Help needed for which fingers to use

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Disclaimer. Im pretty new to playing, mainly strumming open chords on accoustic, but I’ve just bought a G&l legacy and I’m getting a bit more adventurous and practicing a lot more than I ever have.

I’m trying to learn Books From Boxes, Maximo Park from some tab I’ve found on songster and I’ve got stuck at the pre chorus with chord fingering. I can’t find anything that seems comfortable or right for the x1333x bit onwards. Not sure how to post pictures or I’d put a screen grab of the bit of the tab where I’m stuck, but hopefully this will make sense to someone. 

Any help hugely appreciated
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Comments

  • LestratcasterLestratcaster Frets: 1079
    edited October 2018
    Looks like a B flat barre chord to me. I normally use first finger for the 1 and the third finger to barre the 3rd fret of the other strings. 

    So this without the high e string? And the 3rd finger doing the 3 notes in a row on the 3rd fret.


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  • FuengiFuengi Frets: 2849
    I still struggle with the major barre chord from the A string. Have tried third and pinky finger but neither feels (or sounds) good. 

    Practice, practice, practice! 
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  • Jay1Jay1 Frets: 4
    Ahhhh that’s why I’m struggling. Still can’t get to grips with barre chords. 

    As Fuengi says time to practice practice practice
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  • HAL9000HAL9000 Frets: 9553
    One of the things with barre chords is that you wrist position needs to be different from that used for open chords. Your wrist needs to be under, rather than slightly behind, the neck of the guitar - to the extent that your 'barre' finger and the back of your hand form a straighter line than you're probably used to. Also, barres are much easier to play the further up the fretboard you are - barres at the first fret are definitely hard work.
    I play guitar because I enjoy it rather than because I’m any good at it
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  • ShrewsShrews Frets: 2961
    I too struggle with barre chords, but I know this is just practice (and probably a lot of it!)

    Started with G, Em, Cadd9 and D.  Never thought I'd get D, but did eventually. It sort of went, hit it nicely 10% of the time, to 20% etc. Now, a few months later I hit it 99% of the time.

    Then A caused me problems, but I now hit it 99%

    Then C, which meant stretching over three frets.  Again, never thought I'd get it, but now do about 90%

    Then upstrumming took me a few months, but now I can't just do downstrum, I have to upstrum!

    Then 'speed'. All these chords but needed to get that speed to make a tune.  I started to work on many different combinations to see if I could get the majority to 60 per minute, then when I patted myself on the back when I achieved that (for most of my known chord combinations), I then read I should be hitting about 120 per minute!  Nowhere near that, but have far exceeded 60 per minute for most.

    Then did some finger picking - Chiquitita, City Of Stars, Jersey Girl, did ok, but found it boring.

    Now looking at scales - I can't say it's the most exciting.

    But those Barre chords are my key aim.  Plus the fact I'm soon to buy my first electric, which probably scuppers all those things I've learned so far. 

    However, my one key strength is I now know this is practice.  And then some.  This not something I knew was so important before I started to learn guitar, but now I do.  Keep going 1%, 5%, 10%, ..........
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  • JJWJJW Frets: 11
    Hi. My tip would be fret the A string at the first fret ( shown as No1 ) then just lay you ring or little finger accross 234 .
    Just remember a chord can be made up from just three notes so with careful strumming/picking you could just play 234 .
    Sometimes too many note can sound a bit messy more so with distortion.
    It good to be able to play full chords as by learning them you obtain more finger control but there is nothing wrong in playing
    partial chords as this can also help speeding up chord changes.
    I do teach ( I don't like this term ! ) and I advise students to be able to use various finger paterns.
    For example to play the A chord at the send fret you could just fret 234 with one finger and you have the open A note as the
    root note but then learn to play the A chord two fingers and three fingers this will allow you to obtain sus chords when needed
    Also as an example finger the A chord with one finger then place your middle finger on the B string and at the same time
    place your third finger on the the D string fourth fret. This will be a D over an A chord. Keep the A root note on both chords
    this is what is being played on the intro of " All right now " so maybe you can see how one finger a chords can help.
    Just play the A chord with one finger then move it up one fret and you will get your Bb chord jusavoid the open strings !
    Remember the rules of music are there are no rules we just have to be open minded and just do what ever works for us.
    Good luck.
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