for a Taylor GS Mini that will be kind and gentle to beginner fingertips?
I use D'addario EJ16's myself. They're pretty light, super common and sound pretty good. Really, I had to experiment a lot and try a bunch of strings before I found the right ones for my particular guitar (and it changes on diff guitars!).
I'm a beginner guitar learner and that's exactly what I asked my guitar teacher in the second class. Why not play bar shape for open chords as we're gonna play that shape anyways further up the fretboard? He laughed and said yes you can. Some guitar teacher especially on RUclips teach so outdated they make you learn open chord shapes and then bar chord shapes which actually make your struggling period extended. You're a good teacher btw. I do have a question though while playing barre chord in c major position my Pinky's bottom side accidentally touches first e string as you can imagine in c major barre chord shape the stretch is quite curvy. So how I could stop that?
Did some homework practicing barre chords according to your superb video lesson James. Thanks! By when is your new barre chord lesson course ready for us buyers??
Hey Fritz! It's ready now! It's the most comprehensive course on Barre chords anywhere, in my opinion. It took a while to make because I wanted it to be foolproof and perfect. Here is the link: courses.goodguitarist.com/courses/barre-chords
My problem is not that my fingers are not strong enough to press the strings, but my middle finger's base (I googled it's called Distal Phalanx) keep on touching the strings below (2nd string) making it mute...
I have trouble playing f minor, because my index finger that is barring mutes the 3rd string, so it pretty much turns into a giant power chord :( I really like to do that thing where you play the 4 chord and then play it again but in minor then follow up with a perfect cadence (IV iv V I) so this really sucks for me.
Eashwara Sai period 💯 I wouldn’t say mines is perfect. It’s the transitions into bar chords that get me. I’ve been neglecting tho. I’ve been learning the guitar for months now, but I have like less than 8hours of practice
@@Sonder_stoic I'll give you a tip which helped me if i can😅Even if the transitions become buzzy, just keep doing and keep playing with the positioning of the index and the thumb.. And just keep doing it and you will master transitions for sure👍
I am a basic guitarist but i want to be more professional on it i watched ur courses and i’d love to join. Should i learn Finger picking first or bar chord first?
Hello Subash, it's really up to you. We would love to have you on board. Fingerpicking might be more accessible for you but barre chords also unlock a lot of other skills. Which one are you more inclined to learn? Fingerstyle or "rock"? Here's a link either way: courses.goodguitarist.com/
Hey mate. I've been looking for "A thousand years" by Christina Perri, but have not yet found any useful videos that could help me learn that song. I'd be very thankful if you could make a guide for that song. Other guides you've done so far are very simple to learn. Keep it up! : )
I put all my energy into pressing the bar and then my fingers hurt really bad after a few seconds. If I don't put too much pressure the strings remain muted.
@@melodysamplelibrary9032 i have got quite better at it now. I am able to play barred chords like Bm, A(at 5th fret), B (at 7th fret) without hurting my fingers while managing to get a good sound.
The Name of the Bar Chord consists of the root note and the shape you fret with your other fingers. The root note is either the note you bar on the low E string or the one you bar on the A string. So if you bar on the 3rd string the low E becomes a G. You are now playing a G Chord. Now if you fret a Emaj shape you get a Gmaj, fret a Emin you get a Gmin, fret a E7 you get a G7 and so on... Same applies if you bar the root note on the A string. Now you would use the A shape to fret the rest of the strings. A String on 3rd fret would be C. So if you fret a Amaj shape you get a Cmaj, Amin shape gives you Cmin and so on. That's why barre chords are so useful, you only need to remember a few shapes (for example Emaj and Emin) to play all kind of Chords all along the fretboard (as long as you know the root notes).
If you are able to play open cord songs easily then you just have to practice chord progression before playing the song. Practice with patience & your efforts will be paid off.
@@Good_Guitarist thanks sir I learn lot of basic things about guitar from you.. Like chord, progression strumming, Barr chords etc.. I didn't have a teacher but now i have a teacher, nd that is you.. I'm Roy from India 🇮🇳.. Thank you again sir for your beautiful work.. Lots of love ❤️❤️💕🙏
Some good advice here ..my advice would be take your time and it will all come believe me..and keep the guitar in the room where you can see it all the time...and again stick with it..
