Discussion on Bar Chords

Okay, we're gonna have a little discussion about bar chords now. These can be a real challenge when you first look at them. I know a lot of people struggle, myself included. When I first started and was first presented with a bar chord, it just didn't seem to work for quite a while.

Tips for Building Confidence

There are a few little things I can maybe help you with that might enable that confidence to come a bit quicker with this technique.

What is Barring?

First of all, what is barring? Well, barring is simply when you cover more than one string with one finger.

• Small Bar: If I went on the third fret here and just covered the B and E strings, that's the smallest bar that I could do, two strings. So, I'm using one finger to play two notes there.

Full Size Barre Chords

With full size barre chords, often what's required is that we cover all six strings with our first finger and then fret some of the middle strings with other fingers to produce a chord.

Playing G Major as a Barre Chord

We're going to look at playing a chord you're probably familiar with already, which is G major, but we're going to look at playing it as a barre chord instead.

• It's a slightly different sound, but it's all the same notes happening, just a different position to play this chord.

The Bar Technique

First of all, the bar:

• Let's place our first finger across all six strings.
• Before we even add any of the fingers, it's important to be able to play the bottom string (the E) and then be able to play the G, B, and E strings.

Make sure there are no buzzes; aim for a nice, even amount of pressure from this first finger. It takes a bit of getting used to.

Adjusting Finger Position

You might find it helpful to rotate that first finger ever so slightly.

• Rather than it being straight onto the strings, give yourself a little bit of an angle.
• This adjustment will ensure that the ridges in your fingers don't mute any strings.

When you tilt your finger slightly on its side, the ridges don't cut across the strings, allowing for a much cleaner bar.

Maintaining Pressure

Now, here's the tricky bit:

• We need to maintain that pressure we're getting, nice and clean, while adding our other fingers to create our full chord.
• What we've done here is form an E major chord with the other fingers.

Practicing with Incorrect Finger Placement

A really useful practice technique is to play an E major chord with the "wrong" fingers (in inverted commas).

1. Use your second, third, and fourth fingers to play an E major chord.
2. Then, move that shape up three frets and add your bar at the end if you like.

Arpeggiating Chords

I've found that a strong way of practicing chords is by arpeggiating them with the right hand.

• Whether it's a bar chord, an open chord, or any chord, this method ensures that you have a pristine, clean chord with all the notes present.

Let me demonstrate:

• If I strum this chord and then pick it, I confirm that all the notes are there.
• If I don't check, I might miss a few notes that aren't clean.

Checking Cleanliness

If you're not familiar with the sounds of these chords, you might take for granted that you have four or five notes in a G major chord. However, upon checking, you may find that some notes haven't made the cut and aren't as clean.

Tip: Instead of just jumping straight in and strumming the chord, pick the strings individually to ensure they're all nice and clean.

Common Issues

There are usually a few culprits if the notes aren't clean:

• Position of your barring finger: If it's not straight with the frets, that can be a problem.
• Pressure of the first finger: It often isn't enough, especially on the top strings. Visualize a seesaw or an arc of pressure across your barring finger, where you're using the tip for the bass note and the back for the thinner strings.

Finger Placement

With your other fingers, ensure they're on their fingertips. If they're flat, they'll cut each other off, leading to a muddy sound.

Relaxation and Practice

It may feel unnatural initially:

• Keep your thumb position centered, maybe at the top third of the neck.
• Maintain a relaxed wrist and elbow, ensuring there's a little air gap at the back.

Caution with Practice

Lastly, be careful when practicing barre chords for prolonged periods. If you're new to them, you might apply too much pressure with your barring finger, leading to pain.

Recommendation:

• Practice for 5 to 10 minutes at a time, then take a break and work on something that doesn't involve barring.
• Come back to it the next day and keep revisiting.

Over time, your technique will refine, and you'll see improvement!