B Barre Chord...What's the Secret?

Hi Mike,

Have you tried changing the order of the Middle, Ring and Pinky?

Apparently, quite a few people with bigger fingers (including me) play the usual A with the fingers in a triangle shape instead of a straight line

So with the A, instead of using index, middle, ring you tuck the index behind the other two, so the order is Middle, Index, Ring. Or, if you're using the smallest 3 fingers, the order goes Ring (on the D string) Middle (on the G string) and Pinky (on the B string).

I find it pretty easy to move that second shape down to the B position and then use the spare Index finger on the high E string. I can also use the Index as a barre, but that's harder to nail initially. Just using it on the E is enough for the chord though.

If I try to go much further along the neck I quickly run out of room no matter how I arrange the fingers, so it has to be some sort of double barre then. But as Nils suggests, I can just switch to another shape anyway.

Hope this isn't a repeat, and isn't just more confusion.

Good luck. :D

Cheers, Chris

I tried the one greybeard mentioned using the pinky to partial barre the 4th fret and I almost got it but it didn't feel right. I retried with the ring finger but instead of barring the whole index finger I just fretted the 5th string as a single note. That seemed to work but I just can't hold the ring finger in the barre position too long without it cramping up...

It doesn't matter anyway...I just realized a few minutes ago that I suck at guitar...I sound worse now than I did after one month. It's like I can't even play any of the songs I used to play without screwing them up...just one more dream that won't come true

It doesn't matter anyway...I just realized a few minutes ago that I suck at guitar...I sound worse now than I did after one month. It's like I can't even play any of the songs I used to play without screwing them up...just one more dream that won't come true

Hey Mike. Glad to see your spirits have finally lifted and you are in a good state of mind :twisted: .

Now, remember that you are only on month 4. At 4 months the consistency will in no way be there yet unless you are a virtuoso (whatever that means). Print this out or bookmark it, come back in 6 months and see if you still feel the same way. You will laugh your butt off at this statement.

If you're struggling on barre chords after four months of playing guitar then I'd say you're ahead of the game. Most people, myself included, don't' touch barre chords until about a year after playing. I messed with barre chords here and there but didn't get serious about them until after my first year of playing. From what you've posted in your time here I'd say you're making good progress. Don't get discouraged. This too shall pass.

It doesn't matter anyway...I just realized a few minutes ago that I suck at guitar...I sound worse now than I did after one month. It's like I can't even play any of the songs I used to play without screwing them up...

Welcome to the club!

What makes you think you are any different from any of us!!! I have been playing for almost two years and have days like that every once in a while....... It happens! The good thing is....... we know you are still human. :wink:

Like Nils said, over time you will look back and laugh about it.

Besides, why do you think you can buy a lot of guitars second hand? Why you ask, they either gave up because they got fed up with trying to learn an instrument that was SOOOO difficult to learn or moved on to a different axe because they felt they were in it for the long run. My point is NOBODY said it was going to be easy. If they did they are full of $#!^ !

Well I just tried the B on the electric and I can fret it with the double barre with the ring finger. However the E string is only fretted with my index finger (sometimes other times it's muted...not by choice). I can also play the chord using my pinky as a partial barre but then the high E is fretted with my pinky and not the index :? . Either way I can only hold the chord for MAYBE 4-5 strums before I cramp up. The other problem is that when I pick each note it is crystal clear and clean but when I strum the chord I hear buzzing :? ? This is REALLY confusing me because I know for a FACT it's not the guitar buzzing (meaning setup problems) because every note is clear individually.

The real issue is that the song I want to use the B chord in is acoustic and I can't play the B on the acoustic. I know it's because the strings are heavier gauge (.11's compared to .09's on the electric) on the acoustic.

