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Tony’s Acoustic Challenge – The New Way to Learn Guitar Family Forums Small Wins F*** Barre Chord – One small step for man…. one giant leap for a beginner!

  • F*** Barre Chord – One small step for man…. one giant leap for a beginner!

    Posted by Moonhare on May 21, 2021 at 12:17 pm

    OK I guess there had to be a point where a giant STOP sign would jump up and block my way and I suspect virtually everyone on this forum has come up against this particular one. So baby steps for me and let’s see whether I am any further forward at the 60 (or 90?) day mark.

    https://youtu.be/y70vLFDFMKw

    • This discussion was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by  Moonhare. Reason: Video wrong
    • This discussion was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by  Moonhare. Reason: Posted new video link

    Moonhare replied 3 years, 8 months ago 10 Members · 22 Replies
  • 22 Replies
  • Loraine

    Member
    May 21, 2021 at 12:45 pm

    @Moonhare I absolutely love your video, and you’re correct in that the full F barre chord is many people’s nemesis initially and it does feel as if you’re a contortionist. I thought your approach to learning it was fascinating and spot on. I noticed when you barred the 1st fret and cleanly played that your index then rolled as you put your other fingers down. Keep practicing and building the strength in the index finger, and one day you will find that sweet spot and it will ring clear.

    • Cadgirl

      Member
      May 22, 2021 at 5:53 am

      @Loraine , I hold that dang chord down so hard i think i’m going to snap the neck off my guitar. ha ha ha

      • Loraine

        Member
        May 22, 2021 at 6:43 am

        @Cadgirl – You’ll find that it really doesn’t take a lot of pressure to play the barre chords (most at least) using a lot of force. It is simply finding the sweet spot for your fingers. Keep at it, and you’ll be amazed one day how little pressure you’ve applied but have gotten a clear crisp chord.

  • dr_dave

    Member
    May 21, 2021 at 2:12 pm

    Great smile! Looks and sounds like you’re approaching things in a healthy way.

    The six-string barred f at the first fret is called an E-shaped barre. Some other thoughts on this chord:

    It’s easier to play an E-shaped G at the third fret and even easier to play an E-shaped A at the fifth fret. One of the reasons is that the strings don’t have to make as sharp a bend at the nut (the little piece of bone, plastic or other synthetic material that the strings cross where the neck meets the peghead), hence it does not require as much strength to barre. (You can make it even easier by using a capo one fret closer to the headstock than the position you’re trying to barre, pulling the strings closer to the frets and requiring less strength to make your barre.) A second reason is that the frets are closer together.

    Fretting minor E-shaped chord is slightly easier than fretting a major E-shaped chord because you don’t need to use the middle finger to fret the third string (G string). Other E-shaped chord you might want to experiment with that are slightly simpler than the major chord is the dominant 7th. Again, this is because ot requires you to fret only two strings beyond the barre versus 3. And the minor 7 requires only one additional finger to fret the A-string two frets up from the barre.

    You might want to enjoy some quicker successes with these ideas and gradually work your way back toward the nut to play them as F chords after you’ve built strength playing As, Abs, Gs, Gbs etc. because you might not tire as quickly, this may actually be a faster route to playing the F chord.

    But regardless how you approach it, I’m happy to see you’re doing it with good spirits.

    • This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by  dr_dave.
    • This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by  dr_dave.
    • Moonhare

      Member
      May 21, 2021 at 4:37 pm

      Really appreciate you taking the time out to talk through all that so clearly. Yes I can see the logic there and also psychologically speaking if I could simply get a barre chord under my belt that would really be a big step. This community is so supportive I really don’t know why I didn’t do this before. Thanks so much.

    • Cherie

      Member
      May 23, 2021 at 1:06 pm

      Dear Dr. Dave,

      Thanks for sharing your excellent tips for Moonhare, they help me too!

      Happy playing,

      Cherie 😀

  • N-lightMike

    Member
    May 21, 2021 at 3:51 pm

    Wow @Moonhare , it’s absolutely amazing seeing the advatages you have because you are a musician. Good for you finding out what you can play. That’s a great win to play the F major and F minor across 5 strings. Excellent.

    @dr_dave gave you some great advice for practicing the E shaped barre chord so you can build up your strength.

