Try this guitar challenge
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STEP 2: Click the "PLAY" tab below the video to play along with Tony until you can do it on your own.
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Responses
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Day 3 – ‘A’ Shape Familiarity
Responses
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What a challenge. And I tried my pinky like some other TACsters and met with some success! May take a little time to strengthen that little bad boy but worth the effort. I’m usually pretty good with the ring finger but a second option is always welcome. Peace and love to TACsters everywhere!
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Rather than use my ring finger, I was able to use my pinkie finger. I’ll keep trying my ring finger though. What a stretch!
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It is impossible for me to flatten my ring finger enough to fret the B string. This was extremely difficult challenge. I put 10 minuets in and called it.
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I sometimess use the pinkie instead of the ring finger for this type of barre. I have a fairly strong pinkie and I find it easier to flatten across the three strings.
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Ugh!
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My fretting hand feels like I have been holding onto a 10 lb weight for dear life. Most tired my fretting hand has ever been. I mean my whole hand is cramping. Small win was that I was able to get through the entire exercise once clearly, before my hand gave out. I am finding it’s not just a matter of the shape, but how and where your index finger touches the strings. I’m plum wore out!
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I can’t do it. My hand won’t stretch that far and my hand and wrist hurt. So, no thanks. Is there an alternative?
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My hands are so weak. I really need to practice this regularly to build the strength to pick clear notes
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This one was a stretch for me. I was ok if I took the index off and then picked the D G B! Tough one!
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By many of the other tac members responses, I’m not alone with getting a straight index finger to lay flat enough to do these barre chords.
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Still have work to do on this one. Most strings ring clear, but I keep getting a buzz or a thud on the G string. I did figure out that I seemed to do better using my pinky to barre rather than my ring finger. Must have stubby fingers. Gonna keep at it!
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Yes barre chords are tough… but, I can personally say that after a year or so attempting them I can see/hear some improvement so just keep on and like me you will suck a little less, lololol.
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Yay! Small win. I was able to do this one!
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Small win – I could manage good clean notes on this one.
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My anatomy is a misfit in the guitar world. As I stated yesterday, but with a slightly different way of putting it, I would need surgery to rotate my index finger to be able to do these barre chords. I am unable to rotate it to have the side of my finger lay on the fretboard.
Small win? I came and I tried a bunch of times. -
So close, I can get it but weak on the B string, just a little bit of a buzz. But I’m unable to do this often as my fingers ache.
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I dunno TAC family I’m starting think my finger anatomy simply “doesn’t go there”. Grinding away.
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ugh, lol
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This is a no-go for me. Couldn’t do it last year, and surprise surprise, my fingers haven’t straightened out nor grown in the interval. I can get a nice sound out of the triad on the 4th fret, so that’s my win.
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I’m dead…standing on small wins that another year will bring better success!
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Glad to hear that even Tony had trouble with the B barre chord. I always tended to avoid it, even preferring to use an E-shape on the 7th fret. I also seldom used alternate picking on that A-shaped B chord . It’s good practice to do so now, I think.
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Barre B used to be basically impossible for me. But last year when this lesson came up in TAC, I decided to make it happen using Tony’s method. After 12 months or so, success!! So today, I was able to do this exercise cleanly at 2x. Big win for me. Thank you, Tony!
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I did well with the B chord but when moving up the fret board, others have mentioned, I had difficulty with the B and high E strings making good contact.
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I have always chickened out playing B chord by replacing with B7 instead….this is very good challenge for me…can only do chord two times and then my wrist screams at me to stop…what a weakling I am
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You’re getting stronger with every practice! Great job! Keep going!
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This is a groovy A Chord shape in B, I think it is easier for me to play it with my pinkie finger and mute the e string, higher probability that I will play a clean B chord if I play it this way!
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This is a daily exercise for me. I do E and A shape up and down the neck. Great for getting the feel all across the neck. I have more issues higher up the neck 8 – 12 fret than 1-7. Not sure why but still working on it.
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The further up the neck you go, the further the strings have to be pushed to make contact with the frets (on my acoustic it’s 0.02 on 1st fret compated to 0.08 on the 12th). At the same time you’re approaching the midpoint of the strings so this eases the tension but I think on most guitars overcoming the action is still more challenging even though there is more slack.
