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Responses
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Day 3 – ‘A’ Shape Familiarity
Responses
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My finger strength has improved over the past year allowing me to play the shapes this week, but some are more painful on the fingers and challenging to get every string to always ring clear. Today’s A shape is the easiest for me.
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WOW,easier than the “E’ from yesterday!
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I have recently purchased a 12 string Takamine. I love it, but playing these bar chords on it are a guitar player’s equivalent of weight lifting. No pain, no gain! BTW, have you ever noticed the size of Leadbelly’s fingers? Maybe playing bar chords on a 12 string is how they got that way?
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Holy lot of muting going on here. This is challenging which will grow me to be a better guitar player. I will keep working on it
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for me this is so easy it was kind of boring. I guess we all have are own set of strenths and weaknesses
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For me too, I wouldn’t call it boring but this was sooooo much easier than the F yesterday. I’ve been going back to the (E shape) F chord all day and trying to get it to go. I’ve managed to get it to ring occasionally but wow it’s tough and my fingers, hand, wrist and arm have to be all sorts of contorted. This (A shape) B chord doesn’t require any of that!
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The alternate picking is giving me more trouble than making the shape. I seem to get off the pattern very quickly!
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My hands are quite small, I find these barre chords practically impossible. Experimenting with moving around other fingers, but just don’t have the stretch needed. I’m only two months into this, so perhaps next year my hands will be cooperating…
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Hey Tony, THANK YOU! I’m 73 and have been playing since I was 16 (intermittently). All during this time, I have avoided playing anything with a B or B flat unless I could substitute something else, like a B7. On those rare occasions when I actually tried to play the B, or for that matter, any chord using the A shape up the neck, I tried barring the entire neck with my index finger and then barring the B, G, & D strings while still expecting to stay clear of the high E strings. For me, that was mission impossible. You just simplified the B barre chord immensely. There is hope for me yet. It ends up being power chord w/o the high E string.
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Note: I wish I could edit my entries to take care of my typos!
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A tough lesson. I’m getting a bit better though. I tried a couple of different fingerings. Middle, ring, pinky worked pretty good. Just the pinky worked a bit as well. My ring seems to have the fold of a knuckle right at the B string…if I move up it mutes the A string, if I move it down the tip of my ring finger doesn’t reach the D string. There is a super fine line to get them all to ring out. I’ll keep at it!
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good exercise, like the alternate picking.
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We need weeks like this to stay fresh on the fundamentals not as exciting but very necessary.
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Got it! But my ring finger really feels it.
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That’s what I do as well.
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This is harder for me than the E shape. I can get it, sorta, for the higher frets, where frets are a little closer together. Much harder at the second fret.
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Ok I make this shape with my three fingers instead of barring with my ring finger. Is that so wrong?
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No, I do it too. everybody has their own way of making chord shapes if you pay attention Tony makes his A chord and Em chords different, he actually says he makes those chords the goofy way lol.
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I have strong fingers but that B string just doesn’t want to ring out, In assume is the technique that I am using. I will keep working at it. Using two fingers will make chord changes easier. My fingers are not liking me very much right now.
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I find this one a bit easier than the E shape barre chord. However, I do find that results are better if I use my pinky to do the D, G and B strings. Small win. BUT – I really will have to build up the strength of my pinky, because it tires and cramps very, very easily under current conditions.
Have a great evening, folks. -
Unbelievable I was able to make this Barre chord on the first try….neat!!
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The key is muting the high E and just using barre chords on a regular basis…there is always room for improvement…
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My middle and ring fingers both fit on the fourth fret and they can do it together. Otherwise it is the usual muted B string.
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I’m also finding that using the pinky finger with the ring finger makes a huge difference in the quality of the tone.
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Thank you for the tip. Very helpful
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Great…I started sometimes getting Barre A but now I’ve kinda lost the Barre F. This is like Barre Whack a Mole! I also can only do this in 5 minute increments. I think this is going to be one of those things I have to practice EVERYDAY for a few minutes until it gets more consistent, you know for like a year or so…how did I ever hold down a full time job?