I would just add the comment that as you are holding the guitar neck quite low down i.e. below the level of your shoulder, you are risking development of synovitis in your wrist due to sharper bending in the left wrist in combination with the tension in tendons as they work round that bend. This condition is extremely painful and can be almost eliminated by holding the guitar neck up at the level of your shoulder as a classical guitar player would. Classical guitar has had a long time to work out the best technique and, since I experienced synovitis in my 20s as a result of what I have described, I changed my technique to a more orthodox standard and have not had the condition return in 50 years. Take my advice as a teacher of guitar for over 45 years, don't risk the pain. Hold the instrument properly.
I've been playing guitar for 40 years and to this day cannot play barre chords on acoustic guitar. I can do barre chords on electric guitar all day long with no problem but the strings on acoustics are just too heavy and the fret placement too unforgiving. I play melody and open chords only on acoustic and grab my Strat or Tele for serious playing.
Hey Neal, the best advice I have for you for barre chords on acoustic is to make it a goal to keep at it. Keep following with these lessons and I hope you will be able to finally make it happen! Cheers - James
I learned barre chord in 2 days or 3 Sometimes it doesnt mute sometimes it does but all i need to do is remember placing my hands wothout looking Yeah looking back at this comment I kinda lied.. But I did improve
When ever someone says, no memorization, it's easy, I close the book and move on. Nothing about this is easy and there is no way around the fact things need to be memorized. Face it straight up, boldness of attack. No way around the FACT that it takes endless hours of mind numbing practice. It's not easy, if it was easy, everyone would do it. STOP TELLING PEOPLE NO MEMORIZING IS REQUIRED BECAUSE IT IS.
This is all so true guys. I've been struggling with F for a couple of months. Than I've watched a couple videos like this one and discovered 2 types of exercises: this one for finger strength (just play the bar up and down the neck) and a second one from elsewhere where you practice alternative F chords to familiarize your muscle memory with the layout. And after just a couple of days I wake up, I take my guitar (a classical) and play a good full F on first attempt. It still takes a lot of pressure and a lot of time to place all the fingers, but at least i can actually do it. I was amazed. Next milestone is learning to change to an F fast.
T
@@sachibhandari7 F
Have you managed to learn fast change?
Don't you think he explains a lot, like every little detail, exactly what we need? ❤❤
Wow! You actually explain barre cords beyond just how to make them physically. Excellent lesson.
hi you are a really good teacher.. Glad I came across your videos.Im 70 year young female and enjoying learning the barre cords..
Thank you
Genius! The E shape has been there all along but I never noticed it when trying to make a barre chord. I wish I had seen this lesson a year ago!
I've watched a number of tutorials on barre chords and although I picked up tips and tricks from each, this lesson for me, has been the most helpful. I finally feel close to playing my first barre chord. Thanks a lot for the detailed tutorial 🙏💙...I've also been practising spider exercises on scale for finger flexibility.
Excellent Vid James! I found it extremely helpful, and I find that you have a very soothing voice...
I appreciate the way this was explained. Simple for me to understand with demonstration. Thank you.
You made it super-clear.......THANKS!!!!!!!
Thank you. Everything just clicked 👍. I can’t believe What I just learned in such a short space of time.
The best I have seen on barre chords. Likes should be in millions. I say a million thank yous !
This is one of the best explanations
of Barre Chords I have seen. Well done and thank you
Wow, thanks!
Wow. A lesson I can understand. Spot-on.
Another great video, James. Your videos are excellent. I really enjoy playing my guitar and you are helping me enjoy it even more with your song tutorials and instructional videos. I can't thank you enough.
Hey Titan, thank you for your compliment. It's comments like yours that keep me going with these tutorials. Cheers. - James
Thank you so much for this brilliant tutorial it’s a fantastic way to get used to barre chords . So Grateful 👌🎸
Thank you, great lesson. You explained and demonstrated things so well
For barre chords exercise I’ve taken my finger and just tilt it a tad to the outside on a fret , it gets easier to play barre chords over time.
