Barre Chord help

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OK, once again my apologies for posting a very amateurish question but I do appreciate your help

i have been struggling for a while now with trying to play barre chords and have finally realised that I think a fair bit of the problem is an old injury I have to my left thumb. Many years ago now I put my hand through our glass front door very badly cutting round the base of my thumb. I had a load of stitches in it and was still getting glass out of it occasionally 20 years later! This has left my thumb very weak and with restricted mobility. I found out much later I should have had surgery on it to repair the various tendons that were severed in the accident but the hospital were pretty useless at the time. I had to ask them to put a dressing on to even! 

This weakness and immobility seems to be really hampering my abilities to play barre chords. Does anyone either have any ideas of what I could do (I know, stop complaining and get on with it!) to improve the situation or any ways around playing barre chords without totally wrecking my chances of progressing. Or should I just give up now!!

Any thoughts or ideas much appreciated thanks. 
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Comments

  • SimonCSimonC Frets: 1391
    edited March 2017
    Hi there, that's not an amateurish question at all.
    I think all guitarists have to overcome the barre chord problem at some stage.
    There actually is no need to have too much pressure on your thumb.
    The best tip I had was to really try to dig your left elbow into your ribs while fretting a barre chord, almost exaggerating that position at first.
    That kind of rotates the wrist and makes fretting the chord easier. It will become an easier and more relaxed position over time. 
    Stick with it.
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  • JCA2550JCA2550 Frets: 431
    When I worked at Ivor Mairants back in the 80s,there was a Japanese medical student that came in regularly who was a very decent classical guitarist, anyway, he had lost his left thumb at the first two knuckles but seemed to have gotten round the lack by bracing the guitar against his body and tucking in his elbow as SimonC suggested. Steve Hackett's another with weakened left hand also as a result of broken glass  (crushed a wine glass on a tour in the mid 70s) He gets by with low action and low tension strings and 008 tops on Electrics. 
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  • HAL9000HAL9000 Frets: 9551
    edited March 2017
    As @SimonC says, you do not need a lot of pressure for barre chords. The 'secret' is where your wrist is. I find if helps to have my wrist under, rather than behind, the neck. It's quite an exaggerated thing in that an imaginary line going down the finger and across the back of your hand towards your wrist probably needs to be straighter than you might expect. Also, to begin with, practice barres around the fifth to eighth frets where it's easier to hold the strings down - the F barre chord at the first fret can be a bit difficult and even plenty of experienced players don't really like it.

    If, due to your hand injury, you want to avoid barres altogether then play partial chords. For example just finger that part of chord that doesn't involve the barre and only play the fretted strings. (Later on you might also like to experiment with other shapes that don't fit with the norm - for instance the open AMaj7 shape if you only play the fretted strings is also a C#m. Move it up a fret and it become Dm, another fret and it becomes Ebm etc etc.)
    I play guitar because I enjoy it rather than because I’m any good at it
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  • RoxRox Frets: 2147
    If it makes you feel better @Blackjack I've been twiddling on a guitar since 1989 and still can't barre a frickin' chord.  :(  My hands just refuse to do it.  Every attempt has failed miserably.
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  • mike_lmike_l Frets: 5700
    Bend your wrist, so your hand and first finger are flat.

    Also practise fretting open chords without using your first (index) finger but putting your first finger (lightly) on the nut.

    Do you do any finger exercises with a metronome? Once you start getting faster with these your fingering will naturally become lighter. Once you know how lightly you need to fret a note chord playing will become easier.

    Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21) 

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  • Don't grip at all for barres. Steal the technique cello players use and pull the neck towards you using your left arm, whilst countering this force with your right arm. No squeezing required. 
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    I'm probably not the best example but I'm struggling to think of many occasions when I use the classic 5 or 6 string E or A position barre chords on electric. So, depends a bit what you want to achieve - if it's more the kind of playing you would do on electric within a band context you might get more use out of smaller chord shapes. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • BigLicks67BigLicks67 Frets: 766
    The position of the guitar neck is important also, you need make things as comfortable as possible for yourself so if the neck is in the classical position you may find barre's easier.

    This is from David Russell's website accenting precision:


    Many times students ask how they can improve their strength in the left hand. I think the best way is to improve your precision. 

    If your finger is placed close to the fret, it is not necessary to press so hard to get a clean note. 
    Spend those practice hours becoming more precise.This has helped me in my playing. I am sure it can help you be a better guitarist.

    David Russell.

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  • paul_c2paul_c2 Frets: 410
    The first two things that came to my mind were 1) use lighter gauge strings. Have a look around on youtube for something like "blind listening test string gauge" and, basically, you can't hear the difference between different gauges of strings except when they are detuned sufficiently to buzz/rasp/whatever you call the distinct change in timbre. HOWEVER they feel like a world of difference when playing - as you'd expect, for example 010s are 25% more string than 008s. In fact, its more than 25% because the string gauge is the diameter, while the required tension relates to the MASS of the string, which relates to the cross sectional area (I think??? - feel free to correct me on the physics if I'm muddled).

    And 2) set the action to the lower end of its acceptable range, rather than higher.

    I appreciate some people like to "feel" the guitar or, almost, "fight" against the physicality of thick strings but after I'd seen the video which showed there's no actual (perceptible) sound difference, I swapped from 010s to 009s and didn't regret it. Also it makes bending notes easier. We are gifted with not having to move too much stuff too great a distance on an electric guitar, because the electrics amplify a small vibration, its not like having to use a heavy bowing action to produce loud volume etc, or blowing a wind instrument harder.
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  • BlackjackBlackjack Frets: 227
    Hey thank you gentlemen! I really appreciate your thoughts. I will be going away to try some of your ideas out and see how I get on.  I am sure I will find a way that works, I know barre chords are a lot of people's nemesis anyway so I am not alone! 

    Thank ni you so much
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  • mike_lmike_l Frets: 5700
    @Blackjack ; I think everyone strggles with barre chords to start. Once they're cracked it's a huge step forward.

    Good luck, you'll get there.

    Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21) 

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  • valevale Frets: 1052
    edited March 2017
    get a thinnish neck & wrap your thumb over the E. that's my style.

    i find proper barres easy to do when sitting because your lap is holding the weight of the guitar, or its at a different angle, or maybe because it is higher up. or a combo of all.

    tits (maybe you have, maybe you don't) mean i can only have my guitar up so high when standing, so the thumb around trick feels far easier for me when i'm standing.

    a lot of people say you can only do it if you have big hands. but a thin neck fixes that. if you can't make your hands bigger make your neck thinner. it works for me.

    try it?

    & maybe get a skinny neck tele to try if it doesn't work straight away on what you have.
    hofner hussie & hayman harpie. what she said...
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