Why can't I play barre chords?

If your thumb is too high or if you've wrapped it around the neck, it will be impossible to play a barre chord. You either want to line up your thumb with your index finger, or between your index finger and ring finger (i.e. first and second finger).

stringkick.com - How to Play Bar Chords: Shapes, Technique, Exercises - StringKick

What piano book should I buy?

The 6 Best Piano Books for Beginners Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course. Alfred's Basic Piano Library. Primer Level – Lesson Book: Piano Adventures....

Last updated May 21, 2021

Why is 4 4 so common?

As you know by now, 4/4 is by far the most popular time signature in the world. With four steady beats in each measure, it provides for a very...

Last updated Jun 8, 2020

Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Promotion

If you’re having trouble getting your barre chords to sound right, 9 out of 10 times pressing harder and squeezing won’t be the solution. It’s usually a matter of adjusting your technique to get your chord to sound right. So here are eight technique tips that might solve your problem. Barre chords is one of those topics that's a little different for everyone. Everyone has different fingers, hands and arms, so there’s no ‘one size fits all’ solution to playing barre chords. So this section is about giving you things to experiment with and help you find the approach that works for you.

1. Lower your thumb and place it roughly halfway down the neck

Some of these tips fall into the ‘see if this solves your problem’ column, but thumb placement is not one of them. Be sure to place your thumb on the back of the neck, roughly halfway down, perhaps even lower. If your thumb is too high or if you’ve wrapped it around the neck, it will be impossible to play a barre chord. You either want to line up your thumb with your index finger, or between your index finger and ring finger (i.e. first and second finger). Lowering your thumb will automatically bring your wrist closer to the floor, which is what we want. (More on wrist position in technique tip 5 below).

2. Use the edge of your index finger

Using the flat face of your index finger might mess up your barre chord for two reasons: The flat face is pretty soft and fleshy, which makes it harder to apply pressure and get a clean sounding chord. Strings can get caught in the grooved areas where the finger joints are. This makes it hard to press then down properly, which mutes the strings. The edge of your index finger is bonier and harder, meaning you won’t have to apply as much pressure. To use the edge, place your barre on the fretboard, but instead of pushing down, try to push away, towards the headstock of your guitar. In doing this, you might notice that your elbow position changes too, which brings us to tip #3:

3. Keep your elbow tucked in

To roll your index finger onto its side and push ‘away’ towards the headstock, you need to keep your elbow close to your body. Pushing away is pretty much impossible when you have your elbow floating out in the air, away from your body like a chicken wing. Keeping your arm just hanging next to your body makes this easier and should feel more comfortable too.

4. Place your index finger close to the fret

The spot closest to the fret, is where you need to apply the least amount of pressure to get a clean sound. Combining this with tip #3, what you can do, is place your finger on the fret with the flat face and then roll it onto its edge. That should get the edge of your index finger in exactly the right position. Not on the fret, but very close to it. Part of your index finger might cover the fret, but you're not applying pressure to it. Also make sure your index finger is paralel with the fret and not placed diagonally, where it’s further away from the fret on the high strings than it is on the low E string.

5. Keep your index finger straight

Are all children born with perfect pitch?

The ability to identify a note on the musical scale without a single reference point - known as absolute or perfect pitch - is a rarity even among...

Last updated Feb 9, 2021

Does your voice change when you get old?

Age-related voice changes vary widely, and people can begin to “sound old” in their 50s, while others retain a resonant voice well into their 80s....

Last updated Apr 8, 2022

Promotion

Sometimes you’ll hear some of the strings you’ve barred, but some will be muted too. If you can’t hear the G or D string, chances are that you’re index finger isn’t completely straight, but slightly arched. This makes that you’re applying pressure to the outer strings (high E string, B string and low E string), but not to those middle strings. Try to keep your finger completely flat and straight to avoid this. If you can’t hear the b string or high e string, the problem will be slightly different. You might be keeping your smallest two phalanxes straight (the parts of your finger that are furthest away from the palm of your hand), but slightly bending the joint between your largest and second largest phalanx. If you lower the back joint of your index finger and keep your entire finger straight, this will likely solve the problem. This video provides a great demonstration: In general, it helps to think that you're pressing the hardest in the middle (thanks to Justin Sandercoe for this tip!). This might seem a bit weird, because you want to press down on all the strings. But I think this works because it's impossible to press with the middle of your finger without keeping it straight.