Great video. First time barred chords are clear in my head
you are really a good teacher. Thanks for the videos.
Good guitarist Great insrtuctor. Thank you.
I was looking for something like this. Thank you 🤝
Fantastically simple explanation so easy to understand. Thank you.
Wow James, hours of looking and there's finally someone who actually shows you to do a barre chord. That's a subscription and a like from me! Great video man!
Hey Kevin, cheers and thanks for the support! Let me know how the practicing is going and if you need any more tips - James
you're a great teacher! new subscriber. 👍
great explanatory skills mate.Keep it up! Thanks for your time!
Thank you so much, I just played my first barre cord properly. If you guys are struggling, don’t think about playing the cord too much and don’t apply and insane amount of pressure. Good luck👍
Another excellent tutorial! I glad I found your channel. Thank you!
You are a great teacher!
Amazing lesson... great content and very soothing teaching style.. thanks a lot
I found anther tip that helped me play Barre chords . Place your index finger farther across the neck so it sticks out on the other side.
Yeah, my wife has thinner fingers and that method works for her. Keep trying! - James
@@Good_Guitarist With F major bar chord, do I have to press all the 6 strings with my index finger?
Makes easy to understand thanks
I've watched a few of these barre chord videos to try to improve on it of course. The only thing I would add that I thought was helpful is: try using the guitar's body to help leverage force and take some pressure off your pointer finger and your arm. For example push back on your guitar so the front (fret board) is pushing out so now you can use the pressure from that push and take the pressure off your fingers from squeezing. Essentially it's just moving the pressure points to another spot, hope that helps anyone struggling with barre chords.
Hey Skull Ohm, great suggestion! Thanks for tuning in.
@@Good_Guitarist Thanks for the very helpful content! I really appreciate you breaking it down all the way for us beginners. Didn't even know about the "swing" strum in the song "Layla" until I watched your video. Thanks again!! 🙏
This video is exceptional! You explained it so clearly. Thank you.
Definitely the best guitar teacher on all of RUclips! You make it so simple and easy to understand! I love all of your videos! Thank you so much! Also I've been trying to learn about riffs ( I'm not really sure what they are) do you have any videos on those?
Excellent video! You are a great teacher!
wow!!!! i finally get it!!!! Thanks!!!
Wow what a good technique
I started working on Barre Chords. Very Frustrating, but I will get them. Thanks
Oh, yes. It does take a bit to get them but once you do it really opens up a lot. Thanks man
Great tips. Thanks.
The best teacher. No doubt.
You are an excellent teacher and explain the Barr Chord shapes so well! What kind of strings do you recommend for a Taylor GS Mini that will be kind and gentle to beginner fingertips?
I use D'addario EJ16's myself. They're pretty light, super common and sound pretty good. Really, I had to experiment a lot and try a bunch of strings before I found the right ones for my particular guitar (and it changes on diff guitars!).
Is it supposed to sound super scratchy whenever I slide to another chord?
Thank you. He video was amazingl but not as amazing as you. You are loved more than you could ever know. God bless.
This is VERY HELPFUL. Thank you.
You sir are a good guitarist.
I'm a beginner guitar learner and that's exactly what I asked my guitar teacher in the second class. Why not play bar shape for open chords as we're gonna play that shape anyways further up the fretboard? He laughed and said yes you can. Some guitar teacher especially on RUclips teach so outdated they make you learn open chord shapes and then bar chord shapes which actually make your struggling period extended. You're a good teacher btw. I do have a question though while playing barre chord in c major position my Pinky's bottom side accidentally touches first e string as you can imagine in c major barre chord shape the stretch is quite curvy. So how I could stop that?
Thts great bro,,, it was making confuse to me, but after this watching i understand
very useful and easier exercise
Thanks bro. Now understand how the barr cords .
It's a slow and steady process! Good luck. Have you been playing guitar for long? - James
Thanks! New subscriber, 2019..my goal is a at least a few barre chords Lol 🙂
My brother thank you for this may God bless you brother
ur good teacher dude
Did some homework practicing barre chords according to your superb video lesson James. Thanks! By when is your new barre chord lesson course ready for us buyers??
