I retired 3 years ago.. so, 2 1/2 years ago. I purchased a guitar.. with all the time in the world to practice. I'm self taught. Well, from books. Started with chords and chord shapes through the day. Music Theory at night till I'd fall asleep. Learned your elbow tactic on my own. Never thought about shying away from barr chords. I chose the guitar for my hobby. And was focused to learn guitar. And I succeeded. I've learned alot, ALOT.. I now have 5 successful gigs under my belt.. with invites to play and sing at weddings, cigar lounges, smaller bars, and large get togethers. I'm not trying to say that I've mastered guitar by any stretch of imagination.. I've only mastered being able to play and sing in time. And create an atmosphere where people can have fun and enjoy what I'm playing.. I own 3 guitars. Gibson Hummingbird Original, Southern Jumbo Original, Martin D18 Standard with the 1933 Ambertone finish.. and an Evolve 30M for gigs.. I'm a little off topic from your tutorial. I just wanted to give hope for people new to guitar.
Wow! I love your story! To me that's what it's all about. The journey and pleasure that music gives to any age is just special . I'm so pleased you've discovered a passion for guitar. Thank you for your inspirational comments, I'm sure there are plenty of people who also find it inspiring 😄🎸💚👍
I began guitar at age 11 and my teacher started me on Barre chords when I learned the " F ' chord. I had no difficulty picking it up. Then he taught me the variations like barre C and theMinor chords using barre form.
Thank you for this - I've been playing for a good many years and fell into some bad habits and thought it was my aging hands failing me- never thought about the body mechanics of it all. I was wondering why I was having trouble with barre chords and after seeing your video realized I was leaving my elbow out- tucked it in I'm good to go! Who says you can't teach an old dog???
Great lesson. My guitar instructor tells me the same thing. Keep the elbow tucked in. I also tend to shy away from any song that has barre chords in them. Even if they sound clunky I Keep going. Thanks again for this lesson.
Nice one Chris, that makes sense to me. I have quite short fingers, and they're fat (like sausages) so for me it's not so much that I struggle to make the barre chords (I seem to be doing the elbow thing by accident already, hurrah), it's more that if I get the first finger down nicely over the whole 6 strings, I'm not left with much positioning room with my other 3 fingers, and the more I squeeze and push them into place, the more I'm undoing the good work with the first finger again :-)
Nice job! Thank you for this, just liked and subscribed. I’ll be using your lesson as inspiration since I have been only playing open chords for years being barre chord challenged😂
Thanks, I had to get my guitar out to see if I tuck or not…..I do not tuck as much when playing a barr chord distal on the neck as much as proximal…..now that I am cognizant of proper elbow placement I will work on it….thanks again
Wow this really helped! I am self taught newbie playing just just 6 months now. I noticed that for E shaped barre chords (root on string 6) keeping my elbow tucked in tight to my hip like you suggest indeed allows me to play the chords much more cleanly. But for A shaped barre chords (root on string 5) I need to move my elbow away from the hip to play cleanly. BTW I play the 2 finger version, as opposed to the 4 finger version. So it seems to me that if I'm playing a mix of open chords, A shape barre chords & E shape barre chords, then my elbow needs to move farther or closer to the hip as I play the different types. Does this sound reasonable?
Thanks for this. I will like and subscribe to your channel. We have a small following on our RUclips channel for original music but one of our most viewed videos is a cover of Roy Orbison's YOU GOT IT. It has lots of barre chords. Been playing barre cords for many years. I will go back and look the video to see where my elbow is. Thank you once again for this enlightening piece of information. Will be taking a look at your other videos as well.
Hi is the index finger in fretting hand suppose mute all the strings or just the low E, cause when I mute them all I get a dull sound when strumming barr chords. Thanks
The barre finger should press across all 6 strings. Just practice with the one finger across them all. Pick each string separately to find out which ones are not ringing clearly. build that strength up first and then start to add the other fingers once you've mastered the barre with the 1 finger . Aim to play not mute all 6 with first finger 😃👍🎸
What about the left wrist? I feel like I’m bending the left wrist a lot to get a good bar chord, and I can feel it after playing a few songs. I’m in my 60’s, so I really want to protect my joints. Any advice?