    However, I don’t think you need any more strength. Experiment with your index finger. Move it up, down, roll it some, etc, until you find the spot your finger pushes all the strings down. I think you will be able to do the F barre sooner than you expected.

    MG 😀

    • Moonhare

      Member
      May 21, 2021 at 4:41 pm

      Thanks for that. More really useful information I can put to use. This is what you don’t get just from watching YouTube clips. I will see how I get on but enjoying the challenging stuff as much as tge things I can do with not too much worry.

  • Jill_M

    Member
    May 21, 2021 at 5:42 pm

    @Moonhare loved your video. I know I am not alone in struggling with the barre chords but to see your video felt good. Onward and upward we go! Thanks.

    • Moonhare

      Member
      May 22, 2021 at 12:26 am

      I guess our mantra needs to be a little each day. I’ve no doubt in a couple of years we’ll be doing this in our sleep!

  • Cadgirl

    Member
    May 22, 2021 at 5:52 am

    The F barre chord is a toughie. I’ll finally get it pressed down, I can hear all the strings then I have to change to another chord! When I change back to the F barre, I pretty much have to stop mid song and place my fingers one at a time to fret. The video was super cute. Thanks for the post.

    • Moonhare

      Member
      May 23, 2021 at 11:33 am

      You are not wrong @cadgirl ! There have been some great useful tips above that I’m going to try out and see where it leads. I won’t be beaten by wood and wire!

  • Bill_Brown

    Member
    May 22, 2021 at 8:06 am

    Hello @Moonhare , I see that @dr_dave and @Mike-Gaurnier have given you some good pointers 👍 I would like to add something that will be beneficial and give you something to think about. That E shaped barre chord can be played up and down the neck – meaning that with that one shape, you can have at least 12 other chords in your pocket – so it’s definitely something that’s worth the time and effort to work on. Try practicing it at the 3rd fret (G chord) or the 5th fret (A chord) or 7th fret (B chord) – at those positions it should take less pressure for the index to hold down the strings. And remember to line your thumb up with the index!😎

    • Moonhare

      Member
      May 23, 2021 at 11:35 am

      These tips are so useful from everyone. I can see that it makes perfect sense to try the barre further up the fret board and work back towards the nut. So grateful for your input @Bill_Brown.

      • Bill_Brown

        Member
        May 23, 2021 at 4:03 pm

        Hello again @Moonhare , I didn’t watch your video the first time I posted, I only read all the other posts and then made my post to you. That being said, today I watched your video (which by the way, was really cool😎) and noticed that you are only taking the index to the 1st knuckle when trying to barre – I would like to suggest that you use the whole finger, so that you are using the “fat pad” between your 1st knuckle and the palm of the fretting hand to help hold down the strings. In other words, have the area between the palm and the “base” of the fingers touching the edge of the fretboard. I wish I was savvy enough to make a video to show you what I mean, but I hope you can make sense of my words instead😱

        • This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by  Bill_Brown.
      • Moonhare

        Member
        May 24, 2021 at 12:05 am

        You have nailed the description just fine. I will give this a try. I think having now done the B Barre and getting it 80% of the time has given me a bit more confidence too.

      • Bill_Brown

        Member
        May 24, 2021 at 11:04 am

        👍👍

  • Marisa

    Member
    May 22, 2021 at 9:36 am

    I loved this video @ Moonhare! You are doing great!!

    • Moonhare

      Member
      May 23, 2021 at 11:32 am

      Thanks @Marisa. I will get there eventually I’m sure but I’m not going to let that hold me up with my other practice.

  • Cherie

    Member
    May 23, 2021 at 1:05 pm

    Hi, @Moonhare,

    Thanks for sharing your video, love it! Congratulations on your win!

    A clean F Barre chord is a big challenge for me right now, too.

    Yours and @Loraine‘s tips are helpful for me.

    Thank you! 😀

    Happy playing,

    Cherie

  • Marty73

    Member
    May 24, 2021 at 8:30 am

    Thanks for your post @Moonhare Yes, Bar Chords are a PITA. LOL I can play bar chords clear, it’s moving from one to another is what giving me trouble. Still working on them. Now I can move fast using standard chords but Bars….. “The journey continues” 🧐🧙‍♂️😎

    • This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by  Marty73.
    • Moonhare

      Member
      May 27, 2021 at 2:30 am

      I’d be pleased to get to clear chords in my first 90 days. Going from one to another can be my next goal.

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