Hey Fritz! It's ready now! It's the most comprehensive course on Barre chords anywhere, in my opinion. It took a while to make because I wanted it to be foolproof and perfect. Here is the link: courses.goodguitarist.com/courses/barre-chords
thanks
My problem is not that my fingers are not strong enough to press the strings, but my middle finger's base (I googled it's called Distal Phalanx) keep on touching the strings below (2nd string) making it mute...
I meam i cam play frets as 1 finger across all steings but i struggle forming shapes i am practicing though so hope i can improve
I have trouble playing f minor, because my index finger that is barring mutes the 3rd string, so it pretty much turns into a giant power chord :(
I really like to do that thing where you play the 4 chord and then play it again but in minor then follow up with a perfect cadence (IV iv V I) so this really sucks for me.
No matter how hard I try my index finger isn’t cover all the strings, the middle ones buzz
The same thing with me too....what to do😭
Eashwara Sai practice , I’ve gotten better
@@Sonder_stoic Hey guess what... I can do barre chords perfectly now😃😎.. Wow! Progress is satisfying right!
Eashwara Sai period 💯 I wouldn’t say mines is perfect. It’s the transitions into bar chords that get me. I’ve been neglecting tho. I’ve been learning the guitar for months now, but I have like less than 8hours of practice
@@Sonder_stoic I'll give you a tip which helped me if i can😅Even if the transitions become buzzy, just keep doing and keep playing with the positioning of the index and the thumb.. And just keep doing it and you will master transitions for sure👍
Good stuff👌👍 Subscribed.
Hey there, I'm so glad you did! Great - James
41,000 people and myself would like to say thank you. :)
Nice teaching
Reward is just subscribed n liked ur video, worth watching
Perfect lesson i wud say, ur so cool teacher
I am a basic guitarist but i want to be more professional on it i watched ur courses and i’d love to join. Should i learn Finger picking first or bar chord first?
Hello Subash, it's really up to you. We would love to have you on board. Fingerpicking might be more accessible for you but barre chords also unlock a lot of other skills. Which one are you more inclined to learn? Fingerstyle or "rock"?
Here's a link either way: courses.goodguitarist.com/
Omg Thank you so much
awesome
good
Hey mate. I've been looking for "A thousand years" by Christina Perri, but have not yet found any useful videos that could help me learn that song. I'd be very thankful if you could make a guide for that song. Other guides you've done so far are very simple to learn. Keep it up! : )
We are working on a bunch of different things right now, so no promises, but I have added it to the list ;)
How many times a day for this practice
i can play barre chords, but my thumb gets super cramped so i lose stamina quickly. how do i fix this?
What guitar are you playing here?
I put all my energy into pressing the bar and then my fingers hurt really bad after a few seconds. If I don't put too much pressure the strings remain muted.
maybe use a capo
@@melodysamplelibrary9032 i have got quite better at it now. I am able to play barred chords like Bm, A(at 5th fret), B (at 7th fret) without hurting my fingers while managing to get a good sound.
@@charredice96 Only took1 month. That's great!
In struggling with the one where you remove the second finger, I want to play here without you but that stops me.
Great lesson, although my index finger now looks like a miniature bird wearing a boob tube and hot pants. keep up the good work.
subbed
Thanks! - James
What's the name of that Crafter model?
Why does an Em become a Gm when you move the shape down to the 5th fret and bar the 3rd?
The Name of the Bar Chord consists of the root note and the shape you fret with your other fingers. The root note is either the note you bar on the low E string or the one you bar on the A string.
So if you bar on the 3rd string the low E becomes a G. You are now playing a G Chord. Now if you fret a Emaj shape you get a Gmaj, fret a Emin you get a Gmin, fret a E7 you get a G7 and so on...
Same applies if you bar the root note on the A string. Now you would use the A shape to fret the rest of the strings. A String on 3rd fret would be C. So if you fret a Amaj shape you get a Cmaj, Amin shape gives you Cmin and so on.