The reason for my emotional outburst yesterday saying that I suck is because I feel like I don't have any direction after almost 4 months of playing. I made such quick progress early on and now that progress is at a crawl. This is really frustrating me. Yes I am trying more "advanced" (meaning harder stuff) so I know it should be more difficult but I never thought it would effect what I already knew. Lately I have been practicing the things I should have from the beginning (hammer-on's/pull-offs, barre chords, a TINY bit of metronome work, a TINY bit of scale work). I thought this stuff would improve my playing...it seems to have diminished what I already knew. I felt if I didn't start practicing these skills my progress would "fall behind".

I can't get a teacher because a) I can't afford it now, and b) I don't have time during the school year to go regularly to make it worth while). I just want to get back on track. How can I re-establish direction with my playing? (I am kind of hoping some of the "teachers" here will provide some guidence...not that I won't welcome advice from anyone.)...What would you have your students do if this issue arose.

(I know this should be in a topic of it's own...but it did START in this thread).

Thanks

I made such quick progress early on and now that progress is at a crawl. This is really frustrating me. Yes I am trying more "advanced" (meaning harder stuff) so I know it should be more difficult but I never thought it would effect what I already knew.

it's just like anything in life, it has it's highs and it's lows. As well, I'd expect someone dedicated to make progress at the start rather quickly and then it would level off a bit. Expect to get in ruts from time to time...maybe this is your first? The best thing you can do is solidify what you already know (review, if you will...you're a teacher, so figure out what you've learned and come up with a practice schedule for what you already know.) I'd bet that in a week or so you'll be out of this rut and keep moving forward. Work on scales, but more importantly, understand how they apply. So you know a minor scale has a flatted 3rd 6th and 7th...okay, what does that mean, what kind of a sound does it have, how can you incorporate that into you're playing, etc. Always remember that persitence can surpercede skill and natural ability

OK...I am starting to get "some" flexibility and I can fret the B with the double barre ring finger...however it it hurts like a MF! I can do it with my pinkie also but only the B string won't fret because it falls right in the joint and is in the crease of my finger...and since there is only so much pinkie it's not as simple as just readjusting it. So my efforts are on improving the ring finger's flexibility.

Now of course there is a However here: However, my next dilema is the Badd9 (I think add9...I don't have the tab in front of me now...) but I need to play the open high E string. I tried curling my wrist around the neck to clear the high E but then my ring finger won't fret the B string. Do any of yuo play this chord and if you do what do you do?

On a side note...I have to be honest...this chord is not only ugly to fret but it's quite ugly for strumming! It has an unpleasant tone. Fingerpicking it is OK (not great!) and is only in a small part of the song...I thought about just replacing it with another chord in the song but I don't know how that will fit with the lyrics (since I won't torture my neighbors with singing!)

Now I know why Keith Urban started playing guitar when he was 6 years old. It took him this long to fret the B chord!!!!

Try this for the Badd9 any other variation is a pain

e - 2
B - 2
G - 4
D - 4
A - 2
E - x

glad to hear the "double barre" method is working for you. i've done it this way from the start and altho it hurt like heck after a while it became second nature and to me seems so much easier.

i waited to post this until now because you didn't want to hear "practice more" :lol:

Try this for the Badd9 any other variation is a pain

e - 2
B - 2
G - 4
D - 4
A - 2
E - x

You mean this right...since I need the open HIGH E:

e - 0
B - 2
G - 4
D - 4
A - 2
E - x

Thanks

That will work.. The actual Badd9 is what I wrote but since you need the open high e then it's OK

That will work.. The actual Badd9 is what I wrote but since you need the open high e then it's OK

But this is still a double barre? If it is I'll still have the same problem...

Thanks fir the help

Try pinky and ring on the D & G and lift the index barre for the open high e

Question, are you strumming the chord or picking notes out of it?

If picking notes just hold the D & G with the pinky and ring then switch the index between the A & B that way the high e is open all the time

Try pinky and ring on the D & G and lift the index barre for the open high e

Question, are you strumming the chord or picking notes out of it?

If picking notes just hold the D & G with the pinky and ring then switch the index between the A & B that way the high e is open all the time

I am picking the notes so that's what's making it difficult...it HAS to be clean...

Thanks