Why are Barre Chords so hard? Lets Make them easier

We have probably all tried them at some stage. We come across a song we really love but damn...there's a barre chord in there!

We love to hate them but really they are like vegetables, we have to have them! Barre chords will allow you to be able to play all of the chords on the guitar! And just like vegetables you can learn to love them and even enjoy them.

The hardest thing is getting that first finger to hold all the strings hard enough so that they all make a sound. If you are having trouble with this try this: make sure your first finger is completely straight from your fingernail all the way down to that first knuckle.

This makes sure you are pressing down with a good clamp from your thumb and we aren't just pushing the tip of the finger down.

Try doing this and then playing through the strings one by one. If you happen to find strings that aren't making a sound chances are the string may be in one of the natural creases of your finger.

To fix this try moving your finger up or down a little, or try rolling the finger more onto the side of the finger.

Do this exercise for maybe 2 minutes before playing a barre chord. After a week you will have definite improvement. After 3 weeks this improvement on technique will be permanent. But only if you do it a little every day.

That ought to make these things less scary!

Till next time

Ryan