That's why barre chords are so useful, you only need to remember a few shapes (for example Emaj and Emin) to play all kind of Chords all along the fretboard (as long as you know the root notes).
i can play the barre chord perfectly fine but when i put it in a song , i can't catch up when i'm strumming
try find "common finger" between the two chords, use that finger to stabalize your hand during transition . hope this helps:)
If you are able to play open cord songs easily then you just have to practice chord progression before playing the song. Practice with patience & your efforts will be paid off.
Hi how r u
effing barre chords for half of them it feels like my hands are too small, the other half, its like my hands are too big.
Sir I like your guitar.. I wanna buy.. What's the brand name?
This is a more affordable "Crafter" guitar. I also use a Larrivee LV-05
@@Good_Guitarist thanks sir I learn lot of basic things about guitar from you.. Like chord, progression strumming, Barr chords etc.. I didn't have a teacher but now i have a teacher, nd that is you.. I'm Roy from India 🇮🇳.. Thank you again sir for your beautiful work.. Lots of love ❤️❤️💕🙏
Thanks and where are you located?
Vancouver, Canada
🥺👏👏👏👏
Some good advice here ..my advice would be take your time and it will all come believe me..and keep the guitar in the room where you can see it all the time...and again stick with it..
I would just add the comment that as you are holding the guitar neck quite low down i.e. below the level of your shoulder, you are risking development of synovitis in your wrist due to sharper bending in the left wrist in combination with the tension in tendons as they work round that bend. This condition is extremely painful and can be almost eliminated by holding the guitar neck up at the level of your shoulder as a classical guitar player would. Classical guitar has had a long time to work out the best technique and, since I experienced synovitis in my 20s as a result of what I have described, I changed my technique to a more orthodox standard and have not had the condition return in 50 years. Take my advice as a teacher of guitar for over 45 years, don't risk the pain. Hold the instrument properly.
So hard for me😢😢 to
I've been playing guitar for 40 years and to this day cannot play barre chords on acoustic guitar. I can do barre chords on electric guitar all day long with no problem but the strings on acoustics are just too heavy and the fret placement too unforgiving. I play melody and open chords only on acoustic and grab my Strat or Tele for serious playing.
Hey Neal, the best advice I have for you for barre chords on acoustic is to make it a goal to keep at it. Keep following with these lessons and I hope you will be able to finally make it happen! Cheers - James
Get the action lowered. I have a 500 dollar Tayler acoustic. I had to lower the bridge with a Dremel tool. They have a video on it here.
Love u💋
I can’t do the barre chord 😩!
Yah but my index finger is too short and it’s fat so it cushions the strings instead of compressing them!! Now what??
Quarantined me could play barre chord :c
Porangrhbcdy
I learned barre chord in 2 days or 3 Sometimes it doesnt mute sometimes it does but all i need to do is remember placing my hands wothout looking
Yeah looking back at this comment I kinda lied.. But I did improve
that's a pretty short amount of time to learn it! Keep going and it will become easier in time. - James
Good Guitarist yeah thanks what is hard for me is switching from chord to chord
When ever someone says, no memorization, it's easy, I close the book and move on. Nothing about this is easy and there is no way around the fact things need to be memorized. Face it straight up, boldness of attack. No way around the FACT that it takes endless hours of mind numbing practice. It's not easy, if it was easy, everyone would do it. STOP TELLING PEOPLE NO MEMORIZING IS REQUIRED BECAUSE IT IS.
Bro i agree but why so aggressive.
i got barr chord only in 5 minutes 😐😐
This is why I so went to bass. LMAO. I play bass as my mainline. Guitar is so confusing! I'm so lost. Barre's are killer.
Yeah, I hear you! Bass can be tough too on the fingers. Keep going with the barre exercises and you're bound to get it.
E is for Easy
F is for Forget about it
😐
This is not easy for me 😭😭
"Good Guitarists" dont get laid!"
First, get your guitar proffesionaly set up. If the action is to high it'll be nearly impossible for a begginner to learn barr chords..
Oouuuu James u look cute, anyone in 2024