@@rossthemusicandguitarteacher i've not really used many barr chords in my learning but i did learn the F bar chord, i can do that, but tried a song yesterday and can i bugger get the Gm or the Gm (with the pinky raised) so only one finfer and i'm finding it hard to tilt the finger on it's side, maybe because I started learning too late
Adrian Russell it's never too late - I'm a beginner at 64. I'm learning to barr chords myself and after much frustration, I can do some, though F is hardest for me so congrats to you! I've discovered dropping my shoulder and bringing my elbow in to my waist works for me. Don't despair, because if my tiny, old hands can do it you can!
enchanted watermelon I’m just getting notification of your question. I’m sitting outside on my tree swing (my happy place) practicing right now! I’m happy to report that though I’m not making barre chords perfectly, I have my good days! I’m into fingerpicking and recently discovered John Prine songs just before he passed with covid 19. I’m working on Summer’s End and Hello In There at the moment. We’re blessed to have so many wonderful instructors on UA-cam. Practice some every day if possible and make a quality decision to hang in there on “bad” days and never be a quitter! I’m so in love with learning guitar! 💞
SUMMARY: IT REALLY SOUND GREAT THIS WAY THNAKS FOR THIS VIDEO 1)USE SIDE OF YOUR INDEX FINGER 2)FINGER SHOULD BE RIGHT NEXT TO FRET & BE CAREFUL WHICH STRING REALLY NEEDS BAR 3)DONT SQUEEZE BY INDEX FINGER, THUMB SHOULD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BACK OF BAR 4)PUSH THE GUITAR BY YOUR CHEST AND PULL THE FRETBOARD BY THE CORD HAND, 5)PULL THE GUITAR BY THE STRUMMING ARM TOWARDS YOU
i actually sprained my wrist trying to learn barre chords and got so frustrated I gave up on guitar for nearly 5 years. finally got determined enough to try again and found myself at this video, and barre chords actually feel achievable now. thank you so much for saving me from medical bills and frustration haha
I just want to add- Making barre chords is the place in guitar learning where a lot of people give up sadly(especially older beginners). So just a nice thought for today- you have helped more than a few people continue on their musical journey instead of giving up, all by deciding you share what you have learned...Thank you!
I can't express my gratitude, for months I've been trying to do bar chords. Like you have saved me from the depressing frustration of thinking I'll never be able to really play the guitar.
A couple of other things you need to look at is the height of the action on the guitar. If it's too high it will make playing barre chords more difficult even for experienced players. Another tip is to use lighter gauge strings. So if you currently use 12's (light gauge) then drop to 10's (extra light) and you'll find it a lot more comfortable to play barre chords without the pain.
UA-cam is just incredible, can you just imagine without Ross's help I'd have probably given up on my barre chords and just avoided songs with them in altogether. Cheers Ross 👏👏
Dude i've been playing guitar by myself for almost... 14 years, i know my way arround chord voicing, positions, scales and all that good stuff, but the technique man, my technique sucks. In barre chord territory i've been blindfold, at some point I even had an had injury for playing wrong, putting all the preasure on the muscle betwen my thumb and my index finger ending in the clinic with tendonitis . This video is MUST SEE for every guitar player, whether new or experienced , really a game changer!!! Thanks so fucking much!!!!
How can this video have only 1500 views? Man you literally nailed it, I've been 3-4 years playing and always had trouble playing barre chord (mostly on acoustic guitar because the pressure needed is higher), I was never able to play songs that had only barre chords or that 3 of the 4 chords were barre chords. You literally saved me man, big thumbs up and you got a new sub!
@@rossthemusicandguitarteacher I have literally had the same problem. Always used to put songs to the side that had barre chords in them and stick to the easy stuff! It actually sounded like a Bm (clapping hands) !!
I’ve been playing for eight years and it never occurred to me that there were ways to make barre chords less painful. I thought you had to play through the pain to be good lol but it still hurt after this long. You saved my life and my hands my dude
Omg I've been crying through some song because I've not had this technique down at all. This feel so much better after only trying out on a few chords. Thank you so much!
Wow nobody told me this. After years of pain I finally decided to UA-cam it and you literally just explained it point blank without wasting time. This video was here when I started. From now on I will simply solve the problems I don’t understand by looking them up. Thank you.
