Barre Chords - Why didn't they show me this?

[Rabbitz]

I admit I am not a good guitar player. In fact I am hopeless, but that is OK because I've never had dreams of being a guitar god (over 30 years as a roadie dispelled that myth).

Being hopeless barre chords have always had me stumped. My short stumpy fingers and buggered shoulders (from lugging too many triple four-way stacks with double W bins) just couldn't press hard enough, consistently enough.

Yesterday I saw this youtube vid (it was one of those that pop up when you finish watching something else:





It is so simple I am amazed that this isn't the first page of any howto book.

[FrankenWashie]

Mother of God. It’s so simple and it makes perfect sense......I’m trying this as soon as I get home.

[DrNomis_44]

I've been getting into playing barre chords too, I've got small hands and my muscles in my left hand, which happens to be my fretting hand, aren't exactly the strongest so my hand starts to hurt between my thumb and index finger after a while, couple of interesting facts, Tony Iommi who was the guitarist in Black Sabbath, had to wear specially made covers on two of his fingers after an accident with a sheet metal machine which chopped off the tips, Tony was inspired to keep playing guitar after he listened to a record of Django Reinhardt, a gypsy jazz guitarist who was left with two usable fingers on his fretting hand after being burnt in a caravan fire.

[Hardcoretroubadour]

I admit I am not a good guitar player. In fact I am hopeless, but that is OK because I've never had dreams of being a guitar god (over 30 years as a roadie dispelled that myth).

Being hopeless barre chords have always had me stumped. My short stumpy fingers and buggered shoulders (from lugging too many triple four-way stacks with double W bins) just couldn't press hard enough, consistently enough.

Yesterday I saw this youtube vid (it was one of those that pop up when you finish watching something else:





It is so simple I am amazed that this isn't the first page of any howto book.

Looks so simple, keen to try this one

[DarkMark]

Another thing to consider is how hard are you attacking the strings with your right hand. The harder the attack with the right hand, the stronger the pressure from the left hand required to prevent fretting.

[fender3x]

What a great video!

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[corsair]

The principle is simple, really, and probably works quite well!

I was classically trained for a couple of years and was taught to have my thumb anchored in the centre of the neck, which of course gives the fingers something to press against when barrèing... it also means that your fingering hand is - for all intents and purposes - "floating" over the strings, which does make playing the G and C shape barre chords, as well as the various augmented, diminished and weirdo #9b7 type chords with movable shapes really quite easy.

However, as I got older I got lazier and - amongst other guitar playing sins - started hanging my thumb over the board, especially when playing power chords and now find that, while still not terrifically hard, the barre chords and wierdo chords are not as easy to play as they were when I was playing correctly from a technical point of view!

I don't have "Steve Vai" fingers but I am blessed with very strong hands, which to a certain extent can cover a lack of proper technique, but stll....

If that video makes playing easier, then kudos: it will, however, still take much practice and a mindset that can adjust to new and better ways of doing things!!