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“Barre Whack a Mole” – I love it. It’s accurate in more ways than one. When doing the F chord I must chose between the Mute Moles of my 4 fingers; which one am I going whack? lol!
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I am giving too much fuzz. Ughh…
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Small win. With practice this past year, I learned to barre the B chord!!!
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Oh those darn barre chords! I can’t think of anything nice to say about barre chords. A little humor to go with such a difficult exercise. My fingers can’t do it right now. More exercises for my fingers are needed.
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I can complete this exercise and it is tough on my wrist. Can only play for 10 minutes and then rest, stretch and repeat.
I hope this is the sensation I feel whenever I play a A shape. -
I never barre the A chord. So when I make the barre chord for B I use my index to barre the 2nd fret and my middle, ring, and pinky on the 4th fret, similar to the index, middle, and ring for my A chord. This works better for me and I get a clean barre chord that I don’t using my ring finger to barre the A.
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Before, when I did this lesson in the Skills Courses, I gave up on it as being impossible. This time I’m putting in more effort and persistence and am actually getting better, though I still am challenged to avoid muting most of the strings. Win (sort of).
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@vickiegourleyeastlink-ca, hang in there, and go easy on yourself. Barre chords are tough, and when starting out, they can seem impossible. But I am also in the same boat as @RodK, in that there was a time I could not do barre chords, and it was the obstacle that made me quit over and over again. Man, how I wished I had had Tony’s course! Now, I can play barre chords, even today’s B with the double barre! Still not super easy for me, but I can play them in songs which is super cool! Stamina is something I have to work on, as well as strength, especially when I don’t play them very often. But it is SO worth it! Stay the course, and it will come!
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I find this (almost) infinitely easier if I use my pinky instead of my ring finger
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Another win this Wednesday for showing up consistently!!! The challenge iis certainly a stretch & a strain for me! However i will be persistent until i get it the best way i can….lots of time & practice! Thank you
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Yeah, Great A-Shape Barre Chord warm-up with staccato and arpeggiated chord! Fun!. I am with the guys that this is a great week to review Fretboard Wizard as well if you have access! Go Tony!
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Am I correct in assuming that the A shape, like the E shape, can be moved up the neck to make different chords?
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ABSOLUTELY @PrettyFootBailey_77 , ABSOLUTELY!!!!
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That’s what I thought @Bill_Brown and I tried it for the C and D chords. Still not my favorite way to make barre chords.
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You are correct. 🙂
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Much easier than yesterday but still a strain.
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I’m glad my hands aren’t any smaller than they are, otherwise this would be crazy challenging on my guitar. Lol. It’s “just” moderate-hard difficulty right now. Still easier than yesterday’s barre chord. Progress NOT perfection!
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I’ve always had trouble with this chord. I have to use all my fretting fingers and press down as hard as I can to make it sound even halfway decent. Sorry, Tony, but if I need to play a B chord I’ll play it as an E-shaped B chord at the 7th fret. As it is I hardly ,if ever, play any music with B chords so I’m not going to spend a whole lot of time on this chord shape.
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I was able to do this exercise but trying to repeat the B-chord more than 4 times, my finger strength was not able to hold the strings down and the note (B-string) was muffled.
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My ring finger cannot do what Tony is showing. Most of the reason is it didn’t grow separate from another finger, and had to be broken to operate sort of on its own. Then it got damaged, and repaired not in a good way for a guitarist. This is why I prefer a short scale: the fingers work better.
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Oh this is such a challenge physically. To stretch from A on second fret to barr DGB on 4th fret is not happening for me right now. Will I ever be able to do this? Time and practice will tell. It is frustrating and does seem impossible right now!
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Vickie,
A year ago, I could not do this. Today I managed it pretty well. It’s a journey and it takes some time, but if you stay with it, it will come. Best of luck and hang in there. Barre chords are the hardest, other weeks will be easier.
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Curious as to how an electric quitar is different than an acoustic one besides the neck being easier for the fretting fingers.