I've been playing guitar for about15 years on and off, and i've never been able to play bar chords for more than one song at a time because my hand would start hurting and getting tired. As a kid when i told my guitar teacher that it hurt or my hands were getting tired he just said i would build the muscle eventually if i practiced enough, so i just assumed they were supposed to hurt. Now that I know more about technique i realised if it hurts i'm probably doing it wrong. And so finally i decide to look into it and see your video. You probably just saved me from rsi or an injury of some sort.
Notes: 01: Side of finger 02: Right against the frets - focus on parts needed for the chord *03: Thumb should be placed in the middle of the barre = even pressure on the fingers 04: Pull with the arm 05: Push on the body Great lesson! 😁
this guy seems super chill, i love the unedited video format! also i have been trying to figure out barre chords for the past hour, thanks for the help!
Thank you sooo muuuchh, I'm only fifteen but I have been getting very very severe wrist pain from playing Barre chords and it has been effecting my daily life. I'm so glad I don't have to quit guitar because of pain now!!!!!!!
After a 40 year break from guitar playing, it was great to learn your tip number 5. I recall my classical guitar tutor telling me about the no squeeze and push the neck into my hand (tip 4), but the addition of your 5th tip has made the barre cords sooo easy. :)
Man i was struggling so damned hard with my f and bM. 45 minutes after seeing this video, struggle no more. Thank you so much! I'm 2 months in and i couldn't imagine how i was gonna progress beyond those two
I cannot believe it! After being unable to play barre chords and thinking I would never get there I find one lesson, no just one tip makes it all possible. I move my thumb back on the neck and hey presto, my wrist no longer is at an unatural angle, it no longer hurts, the strings ring out clear and my F chord sounds like an... F chord! I feel like I've just started to walk after crawling for ages. Thank you.
Best advice I believe I have gotten for Barre chords. Just holding my elbow in went from mutted strings to getting an acceptable sound, I need practice it but to working with it. Thanks!
Great tips! Thank you! The last 3 points really put a fine point on some things I was intuitively trying to do but couldn't figure out exactly. For me in the begging I found out that Barre chords are far easier to play with the guitar in classical position, neck almost perpendicular to the ground and then slowly letting the guitar neck come down until it's parallel to the ground, or whatever angle you play at.
Seriously you dont understand how many years ive avoided bar chords because i couldnt play it. It was all in the placement of my thumb that changed it all. Wow thank you so much youre amazing!!!!!
OMG ! You are an actual genius!!! I had an injury on my left arm and have had several surgeries on it, which has left if quite weak, so i've always struggled with barre chords, this video has been nothing short of a miracle!!! Thank you!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
just started out on guitar and this was literally the most informative and most helpful way of playing these barre chords. I can now play them with such ease thank you so much dude!
Wow. I am a total beginner and have never done a successful barre chord before. After watching your video twice and applying your wisdom I can make a decent sounding e minor. Thank you so much!
Before watching this video my strings were buzzing like a fridge, afterwards they were singing out like canaries. Feels quite effortless when you know how. Thanks!
Just started playing guitar about 2 months ago. I just got into learning the F barre chord and this video saved me so much frustration and headache. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much man, have been doing bar chords on and off but when I tried to learn a song with them there would always be a string buzzing and I’d be pushing very hard, now I’m starting to do them with ease!! Thanks again lifesaver
Oh man, this is such an eye opener! I've been playing a few months and working my way through some classical-ish music book I've got, and this was exactly what I needed to apply consistent and pain-free pressure as needed to play so many parts of the music. Thanks so much! This is the first video of yours I've seen, but immediately I notice that you radiate all sorts of valuable qualities in a teacher - experience, perceptiveness, humility, and a pure desire to help people learn. I feel really lucky to have found this. I'm subscribing; I'll be back to learn more later.
THANK YOU! I’ve been using my thump to apply pressure and didn’t realize that it was making it worse. I’ve been trying to practice with my thumb off and it’s definitely helped!
Holy moly! This video is what it took for me to finally - FINALLY - be able to do barre chords. Every beginning guitarist should watch this video. Save yourself gobs of frustration. This video was like magic. Thank you, thank you!
