G to Bm

Nick, do you mean Am - x02210 - slid up like this - x04430....? I usually do that with "Light My Fire" if I'm playing rhythm - if someone's taking a long solo, it can be tedious changing from Am to a "proper" Bm over and over again, especially if you're struggling with the change.

Funnily enough, the only other place I've seen that particular voicing is in another Doors song - Riders On The Storm, in the third line of each verse, where the chord changes are x02210, x04430, x05550, x07770.....

I suppose the x04430 is technically something like a Bm11 - you've got the root, minor third, fifth, flat 7th and 11th....just a touch more jazzy than a normal Bm, but a pretty good substitute, nonetheless.

That voicing - x04430 - would be pretty easy to change to from a D chord as well. If you played the D chord with a mini-barre across the top three strings and your middle finger on the Bstring, you could leave the middle finger in place and just put the ring and pinky fingers down at the 4th fret on the G and B strings.

:D :D :D

Vic

That's the one... I use it in Moondance and Melissa.

Drat, I just had to edit my previous post - I noticed first time around, I put "Funnily enough, the only other place I've seen that particular voicing is in another Doors song - Light My Fire....."

Anyway, changed it now.....

Memo to self - make sure you're properly awake and have had enough tea to keep yourself awake in future.....

:D :D :D

Vic

That's the one... I use it in Moondance and Melissa.

You mean you go from a D to x04430, to x06650 in that first little stretch of Melissa's chorus?

If you are using barre chords, then there is a real easy solution. Instead of playing the Bm at the 2nd fret, just slide your G chord up to the 7th fret and pick up your middle finger.

Changing from an open G to a barred Bm at the 2nd fret is a little more difficult. If you do not need the bass root note for the Bm, try just playing it on the bottom four strings.

Bm

e---2i------
b---3m------
g---4p------
d---4r------
a-----------
e-----------


If you have to play a barred Bm at the 2nd fret, that is a little tougher. It is one of the more difficult chords to fret. It is most difficult to play barre chords down near the nut of the guitar. Hold your open fretting hand palm up in front of you. Now move it to the left (for right handed players). As you get far to the left it begins to feel uncomfortable, because it is not really a natural position for our hands and arms.

Now instead of pointing your thumb to the left, turn it up toward the ceiling some. If you are like me, it feels far more comfortable. And this is what can help you play the Bm or any barre chord down near the nut easier. Try angling your guitar's neck up some. I don't know about others, but I hold my guitar at about a 45 degree angle. And you don't want the guitar to be too low slung either, that will put very unnatural stress on your wrist. So bring the guitar up some too. I think you will find it much easier to play these barres with the neck angled up some, and holding the guitar a little higher too. Your thumb should be in the middle of the neck pointing toward the headstock. I think it was Ken (Smokingdog) or maybe Dogbite that called it the "hitchhiking thumb". That is an excellent description, it is just like hitchhiking. Also, make sure your guitar is straight up and down, not angled toward you so that you can look at your hands. That will also cause your wrist to bend under and be very uncomfortable. If you have to look, look at the fret-markers on the side of the neck, or bend over the guitar a bit. But don't turn the guitar up toward you. When you get it right, it is not uncomfortable at all to play barre chords like this.

It is a Bm at the second fret. So far, out of all the options listed here the barred G sounds the best and makes me the happiest. I will just have to practice both of those chords a lot like TR said. The biggest problem I am having with the barre chords is that my pinky keeps locking up. When I press on the strings the big knuckle locks so that my pinky is totally straight and only bending at the top knuckle. Not comfortable and hard to bend it when I need to move to another chord.

Awesome advice, as usual, from everyone though and stuff I can use in the future on other things I'm sure.