I am into about my sixth month of learning to play it (with weekly lessons) - i put in a serious amount of practise and am presently battling with barre chords.
Been playing the same three chords for the last 35 years. In fact I was so good as a teenager that I was forced into taking up the drums by the other members of a punk band I was in at the time!!!
My eldest is 16 and really into music but has no desire to learn how to play either instruments whereas my youngest (aged 6) is already having guitar lessons.
Been playing since I was fourteen. Was in plenty of bands when I was younger - mostly death metal & grindcore (stuff most of you philistines would call 'noise'). Currently got a Jackson Warrior, seven string Ibanez super strat and play through a JCM 2000 head, Pod Live floor unit and two 4x12 Marshall cabs. Sadly I hardly play any more though - I just don't have the time. My nephew is learning though, so that may give me the impetus to play a bit more.
I learned the piano for nine years, hated my teacher and gave up just when I was getting somewhere.
Took up the guitar, never really got much further than the basic chords with some finger picking!. As for barre chords my cousin (who was a professional musician) told me to practice the chrods to Lay Lady Lay by Bob Dillon, which I did and that helped.
I bought myself an Amp and a Les Paul copy as year or two ago and get some fun out of it. I've decided to get some lessons when I can afford them.
Barre chords on electric will take a bit of practice but not to much strength as the strings and tension are lighter.
Acoustic. Get ready for a long and painful journey, though once gotten loads of songs come into acoustic interpretation sights.
Ive found It easier to only barre the strings which need it, if you dont need to barre the low E dont, as you will get a lot more pressure on the five you do.
Roll your index finger over a bit so the boney bits are against the strings and put your middle finger on top of the index thatll help.
Make sure you are barreing strings and not muting them.
Keep practising. And if you need inspiration, check out ron woods expression when hes doing the unplugged with rod and it comes around to stay with me. 5 mins of Barre chords on heavy acoustic strings.
I mess around on an ancient Yamaha acoustic I bought in 1977, lol
I've seen any number of quite accomplished guitarists barre chords by holding the barre finger down with the 2nd finger.
It's how I first tried to play, and it truly makes hard work of it...... (!)
The Oggy bar chord method is just lightly barre across the strings and press hard with the thumb from behind the fingerboard.
Anyway, it works for me.
[cite]Posted By: Oggy Red[/cite]I mess around on an ancient Yamaha acoustic I bought in 1977, lol
I've seen any number of quite accomplished guitarists barre chords by holding the barre finger down with the 2nd finger.
It's how I first tried to play, and it truly makes hard work of it...... (!)
The Oggy bar chord method is just lightly barre across the strings and press hard with the thumb from behind the fingerboard.
Anyway, it works for me.
Doesn't that tire your thumb out? I don't have too much trouble barre-ing (sp?) as my fingers are quite long - keeping the correct shape as I go up & down the neck is a challenge for me at the moment............I have a Line 6 amp which can rattle the windows, luckily my practise room is below ground level so the noise is well contained!!
Tire my thumb out ...? No, not really Oakster. Anyway, I'm well used to it.
By not holding my barre finger down with my 2nd finger, I've also got all 3 remaining fingers free to use for holding down strings.
My achilles heel in barre chords, I confess, is playing the 'A' shape wiith a barre ..... to get chords B, C, D, E on the 7th fret, etc ... I tend to cop out and play instead the 7th chord shape with barre, and 3rd & 4th fingers.
I've always struggled in that shape with barreing the first finger together with the third finger barre across 3 strings, without muffling the open top 'e' string.
Long fingers, Oakster? ....... I used to dream of long fingers.
Count your blessings, I've got stumpy sausages for fingers.
That sounds great mate. Practise up, get decent then go out and find some like minded guys and then the fun will really begin. Theres no better feeling than jamming or performing ... when its going well that is. Keep it up.
The trick is just to keep practising even bar chords start to sound ok after a while once your fingers strenghthen and get used to the shape of the chords. But there are lots of cheats you can use to avoid lots of bar chording for example open tunings can help. And have a go at playing the E chord shape further up the neck you can get some good jangley chords that way. There is a ton of stuff out there on the Internet gone are the days when the only way to learn a solo was to slow down an album track to 16rpm (ah my old dansette!) to work out what what was being played ( the solo on pulling mussels from a shell by squeeze was one that was a real bar steward to work out) Learning from your mates especially if they are better than you is also a great way to learn. One of the best things I ever did was buying that first guitar from my cousin for 50p when I was 14. Mind you it took me 3 years to realise you weren't supposed to blow it :-) Good luck with your playing hope you enjoy every minute of it :-)
my old pappa is a top guitarist, got his own band and played with some decent people over the years, and he hates the fact I can;t strum a ******* note - not interested in the slightest and never have been -
Been playing for 14 years. Well, sort of - played guitar and bass every day for about 4 or 5 years after starting at uni and then hardly at all for many years. Started again about 2 years ago - wish I'd kept it up, I might actually have been good by now.
Ive been playing for a year and half now and done a recording of the jams thats entertainment back in october whats on myspace http://www.myspace.com/lastchanceatnight and know quite a bit, play acoustic which I would say is the best way to learn and then move on to electric and you will hopefully find it a peice of piss. I'm 16 now and going to college in september, North West Kent to study music performance but yeah I love playing the thing!