I broke my left thumb playing cricket and have been devastated at not being able to play barre chords. Your last 2 tricks just saved my years worth of practice. Thank you Jesus :-)
Bro thank you. You are a genius I love that pull on the left push on the right idea. I haven't tried it yet but thinking that is good and all these little things I haven't thought about make a difference. Truth is right now I am suffering with extreme hand pain in my left thumb. It came on a few years ago and i didn't have an injury that I did that day and then the pain was there. It was all of a sudden, I felt pain and it nagged and i don't know how many years it has been now. But i have had nights that my hand looks like i have mangled it because for some reason i feel relief when i pop the joints and i will just be yanking on the thumb in different directions till i hear the pop. And my instincts know to open it up there and i get the pop and if feels amazing when i do get it. But I wonder if it is all in my head and all i am doing is more damage. And i know I am supposed to sit up straight and have good posture, but I lay on my back alot and play lying down. It may be due to the fact I live in a bridge under a freeway that you can't stand up inside of and have to crouch to move around inside. I thought that the pain was due to the fact that my father had given me a very cheap acoustic and the action was so high you could do the limbo under it. When I lost my father, I missed him so much and would busk on the streets using that guitar and because it came from him, I loved it, and I was obsessed at that time too and would play for 8 hours straight and could still keep going I loved it. But it hurt my hands pushing down those high in the air strings for so long. And I have had a few hand injuries like ride the bike on a bike trail and not see in the dark the metal things they put there when it comes to a road to cross. And another time carrying a guitar case and the side of a computer piece of metal at the same time in one hand. The 2 items split open from each other and omg the pain was intense i had to go to a chiropractor to try and fix it. And i wondered if that moment had come back to haunt me. I have been playing guitar for over 35 years and i can't tell you the misery of being able to shred and sound like Satrani and then all of a sudden you can't play Every Breath you take because i am only about to play a tenth as good as I used to play. I see people playing and miss being able to do that. And I even got a Quartarone shot or however you spell that. But i didn't get told any exercise to do or rehab. So having to research it all myself because i want it better again and it is embarrassing when i can't open up a ketchup packet or tie my shoelaces or zip up my pants. And you would be amazed how much you need your thumb and its crippling when it goes out. According to some videos the person says that guitar playing is not the reason for arthritis. But I want this pain gone and any suggestion on how to fix this would be appreciated. And btw I am a billionaire and in the middle of trying to get to my money but when I get it, I am going to send some your way because I want heaven on earth and people like you trying to help others 0ut with sharing is how it will it work, and thy kingdom come is my belief.
You are welcome! I was VERY lucky to have an amazing teacher, Ben Cantu, who helped me develop this. His teacher, Ricardo Iznaola, was a technique MASTER!
Brilliant lesson. Even with 23 years playing under my belt, I needed to hear most of this (due to constant wrist fatigue). Thank you so much for this lesson!
I've been playing guitar for maybe a month and I feel so fortunate to have found this video since I'm reading these comments of people saying they just figured out barre chords after years of trying. Big thanks from me.
That last tip was literally a life saver. Not only did it help with bar chords but it is now way easier to slide my fingers up and down the frets just by having that pressure applied by my arm. Major thank you.
I was trying to learn the F#min barre chord and the pain in my hand was killing me! I found your video and am so glad I did! Not only did I finally succeed but it became much more painless for my hand. Thanks! I have subscribed. :)
Fantastic video. I have been struggling with barre chords, and after watching this, it is because I spend too much time trying to get the optimal sound while trying to "squeeze" out the chord. Great and informative to learn about using the arm, and pulling the guitar with the other arm.
Duuuude, I freaking hate barre chords, and I refuse a Capo.. this technique( broken down nicely), has me playing without frustrating finger cramps. The contact Points, thumb placement and using the old roman leverage technique. Nice.... UPDATE!!, in case you were like me and got frustrared playing barres and 2mnths later I'm a totally different player, I can't put real time in but I learned this lesson very part time and have these barres pretty much nailed, I don't have alien hands so the super eight fret stretch aint happening..been playing off and on when I can and love it..Im sure you'll learn playing them,using the arm is huge(I gave up, just solo over backing tracks, started out trying to play satch and got good doing so but never understood what I was playing and why?) learned back asswards no real lessons, and love the Blues now.. even different tunings with slide added.. I'm from a (dead kennedys, bad religion,suicidal tendencies,black sabbath, zeppellin,maiden,satriani,vai,Gilbert,Buckethead type Genre... now using four digits on acoustic(working on my pinky plucker..lol) playing some jimmy johnson, blue grass style music.. freakin weird how the path of music/life take you...