Hi Gloria, try the following. I'm in my 60s too: I've been playing guitar for over 50 yrs and teaching for more than the last 20, so I've taught hundreds of students of all ages how to play barre chords successfully. Yes, the elbow should come in a little when shaping a barre chord (though I don't recommend jamming it into your side as this causes the arm muscles to tense and it's best to keep them relaxed), but the key things for me are the following: a) your left-hand thumb should be in line with the fret that follows the one you're barring, so in a B minor shape, that means behind the fret on which your middle finger is holding down the note on the 2nd string; b) your left-hand thumb should be vertical and covering roughly 5/6ths of the back of the guitar neck - ie top of your thumb in line with the 5th string - rather than peeping over the top or angled back towards the headstock, and c) the index finger you're using to make the barre should be placed diagonally across the fret - as shown by the instructor in the video. I get my students to practise barre chords by making the chord shape with their other fingers first and adding the barre last, which also seems to help in the early stages. Using all the above should also mean that you're not bending your left wrist too much, so avoids problems like developing tendonitis or CTS. Last tip - you might be putting too much pressure on the strings (most people do), so practise using only as much pressure as it takes to get the notes sounding clean. Let me know how it goes.
@ Thx for the tips. I tried them all today, and my thumb and index finger positions look spot on. I am probably pressing too hard and tensing. It took me a year to get every string on my bar chords to ring out (it was only a tiny part of my daily practice, as I honestly thought it might never happen😁.) I think I just need to believe in myself and relax, just as I do when I play open chords. Good to know I’m on the right track. Thx again!
@@G-L-O-R-I-A Yes, relaxation is definitely the key. A couple of other considerations are your string gauges and the action of your guitar. What gauge of strings do you use, and is the action on your guitar high or low?
The action or height of the strings is super important. If the strings are high you have to fight the instrument which adds extra strain and tension. If you're unsure if it's correct, take to a local store or luthier. It's not an expensive fix and can be a game changer 😃👍🎸
I learned chords in an old folk picture chord book from the 1960's which showed Bm as only a 3 finger chord on the 1st 2nd and 3rd strings which ignored the full sound of a 6 string chord like you are playing and of course you end up hitting the 4th, 5th and 6th unfretted strings and the result is crappy clashing notes.
I retired 3 years ago.. so, 2 1/2 years ago. I purchased a guitar.. with all the time in the world to practice. I'm self taught. Well, from books. Started with chords and chord shapes through the day. Music Theory at night till I'd fall asleep. Learned your elbow tactic on my own. Never thought about shying away from barr chords. I chose the guitar for my hobby. And was focused to learn guitar. And I succeeded. I've learned alot, ALOT.. I now have 5 successful gigs under my belt.. with invites to play and sing at weddings, cigar lounges, smaller bars, and large get togethers. I'm not trying to say that I've mastered guitar by any stretch of imagination.. I've only mastered being able to play and sing in time. And create an atmosphere where people can have fun and enjoy what I'm playing.. I own 3 guitars. Gibson Hummingbird Original, Southern Jumbo Original, Martin D18 Standard with the 1933 Ambertone finish.. and an Evolve 30M for gigs.. I'm a little off topic from your tutorial. I just wanted to give hope for people new to guitar.
Wow!
I love your story!
To me that's what it's all about. The journey and pleasure that music gives to any age is just special .
I'm so pleased you've discovered a passion for guitar.
Thank you for your inspirational comments, I'm sure there are plenty of people who also find it inspiring 😄🎸💚👍
Thanks, this was very helpful. I have been playing for many years but I have small hands and your suggestion eally works.
Glad it helped!
I find the best way to learn a guitar is to make it fun!! Thanks for the video!
It often amazes me how something so small can make such a big difference - thanks
Brilliant! Cheers! (No more chicken wings with barre chords for me.)
Nice work and great advice for even a guitarist like me who has been playing for 30 odd years !
Glad to help!
Just getting into barre chords, so your lesson is very helpful, thank you.