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this one’s tough — I find if I hold my fingers as close to the fret as possible, it makes a better note and you don’t have to press down as hard
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Burning wrist again today. Muted B string. It’s hard to keep pressure there for me. I tried using my pinky but that didn’t help so I am pushing through adjusting pressure. It feels very awkward on the wrist and finger positioning for me.
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Tony…..ouch I say.
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This is a good lesson, I will go slow to learn to play the barre B chord and put it back into my tool box. Have A Great Day
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I was able to have clear notes and consistent pressure distribution. Starting to like barre chords!
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I always found it easier to Barre the Low E and not play it,keep all of the strings covered,then play the A Shaped Chord as described. Feels more natural and easier for me.
Great to check in and and analyze your individual note clarity as well. -
When I try this chord using just my index and ring finger, every note is muted. Every. Single. Note. If I use a pinkie assist, I can get sound out of most of the strings some of the time. Ugh
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ouch can your wrist actually burst into flames?
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I’ve always found this A shape a lot easier than the E shape, of course part of that is not worrying about either E string so it’s a 4 string chord vs a 6 string chord. Counting as a WIN anyhow, that both shapes are working fairly well now as well as the mini barre shape (barring B & low E) which has been coming around a lot lately.
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This lesson went well, as I’ve played bar chords for many years now. But I played on electric guitars
so, the challenge is building more finger strength. Will have another session later. Tonys right rest when tired then try again. Cheers! -
I first started playing guitar over 50 years ago and some of the first chords I learned were barre chords. Though playing them at first was difficult, I stuck with them because it was easier for me to remember a couple barre chord shapes than it was to remember a bunch of open chords. My guitar teacher (at the time) told me all I needed was to play the E and A shaped barre chords and I could play “rock & roll” anytime – now you know the rest of the story.
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Closer on this one than the F chord. Frustrated!
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Don’t get frustrated. Nobody gets this the first time – we do not naturally bend our ring finger this way! Best way is to put on headphones and listen to your favorite music, and do this exercise 50 times. Do this for 2 weeks, and you will be surprised that you have trained your ring finger to make this barre chord shape work!
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Ouch that hurts, but able to get a clear chord though.
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I got it but not without some pain. That’s as it should be. “I do believe I’m getting stronger every day.”
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This bad dude still kicks my tail! LOL!
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I can’t get the B string to sound I guess it’s going to take a lot more work to have the strength in my ring finger to make this work
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I had never barred strings with my ring finger before. Tony opened a new door for me. My ring finger sometimes would mute the A string. That will take practice. A very productive week. It’s good to hear from everyone.
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get an electric guitar way easier to play bar chords. also, get the lightest strings you can starting at gauge 10. You can play an f chord without barring just dont use the sixth string. just a few thoughts of ways to make this easier.
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I find that one easier to barre with my pinkie finger. However, I will keep working on doing the shape with the ring finger. Didn’t sound too bad.
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I learnt how to play Barre chords very early on in my guitar journey. I got over the pain by just doing it day after day! There’s no other way really! Mini barre chords help! Just got to get it over with! But the reward is it opens up a whole new bunch of sounds and possibilities! Keep going, if you’re having trouble, you will get there!
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I avoid B chord for this reason ! And barre chords in general. Guess it’s time to get over that avoidance!! I thought it was just me – so I’m glad to know its not…!
-
This session illustrates how much practice I need on barre chords. The A barre chord is a challenge, and I will spend a lot of time practicing today. I hope everyone is doing well, and I can’t wait to read the comments. I can’t wait to hear about other techniques for this chord.
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Years ago when I occasionally played, I always tried to avoid the barred B chord; however, after joining the TAC challenges, I can finally play this chord…still don’t like it though!
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This is painful but a lesson I definitely need.
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These exercises can involve a lot of 4 letter words being spoken rather loudly. If that happens you can try the electric guitar 2 finger 3 string A chord fingering. Ring finger on the D and G strings and the pinky on the B string. The index finger is on the 2nd fret of the A string. I do it this way when my fore arm starts barking at me. It relieves just enough pressure, for me, that i can continue doing the exercise. You can always move everything up 1 fret and play a C barre chord as this seems a little easier than the B barre chord.