Update: since pretty much nailing these chords, it's put so many missing pieces of the puzzle together, notes in the scales in relation to the chord, plus a few extra for style.. Add pull offs, hammer ons, tap harmonics..= medicine.
I’ve been playing guitar for over 35 years and here’s my tip, for what it’s worth: 1. learn guitar on a steel string acoustic, not electric. 2. Whenever you’re not playing guitar squeeze a squash ball with your left hand. Both of these techniques will build up strength in your left hand.
I've been struggling with barr chords on my baritone uke since I got it. You're literally a miracle worker. I'm getting a guitar for christmas so im so keen to try it on it.
do you have an advice or do you recommend a specific exercise.. if when I close my left hand fingers, the second and third finger are almost impossible to space apart to reach two consecutive frets? I see that you can go even a fret difference further...
Is your wrist very square or is it straight? Are you squeezing with your muscles in your hand? Are you squeezing with your thumb? Try to avoid all of these things. If you can keep your wrist straight and your palm/thumb relaxed, you will not be "fighting" against yourself. The more pressure you apply with your fingers or thumb, the harder it is to control the other fingers. If your fingers are tight and can't move apart you are likely squeezing very hard in some way or another. If you are very square with your wri8st, your fingers will prefer to behave more rigidly and you will feel pain in your wrist. Watch more videos on beginner technique.
the major shape shounds great, finally... But when I lift the middle finger and try to play a minor chord that note doesn't sound at all and I can't figure it out.
Move your index finger higher or lower so the knuckle is closer to the third string. Try to roll your finger to the side if you haven't already. One thing not mentioned in this video is that your can roll your finger to the side by bringing your left elbow in a bit closer to your body. Try to come closer to the frets if you can. Also, try just barring e-g-b strings with the lower part of your index finger, this may give you some insight with your other fingers out of the way.
My teacher Ben Cantu showed me that one. I had tears in my eyes haha. I just put out a new lesson for the first time in a while, check it out if you get the chance: ua-cam.com/video/xj9TREee2kw/v-deo.html
@@rossthemusicandguitarteacher you've no idea the pain i went through by pressing my poor index against the strings. i recently started playing and was struggling with bar chords. my G,B was always muted no matter how i placed my index but tried your technique first time and BOOM, amazing. i played the whole morning jubilated till i couldn't feel my fingers lol. will be checking out your videos and definitely will recommend your videos.
unfortunately I had to injure my hand before I learned all these tips ,pulling the arm especially ,it should also be mentioned that string tension and action play huge role in ease of playing barre s
Zhinoi it’s because you are playing with your barring finger flat against the fret board. When you do that, the natural curve in the middle of your finger mutes the string as it can’t press it all the way down. Roll your finger over slightly so it’s not flat
Can't thank you enough, dude! Been struggling with consistency in barre chords over the last year, and pain tended to be an issue... I heard about number four as a great trick, but three and five really helped.
dude thanks for this vid! i've been playing guitar for around 8 years, and I was playing barres in a way that was damaging my wrist to the point that I had to go to PT. Trying to relearn techniques to keep from hurting myself again, and this is SO HELPFUL!
![How To Easily Play Barre Chords Without Pain & Buzzing - [Complete Guide]](/img/n.gif)
....Finally it took Jesus..to teach me barre chords.
Gr8 lesson
Haha this made my wife laugh so hard.
Amen!! 👍😂😂
I still cant fucking do them! ahhhhh :,(
@@samueljackson315 you must relax. Frustration is the barrier to progress.