I was able to do this lesson. Although my ring finger was barring the 3 strings, I only apply the needed pressure on the noted string and not to all 3 strings. Does that make sense? I did have to roll my ring finger a bit to get the B string to ring clearer though. Also being almost on top of the fret bar helped on the B string.-
@Syria , the string gauges (thicknesses) are much lighter on an electric and require much less pressure to hold them down.
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Ahhh, I never knew. Thanks for the info. What about guitars that are both acoustic and electric? I thought they all used the same strings. Interesting…
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This one is a real challenge! I can get the A and D strings clear but the G and B aren’t even close. My ring finger just doesn’t have the strength to do it yet.
On a positive note I went back and tried yesterday’s and nailed the E shape on the first try! This tells me I need to come back to these every day for a while and devote a few minutes to them and over time I should eventually get it -
Surprisingly the A shaped B-chord did not present a lot of trouble to me. Yesterdays E-shaped F was murderers’ row compared to today’s challenge.
I’ve been playing the 3 finger A (but typically using 2,3,4 instead of 1,2,3) but I might adopt this barre shape more frequently. -
I find this shape to be easier than the E shape for getting clear notes (that darn E shaped B string). But, as -Rick- mentioned below, stamina is my issue.
Have a great day!! -
There are certain things my fingers just don’t want to do…no matter how I order them to do it. I have a hard enough time with the simpler(?) way. But…worth a try and a little more practice.
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I can do this right off. It’s challenging and difficult but rings clear. Stamina is the challenge for me. The longer I play it, the more deterioration of sound quality and fatigue occurs. Stretching helps avoid cramps and injury. Keep it Fun my friends!! ♡♡
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Pleasantly surprised that I’m having a little more success with this barre chord than yesterday’s. Still maintaining the shape and pressure is a challenge.
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This is a challenging week for me as I do not have the finger strength to get these bar chords to sound well. So I modified this challenge and grab an electric guitar. I found I was able to make the bar chord and play it okay. I understand this is an acoustic challenge but I think it is more important to be able to play through. Not everyone has an electric guitar, but I hope this does help someone else.
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I always recommend folks to start on a decent electric guitar that has been setup properly (with 9 strings), it’s so much easier to learn on. So many give up on the guitar because an improperly setup guitar is so much harder to play and they never sound right. I think it’s more important to “get” the exercise than the type of guitar it’s completed on. I believe having the knowledge that you can play on an electric makes the challenge of an acoustic just a bit easier. Just my 2 cents…
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wait… nine strings???
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I have an electric that I practice on regularly along with the acoustic. Mine is the more conventional 6 string version. I can’t imagine barring on a 9 string. I heard that Fender has released it’s First-Ever Seven-String Stratocaster though.
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Most acoustic guitars are strung with 12 gauge strings, they are a bit heavier than what is typically found on electric guitars. I was talking about a six string electric guitar with 9 gauge strings. 09-42 is a standard set of strings.
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I think the key point that @YardApe is hitting on has to do with a “proper setup” on your guitar. If the “action” (height of strings above the frets) is too high, and/or your neck is bowed, then you’re going to have a difficult time with barre chords. Rule of thumb for “action” is strings are to be 3/16″ above the fret at the 12th fret. It can be measured with a machinists rule or a pair of dial calipers. If you suspect that your guitars action isn’t right or if you can detect a slight bow in the neck, then you need to take your guitar to a luthier to get things corrected. At my local guitar shop, a setup costs $45 and includes adjusting the neck (if necessary) and adjusting the action.
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This is another chord that if held down for any length of time, such as in this practice, can make my had hurt, but played in a chord progression is find! Maybe that’s an alterative way to practice this A shaped B chord! Enjoy!!!!
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This is a really good exercise for me, it doesn’t sound pretty but I see its value
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Shit! This is hard. I can fret a B (A shape) chord using seperate fingers, but not just using my ring finger on the three higher strings. This will take some work. But am I ever going to fret a B (A shape) chord like this? Probably not. It took me long enough to learn it the other way.
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I use the same three fingers, it works in the short term. Good luck @salkington615gmail-com
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Thanks. keep it going.
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I was able to get it to ring out using separate fingers as well.