Congratulations, !
Challenge complete
Come back tomorrow for your next challenge
What a challenge. And I tried my pinky like some other TACsters and met with some success! May take a little time to strengthen that little bad boy but worth the effort. I’m usually pretty good with the ring finger but a second option is always welcome. Peace and love to TACsters everywhere!
Rather than use my ring finger, I was able to use my pinkie finger. I’ll keep trying my ring finger though. What a stretch!
It is impossible for me to flatten my ring finger enough to fret the B string. This was extremely difficult challenge. I put 10 minuets in and called it.
I sometimess use the pinkie instead of the ring finger for this type of barre. I have a fairly strong pinkie and I find it easier to flatten across the three strings.
Ugh!
My fretting hand feels like I have been holding onto a 10 lb weight for dear life. Most tired my fretting hand has ever been. I mean my whole hand is cramping. Small win was that I was able to get through the entire exercise once clearly, before my hand gave out. I am finding it’s not just a matter of the shape, but how and where your index finger touches the strings. I’m plum wore out!
I can’t do it. My hand won’t stretch that far and my hand and wrist hurt. So, no thanks. Is there an alternative?
My hands are so weak. I really need to practice this regularly to build the strength to pick clear notes
This one was a stretch for me. I was ok if I took the index off and then picked the D G B! Tough one!
By many of the other tac members responses, I’m not alone with getting a straight index finger to lay flat enough to do these barre chords.
Still have work to do on this one. Most strings ring clear, but I keep getting a buzz or a thud on the G string. I did figure out that I seemed to do better using my pinky to barre rather than my ring finger. Must have stubby fingers. Gonna keep at it!
Yes barre chords are tough… but, I can personally say that after a year or so attempting them I can see/hear some improvement so just keep on and like me you will suck a little less, lololol.
Yay! Small win. I was able to do this one!
Small win – I could manage good clean notes on this one.
My anatomy is a misfit in the guitar world. As I stated yesterday, but with a slightly different way of putting it, I would need surgery to rotate my index finger to be able to do these barre chords. I am unable to rotate it to have the side of my finger lay on the fretboard.
Small win? I came and I tried a bunch of times.
So close, I can get it but weak on the B string, just a little bit of a buzz. But I’m unable to do this often as my fingers ache.
I dunno TAC family I’m starting think my finger anatomy simply “doesn’t go there”. Grinding away.
ugh, lol
This is a no-go for me. Couldn’t do it last year, and surprise surprise, my fingers haven’t straightened out nor grown in the interval. I can get a nice sound out of the triad on the 4th fret, so that’s my win.
I’m dead…standing on small wins that another year will bring better success!
Glad to hear that even Tony had trouble with the B barre chord. I always tended to avoid it, even preferring to use an E-shape on the 7th fret. I also seldom used alternate picking on that A-shaped B chord . It’s good practice to do so now, I think.
Barre B used to be basically impossible for me. But last year when this lesson came up in TAC, I decided to make it happen using Tony’s method. After 12 months or so, success!! So today, I was able to do this exercise cleanly at 2x. Big win for me. Thank you, Tony!
I did well with the B chord but when moving up the fret board, others have mentioned, I had difficulty with the B and high E strings making good contact.
I have always chickened out playing B chord by replacing with B7 instead….this is very good challenge for me…can only do chord two times and then my wrist screams at me to stop…what a weakling I am
You’re getting stronger with every practice! Great job! Keep going!
This is a groovy A Chord shape in B, I think it is easier for me to play it with my pinkie finger and mute the e string, higher probability that I will play a clean B chord if I play it this way!
This is a daily exercise for me. I do E and A shape up and down the neck. Great for getting the feel all across the neck. I have more issues higher up the neck 8 – 12 fret than 1-7. Not sure why but still working on it.
