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Noob stupid question of the day


HRS DRVR

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Posted

I'll get straight to it:

 

I've been playing barre chords for over a year now and I still can't get my barre chords to sound cleanly....especially my 6th string root 7ths. With those the D string invariably "thunks". That isn't the only example, but it is the most obvious and most frustrating (sometimes I feel like going "Pete Townsend" on my guitar).

 

It's obviously not the guitar, I'm learning an electric Squier with low action. I know that the prob is me. The crease of my finger at the first joint is the major culprit.

 

I've tried moving my finger higher across the fretboard, lower across the fretboard, rotating my finger to the left, rotating it to the right, everything but standing on my head. Everything I've tried either has no effect or causes me to muffle another string.

 

Is this normal at my level of experience and I just need to be patient, or am I missing some technique, or....is this something I'll never be able to achieve no matter how much I try?

 

Thanx for any help you can provide.

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Posted

Is it that you can't get them perfect in the context of playing a song? But you can sit there and take a minute to position your fingers and get it to sound right?

 

Knowing this might help explain how to do it better, but in any event the correct answer with out a doubt is that, if you keep practicing, you'll get it. :thu:

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Posted
Is it that you can't get them perfect in the context of playing a song? But you can sit there and take a minute to position your fingers and get it to sound right?



If I barre with my index finger alone every strings rings clean, but once I put my middle, ring, and/or little finger down, some of the barred strings are muffled. This is most obvious when forming a barred 7th chord because the D string is muffled when I have my middle finger on the G string and my ring finger on the A string.

I've been taking lessons for almost a year and my teacher started me on barre chords immediately (I had been attempting to learn to play on my own for 9 months prior, so my teacher felt I was capable enough on the open chords). My teacher tells me my barre chords will come in time. She is a graduate of Berklee and has been teaching for over 20 years and I really like her and have learned a lot from her, but sometimes I think she gives me too much encouragement and not enough honest feedback.

BTW, I'm 49 years-old and I'm 6'3'', so I know it's not that my hands are too small.;)

Hope this helps with your analysis.

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Posted

It's probably just a matter of more practice.

Try moving the finger you're barring with a little more or less toward the low E string. Sometimes it's finger position, rather than the amount of pressure that makes the difference.

Also, for moveable chords with the root on the low E, don't forget the you can use your thumb over the top of the neck to fret sometimes.

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Posted

I'll get straight to it:


I've been playing barre chords for over a year now and I still can't get my barre chords to sound cleanly....especially my 6th string root 7ths. With those the D string invariably "thunks". That isn't the only example, but it is the most obvious and most frustrating (sometimes I feel like going "Pete Townsend" on my guitar).


It's obviously not the guitar, I'm learning an electric Squier with low action. I know that the prob is me. The crease of my finger at the first joint is the major culprit.


I've tried moving my finger higher across the fretboard, lower across the fretboard, rotating my finger to the left, rotating it to the right, everything but standing on my head. Everything I've tried either has no effect or causes me to muffle another string.


Is this normal at my level of experience and I just need to be patient, or am I missing some technique, or....is this something I'll never be able to achieve no matter how much I try?


Thanx for any help you can provide.

 

 

Yeah. It's been said, but I concur. It's mostly just practice.

Tips that may help:

 

-Body posture is HUGE when it comes to good technique. At certain angles, the hands work better on guitar. If you sit while practicing, try putting your guitar on your LEFT leg (assuming you're right handed, and you normally sit with the guitar on your right leg). Doing that creates better, smoother angles for your wrists. Plus your shoulders will be a little straighter. try it and see if it works.

 

-Good barre chord technique is about leverage, not strength. When you do it properly, it doesn't feel like your squeezing the neck! Try putting your finger straight across the fretboard on all six strings, then roll it slightly away from you. Then curve it slightly. If you can get all six strings to sound cleanly at any fret, you'll be able to add any barre chord form without any trouble. Your goal is to get even amounts of pressure across all six strings.

 

-Keep practicing and don't give up. Try different things, but go with what works!

 

Good luck!

 

Jon

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Posted

I guess I'm just impatient and need to keep practicing. Thanx for your help.

BTW, after almost a year should I be able to form barre chords correctly, or am I progressing slower than is normal? I practice 30-45 minutes 5-7 days a week, but I don't feel like my practice routine is very effective.

Thanx again.

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Posted

I guess I'm just impatient and need to keep practicing. Thanx for your help.


BTW, after almost a year should I be able to form barre chords correctly, or am I progressing slower than is normal? I practice 30-45 minutes 5-7 days a week, but I don't feel like my practice routine is very effective.


Thanx again.

 

 

One my friends has a saying that I like: ""If you keep doing what you're doing, you'll keep getting what you're getting."

 

I understand the frustration over your progress. Without hearing/seeing you play, I can't give much feedback. It's good that you're practicing regularly. So keep at it and it will pay off. You could also look at different ways of practicing too.

 

That same friend has another saying too:

"Normal is a setting on my washing machine."

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