6. Move your index finger up or down

Sometimes a string can be lined up exactly with a crease in your finger and mute it. Moving your index finger a bit up or down can fix that. If you can’t hear one the top strings, experiment with how much your index finger sticks out above the fretboard. Sometimes a string can be lined up exactly with a crease in your finger and mute it. Moving your index finger a bit up or down can fix that. If you can’t hear one the top strings, experiment with how much your index finger sticks out above the fretboard. Sometimes a string can be lined up exactly with a crease in your finger and mute it. Moving your index finger a bit up or down can fix that. If you can’t hear one the top strings, experiment with how much your index finger sticks out above the fretboard. Sometimes a string can be lined up exactly with a crease in your finger and mute it. Moving your index finger a bit up or down can fix that. If you can’t hear one the top strings, experiment with how much your index finger sticks out above the fretboard.

7. Keep your wrist low and bend it as little as possible

If you press the palm of your hand against the neck, it will be impossible to play a barre chord. Instead, your thumb should be in the middle or on the lower half of the back of the neck (see technique tip 1 above), leaving the palm of your hand directly underneath the guitar neck. There should be some space between your palm and the guitar neck like this: As you can see, you kind of have to hold the guitar neck like a hamburger. Or rather: like half a hamburger, because there's space between the palm of your hand and the neck. You might have also noticed that your wrist will also be lower than the guitar neck. In the image above, the player's arm is going up towards the neck. This is the way classical guitarists play: they have the guitar in their lap between their legs (instead of on their right leg) and the neck is pointing up. One of the advantages of playing this way is that they don't have to bend their wrist as much to play barre chords and even more challenging fingerings. Most non-classical guitarists (myself included) prefer to play with the guitar body resting on their leg. This does make barre chords slightly more challenging, mostly because of your wrist. You need to bend it to play barre chords, but you don't want to bend it too much for two reasons:

Does the Suzuki method work?

Some aspects of the Suzuki method remain steeped in controversy. There is no reliable evidence to support the idea that musical training improves...

Last updated Jul 31, 2019

Is it OK to copy music that is copyrighted?

Uploading or downloading works protected by copyright without the authority of the copyright owner is an infringement of the copyright owner's...

Last updated Oct 10, 2020

Promotion

Bending your wrist too much might make it sore after a while, because you’re placing a lot of pressure on what’s called your ‘carpal tunnel’: the connection between your fingers and the muscles in your forearm that control your fingers. Because you're placing pressure on the carpal tunnel, it will become harder to use the muscles in your hand. Try this out by keeping your wrist straight and making a fist and then bending your wrist and making a fist. Feels awkward, doesn’t it?

So, to avoid overstraining your wrist, here are a few things to keep in mind: Keep your shoulder down and your elbow low. This will allow your arm to be pointed slightly upwards (green example), instead of being completely horizontal (red example) or even having to reach down towards the guitar neck. Don't move your wrist too far forwards. If your wrist is directly underneath the guitar neck (as it would be in the red example), you’ve cocked it too far forwards. Be sure to not only bend your wrist, but also arch your hand. This all becomes a bit easier if you tilt your guitar a bit upwards, so the angle you have to make is less sharp. (This is also the reason that classical guitarists have their neck pointed way up.) When you’re standing up and your guitar is hanging quite low, it will be harder to play barre chords without bending your wrist too much. This is why many guitarists sometimes prefer to play many of these same chords the way Jimi Hendrix used to do. Click here to scroll down and read more about Hendrix style, thumb-over chords!

8. Use some arm strength

If you feel your left hand (and thumb) getting tired quickly, you might want to make it work a little less hard by using some arm strength. When you’re holding your barre chord, pull backwards with your left arm while you ‘hug’ the body of your guitar between your right arm and your chest. You should be able to provide enough pressure on the strings using only this technique. So as a test, see if you can get a clear sounding barre without your thumb. Here’s an example of a classical guitarist (Douglas Niedt) doing just that: (If you want to see this Douglas' excellent explanation of arm strength, jump to 1:00!)

stringkick.com - How to Play Bar Chords: Shapes, Technique, Exercises - StringKick

What is keyboard simple words?

A keyboard is for putting information including letters, words and numbers into your computer. You press the individual buttons on the keyboard...

Last updated Feb 22, 2022

What is F8 key used for?

F8. Function key used to enter the Windows startup menu, commonly used to access Windows Safe Mode. Used by some computers to access the Windows...

Last updated Feb 5, 2019

Promotion

What does P mean in band?

piano very very quiet. The two basic dynamic indications in music are: p or piano, meaning "quiet". f or forte, meaning "loud or strong".

Last updated Jun 16, 2020

Promotion

What are songs that everyone knows but not the name?

20 Songs You've Heard But Don't Know The Names Of “Entry of the Gladiators” – Julius Fucik. ... William Tell Overture – Gioacchino Rossini. ... “In...

Last updated Jun 10, 2018