@@al5baggie937 fabulous! Go steady and you will get your results 😀🎸👍
I began guitar at age 11 and my teacher started me on Barre chords when I learned the " F ' chord. I had no difficulty picking it up. Then he taught me the variations like barre C and theMinor chords using barre form.
So simple, but such a huge change. I can’t believe I haven’t heard this before. Thanks!
I'll try to focus on this tip. Lord knows I need help getting any barre chord to work.
Many thanks, I'm an old geezer with a lovely Gibson acoustic, you have shown me the way forward with barre chords.
Wonderful!😃💚👍🎸
Thank you for this - I've been playing for a good many years and fell into some bad habits and thought it was my aging hands failing me- never thought about the body mechanics of it all. I was wondering why I was having trouble with barre chords and after seeing your video realized I was leaving my elbow out- tucked it in I'm good to go! Who says you can't teach an old dog???
@@RichHayes-s2e I'm so pleased it's helped 😀🎸👍
Great lesson. My guitar instructor tells me the same thing. Keep the elbow tucked in. I also tend to shy away from any song that has barre chords in them. Even if they sound clunky I Keep going. Thanks again for this lesson.
@@johnnygreenway3579 keep chipping away and you'll get your rewards 😀🎸👍
Excellent thought. Well delivered. Thanks.
Very welcome😃
Thanks for this, will try this as a learner
Best of luck!
Nice!
Thank you! Cheers!
Nice one Chris, that makes sense to me.
I have quite short fingers, and they're fat (like sausages) so for me it's not so much that I struggle to make the barre chords (I seem to be doing the elbow thing by accident already, hurrah), it's more that if I get the first finger down nicely over the whole 6 strings, I'm not left with much positioning room with my other 3 fingers, and the more I squeeze and push them into place, the more I'm undoing the good work with the first finger again :-)
Thanks, I'll try that technique today!
Great info
Good 👍🏾 info… thanks
Glad it was helpful!
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH 🙏💞!!! I HAVE ALWAYS HAD TROUBLE WITH BARRE CHORDS BUT YOU FIXED IT
Glad it helped!
Great video 😊
I’m gonna try this!
Great tips for playing barre chords! Thanks Chris.
nice work thank you
Thank you too!
I am 69 and have trouble with bar chords and your top looks like a lot of help.
Thanks
You can do it! 💪
what a great tip !
Glad you think so!
Nice tip. Already tried it....works great!
Great to hear!
Thanks for the tips! I'll be trying this out later today.
Very helpful. I’m an older newbie and your explanation was easy to put into practice. Not a lot of change in technique for me. Thanks!!
Glad it was helpful! 😀👍
Good tip Chris. Thanks 👍
@@nigellofkin1869 thank you 😀🎸👍
Nice job! Thank you for this, just liked and subscribed. I’ll be using your lesson as inspiration since I have been only playing open chords for years being barre chord challenged😂
It's a tough ride, but you can definitely do it! 😃
Wow !! ... very helpful.Thanks for sharing
Glad it was helpful! 😃🎸👍
Very useful video thanks a lot!
Thanks that makes so much sense.
@@mickbellamy4665 glad it helps 😀🎸👍
Thanks, I had to get my guitar out to see if I tuck or not…..I do not tuck as much when playing a barr chord distal on the neck as much as proximal…..now that I am cognizant of proper elbow placement I will work on it….thanks again
Glad to help!😃😃👍🎸
Great advice, thanks!
Glad it was helpful! 😄
Thanks for the guidance. Really helpful.
Glad it was helpful!
I,ll try it ..
Thank you
You're welcome 😃
That was helpful thank you...
You're welcome!
Wow this really helped! I am self taught newbie playing just just 6 months now. I noticed that for E shaped barre chords (root on string 6) keeping my elbow tucked in tight to my hip like you suggest indeed allows me to play the chords much more cleanly. But for A shaped barre chords (root on string 5) I need to move my elbow away from the hip to play cleanly. BTW I play the 2 finger version, as opposed to the 4 finger version. So it seems to me that if I'm playing a mix of open chords, A shape barre chords & E shape barre chords, then my elbow needs to move farther or closer to the hip as I play the different types. Does this sound reasonable?