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Another great blast from the past, the ‘A’ Barre Chord. It is hard on the fingers, but great when done right. I hope everyone is doing well, and I can’t wait to read the comments.
Congratulations, !
Challenge complete
Come back tomorrow for your next challenge
My finger strength has improved over the past year allowing me to play the shapes this week, but some are more painful on the fingers and challenging to get every string to always ring clear. Today’s A shape is the easiest for me.
WOW,easier than the “E’ from yesterday!
I have recently purchased a 12 string Takamine. I love it, but playing these bar chords on it are a guitar player’s equivalent of weight lifting. No pain, no gain! BTW, have you ever noticed the size of Leadbelly’s fingers? Maybe playing bar chords on a 12 string is how they got that way?
Holy lot of muting going on here. This is challenging which will grow me to be a better guitar player. I will keep working on it
for me this is so easy it was kind of boring. I guess we all have are own set of strenths and weaknesses
For me too, I wouldn’t call it boring but this was sooooo much easier than the F yesterday. I’ve been going back to the (E shape) F chord all day and trying to get it to go. I’ve managed to get it to ring occasionally but wow it’s tough and my fingers, hand, wrist and arm have to be all sorts of contorted. This (A shape) B chord doesn’t require any of that!
The alternate picking is giving me more trouble than making the shape. I seem to get off the pattern very quickly!
My hands are quite small, I find these barre chords practically impossible. Experimenting with moving around other fingers, but just don’t have the stretch needed. I’m only two months into this, so perhaps next year my hands will be cooperating…
Hey Tony, THANK YOU! I’m 73 and have been playing since I was 16 (intermittently). All during this time, I have avoided playing anything with a B or B flat unless I could substitute something else, like a B7. On those rare occasions when I actually tried to play the B, or for that matter, any chord using the A shape up the neck, I tried barring the entire neck with my index finger and then barring the B, G, & D strings while still expecting to stay clear of the high E strings. For me, that was mission impossible. You just simplified the B barre chord immensely. There is hope for me yet. It ends up being power chord w/o the high E string.
Note: I wish I could edit my entries to take care of my typos!
A tough lesson. I’m getting a bit better though. I tried a couple of different fingerings. Middle, ring, pinky worked pretty good. Just the pinky worked a bit as well. My ring seems to have the fold of a knuckle right at the B string…if I move up it mutes the A string, if I move it down the tip of my ring finger doesn’t reach the D string. There is a super fine line to get them all to ring out. I’ll keep at it!
good exercise, like the alternate picking.
We need weeks like this to stay fresh on the fundamentals not as exciting but very necessary.
Got it! But my ring finger really feels it.
That’s what I do as well.
This is harder for me than the E shape. I can get it, sorta, for the higher frets, where frets are a little closer together. Much harder at the second fret.
Ok I make this shape with my three fingers instead of barring with my ring finger. Is that so wrong?
No, I do it too. everybody has their own way of making chord shapes if you pay attention Tony makes his A chord and Em chords different, he actually says he makes those chords the goofy way lol.
I have strong fingers but that B string just doesn’t want to ring out, In assume is the technique that I am using. I will keep working at it. Using two fingers will make chord changes easier. My fingers are not liking me very much right now.
I find this one a bit easier than the E shape barre chord. However, I do find that results are better if I use my pinky to do the D, G and B strings. Small win. BUT – I really will have to build up the strength of my pinky, because it tires and cramps very, very easily under current conditions.
Have a great evening, folks.
Unbelievable I was able to make this Barre chord on the first try….neat!!
The key is muting the high E and just using barre chords on a regular basis…there is always room for improvement…
My middle and ring fingers both fit on the fourth fret and they can do it together. Otherwise it is the usual muted B string.
I’m also finding that using the pinky finger with the ring finger makes a huge difference in the quality of the tone.
Thank you for the tip. Very helpful
Great…I started sometimes getting Barre A but now I’ve kinda lost the Barre F. This is like Barre Whack a Mole! I also can only do this in 5 minute increments. I think this is going to be one of those things I have to practice EVERYDAY for a few minutes until it gets more consistent, you know for like a year or so…how did I ever hold down a full time job?