Always found F chord difficult. Plus my right hand works more fluently than my left hand, maybe cos i am right handed. I found playing in public, ie at familly parties, my fingers would freeze. Then there is the difficulty of playing and singng at the same time! Phew..best of luck!
[cite]Posted By: cafc-4-life[/cite]for the F chord practise a few time with bringing your fingers down from C one string each and then bar the first thing on the first two strings
Or you could bar across all 6 strings on the first fret, with an 'E chord' shape.
Practise that, and work the same shape up the finger board:
For major chords:
3rd fret gives you G
5th fret gives you A
7th fret gives you B
8th fret gives you C
Repeat the above with Em shape = all the above minor chords
Repeat the above with E7 shape = all the above in 7th chords
Comments
Should really take some lessons but have been jamming with a mate how gives me tips and getting those chord changes going.
Teenage kicks is good for barre chords but sounds rubbish on a Fender Acoustic.
My eldest is 16 and really into music but has no desire to learn how to play either instruments whereas my youngest (aged 6) is already having guitar lessons.
These ones?
The worst moment was when I bought a Fender Strat. Up until that time I had always been able to blame the equipment.
Still if Django Reinhardt could do it with his physical difficulties then I must keep trying.
Having said that I can lose myself for 30 mins and I do find it very relaxing just twiddling.
It depends who's teaching and the size of the guitar!
OK - maybe I can play four or five 'cos I'd have to add "C" and "D" to those three.
Took up the guitar, never really got much further than the basic chords with some finger picking!. As for barre chords my cousin (who was a professional musician) told me to practice the chrods to Lay Lady Lay by Bob Dillon, which I did and that helped.
I bought myself an Amp and a Les Paul copy as year or two ago and get some fun out of it. I've decided to get some lessons when I can afford them.
Acoustic. Get ready for a long and painful journey, though once gotten loads of songs come into acoustic interpretation sights.
Ive found It easier to only barre the strings which need it, if you dont need to barre the low E dont, as you will get a lot more pressure on the five you do.
Roll your index finger over a bit so the boney bits are against the strings and put your middle finger on top of the index thatll help.
Make sure you are barreing strings and not muting them.
Keep practising. And if you need inspiration, check out ron woods expression when hes doing the unplugged with rod and it comes around to stay with me. 5 mins of Barre chords on heavy acoustic strings.
I've seen any number of quite accomplished guitarists barre chords by holding the barre finger down with the 2nd finger.
It's how I first tried to play, and it truly makes hard work of it...... (!)
The Oggy bar chord method is just lightly barre across the strings and press hard with the thumb from behind the fingerboard.
Anyway, it works for me.
Doesn't that tire your thumb out? I don't have too much trouble barre-ing (sp?) as my fingers are quite long - keeping the correct shape as I go up & down the neck is a challenge for me at the moment............I have a Line 6 amp which can rattle the windows, luckily my practise room is below ground level so the noise is well contained!!
By not holding my barre finger down with my 2nd finger, I've also got all 3 remaining fingers free to use for holding down strings.
My achilles heel in barre chords, I confess, is playing the 'A' shape wiith a barre ..... to get chords B, C, D, E on the 7th fret, etc ... I tend to cop out and play instead the 7th chord shape with barre, and 3rd & 4th fingers.
I've always struggled in that shape with barreing the first finger together with the third finger barre across 3 strings, without muffling the open top 'e' string.
Long fingers, Oakster? ....... I used to dream of long fingers.
Count your blessings, I've got stumpy sausages for fingers.
;o)
Was told to make E and Am with the 2/3/4 fingers so leaving the index to barre and it seems to work for me.
Been playing around with Asus chords which sound fun
I have an electric pick up on the Fender and a little practice amp (a Sunn ST - 15 whatever that means) but it just makes my mistakes sound worse.
I was lent a few songs of the 70s/80s chord books and just bash out the ones I like and that don't have too many chords!
If you have good ear a great way is simply playing along to favourite albums.
But there are lots of cheats you can use to avoid lots of bar chording for example open tunings can help. And have a go at playing the E chord shape further up the neck you can get some good jangley chords that way.
There is a ton of stuff out there on the Internet gone are the days when the only way to learn a solo was to slow down an album track to 16rpm (ah my old dansette!) to work out what what was being played ( the solo on pulling mussels from a shell by squeeze was one that was a real bar steward to work out)
Learning from your mates especially if they are better than you is also a great way to learn.
One of the best things I ever did was buying that first guitar from my cousin for 50p when I was 14.
Mind you it took me 3 years to realise you weren't supposed to blow it :-)
Good luck with your playing hope you enjoy every minute of it :-)
Well, thank you for that insight, Ledge - extremely illuminating.
;o)
Was going to give it a listen, but it won't let me in.
Phew..best of luck!
Or you could bar across all 6 strings on the first fret, with an 'E chord' shape.
Practise that, and work the same shape up the finger board:
For major chords:
3rd fret gives you G
5th fret gives you A
7th fret gives you B
8th fret gives you C
Repeat the above with Em shape = all the above minor chords
Repeat the above with E7 shape = all the above in 7th chords