Sounds good to me. A little tweak here and there will probably help. I play the 2 finger versions to 😃👍🎸
Excellent I make this mistake all the time
Thanks for this. I will like and subscribe to your channel. We have a small following on our RUclips channel for original music but one of our most viewed videos is a cover of Roy Orbison's YOU GOT IT. It has lots of barre chords. Been playing barre cords for many years. I will go back and look the video to see where my elbow is. Thank you once again for this enlightening piece of information. Will be taking a look at your other videos as well.
Thank you 😃🎸👍
Thank you laddi u hit the nail on the head with this old wanna be!!! Thanks again I never knew about it
Fantastic! So glad it helped 😃🎸👍
Hi is the index finger in fretting hand suppose mute all the strings or just the low E, cause when I mute them all I get a dull sound when strumming barr chords. Thanks
The barre finger should press across all 6 strings. Just practice with the one finger across them all. Pick each string separately to find out which ones are not ringing clearly. build that strength up first and then start to add the other fingers once you've mastered the barre with the 1 finger . Aim to play not mute all 6 with first finger 😃👍🎸
What about the left wrist? I feel like I’m bending the left wrist a lot to get a good bar chord, and I can feel it after playing a few songs. I’m in my 60’s, so I really want to protect my joints. Any advice?
Hi Gloria, try the following. I'm in my 60s too: I've been playing guitar for over 50 yrs and teaching for more than the last 20, so I've taught hundreds of students of all ages how to play barre chords successfully. Yes, the elbow should come in a little when shaping a barre chord (though I don't recommend jamming it into your side as this causes the arm muscles to tense and it's best to keep them relaxed), but the key things for me are the following: a) your left-hand thumb should be in line with the fret that follows the one you're barring, so in a B minor shape, that means behind the fret on which your middle finger is holding down the note on the 2nd string; b) your left-hand thumb should be vertical and covering roughly 5/6ths of the back of the guitar neck - ie top of your thumb in line with the 5th string - rather than peeping over the top or angled back towards the headstock, and c) the index finger you're using to make the barre should be placed diagonally across the fret - as shown by the instructor in the video. I get my students to practise barre chords by making the chord shape with their other fingers first and adding the barre last, which also seems to help in the early stages. Using all the above should also mean that you're not bending your left wrist too much, so avoids problems like developing tendonitis or CTS. Last tip - you might be putting too much pressure on the strings (most people do), so practise using only as much pressure as it takes to get the notes sounding clean. Let me know how it goes.
@ Thx for the tips. I tried them all today, and my thumb and index finger positions look spot on. I am probably pressing too hard and tensing. It took me a year to get every string on my bar chords to ring out (it was only a tiny part of my daily practice, as I honestly thought it might never happen😁.) I think I just need to believe in myself and relax, just as I do when I play open chords. Good to know I’m on the right track. Thx again!
@@G-L-O-R-I-A Yes, relaxation is definitely the key. A couple of other considerations are your string gauges and the action of your guitar. What gauge of strings do you use, and is the action on your guitar high or low?
The action or height of the strings is super important. If the strings are high you have to fight the instrument which adds extra strain and tension.
If you're unsure if it's correct, take to a local store or luthier. It's not an expensive fix and can be a game changer 😃👍🎸
I learned chords in an old folk picture chord book from the 1960's which showed Bm as only a 3 finger chord on the 1st 2nd and 3rd strings which ignored the full sound of a 6 string chord like you are playing and of course you end up hitting the 4th, 5th and 6th unfretted strings and the result is crappy clashing notes.
I've been playing guitar for a long time. I've never knew that tucking the elbow in on barre chords could make so much difference in ease of playing.
@@kenrogers7641 it did for me 😀 I hope it helps you too. 🎸
Why have i never been shown this!!
@@A.I.N.A.C.. You have now! Give ago and let me know how you go on. 😀🎸👍
I've never been able to tell my barres from my elbow.
😂😂 very good 👍
@ 😊
sounded more like sister goldenhair to me...
Secret to Barre chords is don't bother.
😂
Thank you
Glad to help 😃🎸👍