“Barre Whack a Mole” – I love it. It’s accurate in more ways than one. When doing the F chord I must chose between the Mute Moles of my 4 fingers; which one am I going whack? lol!
I am giving too much fuzz. Ughh…
Small win. With practice this past year, I learned to barre the B chord!!!
Oh those darn barre chords! I can’t think of anything nice to say about barre chords. A little humor to go with such a difficult exercise. My fingers can’t do it right now. More exercises for my fingers are needed.
I can complete this exercise and it is tough on my wrist. Can only play for 10 minutes and then rest, stretch and repeat.
I hope this is the sensation I feel whenever I play a A shape.
I never barre the A chord. So when I make the barre chord for B I use my index to barre the 2nd fret and my middle, ring, and pinky on the 4th fret, similar to the index, middle, and ring for my A chord. This works better for me and I get a clean barre chord that I don’t using my ring finger to barre the A.
Before, when I did this lesson in the Skills Courses, I gave up on it as being impossible. This time I’m putting in more effort and persistence and am actually getting better, though I still am challenged to avoid muting most of the strings. Win (sort of).
@vickiegourleyeastlink-ca, hang in there, and go easy on yourself. Barre chords are tough, and when starting out, they can seem impossible. But I am also in the same boat as @RodK, in that there was a time I could not do barre chords, and it was the obstacle that made me quit over and over again. Man, how I wished I had had Tony’s course! Now, I can play barre chords, even today’s B with the double barre! Still not super easy for me, but I can play them in songs which is super cool! Stamina is something I have to work on, as well as strength, especially when I don’t play them very often. But it is SO worth it! Stay the course, and it will come!
I find this (almost) infinitely easier if I use my pinky instead of my ring finger
Another win this Wednesday for showing up consistently!!! The challenge iis certainly a stretch & a strain for me! However i will be persistent until i get it the best way i can….lots of time & practice! Thank you
Yeah, Great A-Shape Barre Chord warm-up with staccato and arpeggiated chord! Fun!. I am with the guys that this is a great week to review Fretboard Wizard as well if you have access! Go Tony!
Am I correct in assuming that the A shape, like the E shape, can be moved up the neck to make different chords?
ABSOLUTELY @PrettyFootBailey_77 , ABSOLUTELY!!!!
That’s what I thought @Bill_Brown and I tried it for the C and D chords. Still not my favorite way to make barre chords.
You are correct. 🙂
Much easier than yesterday but still a strain.
I’m glad my hands aren’t any smaller than they are, otherwise this would be crazy challenging on my guitar. Lol. It’s “just” moderate-hard difficulty right now. Still easier than yesterday’s barre chord. Progress NOT perfection!
I’ve always had trouble with this chord. I have to use all my fretting fingers and press down as hard as I can to make it sound even halfway decent. Sorry, Tony, but if I need to play a B chord I’ll play it as an E-shaped B chord at the 7th fret. As it is I hardly ,if ever, play any music with B chords so I’m not going to spend a whole lot of time on this chord shape.
I was able to do this exercise but trying to repeat the B-chord more than 4 times, my finger strength was not able to hold the strings down and the note (B-string) was muffled.
My ring finger cannot do what Tony is showing. Most of the reason is it didn’t grow separate from another finger, and had to be broken to operate sort of on its own. Then it got damaged, and repaired not in a good way for a guitarist. This is why I prefer a short scale: the fingers work better.
Oh this is such a challenge physically. To stretch from A on second fret to barr DGB on 4th fret is not happening for me right now. Will I ever be able to do this? Time and practice will tell. It is frustrating and does seem impossible right now!
Vickie,
A year ago, I could not do this. Today I managed it pretty well. It’s a journey and it takes some time, but if you stay with it, it will come. Best of luck and hang in there. Barre chords are the hardest, other weeks will be easier.
Curious as to how an electric quitar is different than an acoustic one besides the neck being easier for the fretting fingers.
I was able to do this lesson. Although my ring finger was barring the 3 strings, I only apply the needed pressure on the noted string and not to all 3 strings. Does that make sense? I did have to roll my ring finger a bit to get the B string to ring clearer though. Also being almost on top of the fret bar helped on the B string.