The further up the neck you go, the further the strings have to be pushed to make contact with the frets (on my acoustic it’s 0.02 on 1st fret compated to 0.08 on the 12th). At the same time you’re approaching the midpoint of the strings so this eases the tension but I think on most guitars overcoming the action is still more challenging even though there is more slack.
this one’s tough — I find if I hold my fingers as close to the fret as possible, it makes a better note and you don’t have to press down as hard
Burning wrist again today. Muted B string. It’s hard to keep pressure there for me. I tried using my pinky but that didn’t help so I am pushing through adjusting pressure. It feels very awkward on the wrist and finger positioning for me.
Tony…..ouch I say.
This is a good lesson, I will go slow to learn to play the barre B chord and put it back into my tool box. Have A Great Day
I was able to have clear notes and consistent pressure distribution. Starting to like barre chords!
I always found it easier to Barre the Low E and not play it,keep all of the strings covered,then play the A Shaped Chord as described. Feels more natural and easier for me.
Great to check in and and analyze your individual note clarity as well.
When I try this chord using just my index and ring finger, every note is muted. Every. Single. Note. If I use a pinkie assist, I can get sound out of most of the strings some of the time. Ugh
ouch can your wrist actually burst into flames?
I’ve always found this A shape a lot easier than the E shape, of course part of that is not worrying about either E string so it’s a 4 string chord vs a 6 string chord. Counting as a WIN anyhow, that both shapes are working fairly well now as well as the mini barre shape (barring B & low E) which has been coming around a lot lately.
This lesson went well, as I’ve played bar chords for many years now. But I played on electric guitars
so, the challenge is building more finger strength. Will have another session later. Tonys right rest when tired then try again. Cheers!
I first started playing guitar over 50 years ago and some of the first chords I learned were barre chords. Though playing them at first was difficult, I stuck with them because it was easier for me to remember a couple barre chord shapes than it was to remember a bunch of open chords. My guitar teacher (at the time) told me all I needed was to play the E and A shaped barre chords and I could play “rock & roll” anytime – now you know the rest of the story.
Closer on this one than the F chord. Frustrated!
Don’t get frustrated. Nobody gets this the first time – we do not naturally bend our ring finger this way! Best way is to put on headphones and listen to your favorite music, and do this exercise 50 times. Do this for 2 weeks, and you will be surprised that you have trained your ring finger to make this barre chord shape work!
Ouch that hurts, but able to get a clear chord though.
I got it but not without some pain. That’s as it should be. “I do believe I’m getting stronger every day.”
This bad dude still kicks my tail! LOL!
I can’t get the B string to sound I guess it’s going to take a lot more work to have the strength in my ring finger to make this work
I had never barred strings with my ring finger before. Tony opened a new door for me. My ring finger sometimes would mute the A string. That will take practice. A very productive week. It’s good to hear from everyone.
get an electric guitar way easier to play bar chords. also, get the lightest strings you can starting at gauge 10. You can play an f chord without barring just dont use the sixth string. just a few thoughts of ways to make this easier.
I find that one easier to barre with my pinkie finger. However, I will keep working on doing the shape with the ring finger. Didn’t sound too bad.
I learnt how to play Barre chords very early on in my guitar journey. I got over the pain by just doing it day after day! There’s no other way really! Mini barre chords help! Just got to get it over with! But the reward is it opens up a whole new bunch of sounds and possibilities! Keep going, if you’re having trouble, you will get there!
I avoid B chord for this reason ! And barre chords in general. Guess it’s time to get over that avoidance!! I thought it was just me – so I’m glad to know its not…!
This session illustrates how much practice I need on barre chords. The A barre chord is a challenge, and I will spend a lot of time practicing today. I hope everyone is doing well, and I can’t wait to read the comments. I can’t wait to hear about other techniques for this chord.
Years ago when I occasionally played, I always tried to avoid the barred B chord; however, after joining the TAC challenges, I can finally play this chord…still don’t like it though!
This is painful but a lesson I definitely need.
These exercises can involve a lot of 4 letter words being spoken rather loudly. If that happens you can try the electric guitar 2 finger 3 string A chord fingering. Ring finger on the D and G strings and the pinky on the B string. The index finger is on the 2nd fret of the A string. I do it this way when my fore arm starts barking at me. It relieves just enough pressure, for me, that i can continue doing the exercise. You can always move everything up 1 fret and play a C barre chord as this seems a little easier than the B barre chord.