@Syria , the string gauges (thicknesses) are much lighter on an electric and require much less pressure to hold them down.
Ahhh, I never knew. Thanks for the info. What about guitars that are both acoustic and electric? I thought they all used the same strings. Interesting…
This one is a real challenge! I can get the A and D strings clear but the G and B aren’t even close. My ring finger just doesn’t have the strength to do it yet.
On a positive note I went back and tried yesterday’s and nailed the E shape on the first try! This tells me I need to come back to these every day for a while and devote a few minutes to them and over time I should eventually get it
Surprisingly the A shaped B-chord did not present a lot of trouble to me. Yesterdays E-shaped F was murderers’ row compared to today’s challenge.
I’ve been playing the 3 finger A (but typically using 2,3,4 instead of 1,2,3) but I might adopt this barre shape more frequently.
I find this shape to be easier than the E shape for getting clear notes (that darn E shaped B string). But, as -Rick- mentioned below, stamina is my issue.
Have a great day!!
There are certain things my fingers just don’t want to do…no matter how I order them to do it. I have a hard enough time with the simpler(?) way. But…worth a try and a little more practice.
I can do this right off. It’s challenging and difficult but rings clear. Stamina is the challenge for me. The longer I play it, the more deterioration of sound quality and fatigue occurs. Stretching helps avoid cramps and injury. Keep it Fun my friends!! ♡♡
Pleasantly surprised that I’m having a little more success with this barre chord than yesterday’s. Still maintaining the shape and pressure is a challenge.
This is a challenging week for me as I do not have the finger strength to get these bar chords to sound well. So I modified this challenge and grab an electric guitar. I found I was able to make the bar chord and play it okay. I understand this is an acoustic challenge but I think it is more important to be able to play through. Not everyone has an electric guitar, but I hope this does help someone else.
I always recommend folks to start on a decent electric guitar that has been setup properly (with 9 strings), it’s so much easier to learn on. So many give up on the guitar because an improperly setup guitar is so much harder to play and they never sound right. I think it’s more important to “get” the exercise than the type of guitar it’s completed on. I believe having the knowledge that you can play on an electric makes the challenge of an acoustic just a bit easier. Just my 2 cents…
wait… nine strings???
I have an electric that I practice on regularly along with the acoustic. Mine is the more conventional 6 string version. I can’t imagine barring on a 9 string. I heard that Fender has released it’s First-Ever Seven-String Stratocaster though.
Most acoustic guitars are strung with 12 gauge strings, they are a bit heavier than what is typically found on electric guitars. I was talking about a six string electric guitar with 9 gauge strings. 09-42 is a standard set of strings.
I think the key point that @YardApe is hitting on has to do with a “proper setup” on your guitar. If the “action” (height of strings above the frets) is too high, and/or your neck is bowed, then you’re going to have a difficult time with barre chords. Rule of thumb for “action” is strings are to be 3/16″ above the fret at the 12th fret. It can be measured with a machinists rule or a pair of dial calipers. If you suspect that your guitars action isn’t right or if you can detect a slight bow in the neck, then you need to take your guitar to a luthier to get things corrected. At my local guitar shop, a setup costs $45 and includes adjusting the neck (if necessary) and adjusting the action.
This is another chord that if held down for any length of time, such as in this practice, can make my had hurt, but played in a chord progression is find! Maybe that’s an alterative way to practice this A shaped B chord! Enjoy!!!!
This is a really good exercise for me, it doesn’t sound pretty but I see its value
Shit! This is hard. I can fret a B (A shape) chord using seperate fingers, but not just using my ring finger on the three higher strings. This will take some work. But am I ever going to fret a B (A shape) chord like this? Probably not. It took me long enough to learn it the other way.
I use the same three fingers, it works in the short term. Good luck @salkington615gmail-com
Thanks. keep it going.
I was able to get it to ring out using separate fingers as well.
Another great blast from the past, the ‘A’ Barre Chord. It is hard on the fingers, but great when done right. I hope everyone is doing well, and I can’t wait to read the comments.