@@rossthemusicandguitarteacher i've not really used many barr chords in my learning but i did learn the F bar chord, i can do that, but tried a song yesterday and can i bugger get the Gm or the Gm (with the pinky raised) so only one finfer and i'm finding it hard to tilt the finger on it's side, maybe because I started learning too late
Aw. Hozier is a great teacher
TheGrumpyGoose oh I thought he was jesus
Damn I'm actually here to improve my barre chords to play Hozier songs
@@21units same 😎
🤣
5th
barre chords were invented by jazz guitarists to punish us for not buying drinks in the clubs
Caleb M Makes TOTAL sense! 😁💥😁
😁
Gotttt emmm
@@akingaard3535 7u
If you are still struggling try putting your guitar on your left leg it really helped me so now I just need to get used of it on my left leg😅😅
Me: *is close to tears trying to play barre chords*
UA-cam Algorithm: s a y n o m o r e
Update: your gal can play barre chords now 😎
i still can't :(
@@gerraff1518 haha what about now
@@Jadpon_ kinda
@@gerraff1518 lets go man!!!!
@@gerraff1518 I have been trying f major for over a year now hehe so xd
I have tried barre chords for 3 years... You just fixed it in 5 minutes in 51 seconds. You are a hero
RadioGuy thank you my friend!
Ha! I avoid them for years thinking ehhhh there whatever fuck a bar chord ahahah not the case..😬
Thank you for your service man kept it simple
RadioGuy They are the first thing I taught my self 45 years ago.
RadioGuy 5 minutes and 52😂😂😂
I like the fact that went right to the lesson without all that talking before hand and was very informative... great lesson
every guitar beginners need to see this
Agreed
Adrian Russell it's never too late - I'm a beginner at 64. I'm learning to barr chords myself and after much frustration, I can do some, though F is hardest for me so congrats to you! I've discovered dropping my shoulder and bringing my elbow in to my waist works for me. Don't despair, because if my tiny, old hands can do it you can!
Yes, I am an older beginner as in playing for three months. I will have a go tomorrow. Thank you for giving me heart.
This comment you made is from a while ago, but how far have you came? I hope your guitar journey is going well!
Thank you. This helped me a lot :)
Didn't need more than the basics in the 60's and haven't played since....now I'm 65 and giving it another shot!
enchanted watermelon I’m just getting notification of your question. I’m sitting outside on my tree swing (my happy place) practicing right now! I’m happy to report that though I’m not making barre chords perfectly, I have my good days! I’m into fingerpicking and recently discovered John Prine songs just before he passed with covid 19. I’m working on Summer’s End and Hello In There at the moment. We’re blessed to have so many wonderful instructors on UA-cam. Practice some every day if possible and make a quality decision to hang in there on “bad” days and never be a quitter! I’m so in love with learning guitar! 💞
SUMMARY: IT REALLY SOUND GREAT THIS WAY THNAKS FOR THIS VIDEO
1)USE SIDE OF YOUR INDEX FINGER
2)FINGER SHOULD BE RIGHT NEXT TO FRET & BE CAREFUL WHICH STRING REALLY NEEDS BAR
3)DONT SQUEEZE BY INDEX FINGER, THUMB SHOULD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BACK OF BAR
4)PUSH THE GUITAR BY YOUR CHEST AND PULL THE FRETBOARD BY THE CORD HAND,
5)PULL THE GUITAR BY THE STRUMMING ARM TOWARDS YOU
i actually sprained my wrist trying to learn barre chords and got so frustrated I gave up on guitar for nearly 5 years. finally got determined enough to try again and found myself at this video, and barre chords actually feel achievable now. thank you so much for saving me from medical bills and frustration haha
No. 4 and No. 5 are so helpfu that I don't know if I can ever figure it out myself! Thank you so much for the tips!
You are very welcome 😁
I just want to add- Making barre chords is the place in guitar learning where a lot of people give up sadly(especially older beginners). So just a nice thought for today- you have helped more than a few people continue on their musical journey instead of giving up, all by deciding you share what you have learned...Thank you!
I can't express my gratitude, for months I've been trying to do bar chords. Like you have saved me from the depressing frustration of thinking I'll never be able to really play the guitar.
A couple of other things you need to look at is the height of the action on the guitar. If it's too high it will make playing barre chords more difficult even for experienced players. Another tip is to use lighter gauge strings. So if you currently use 12's (light gauge) then drop to 10's (extra light) and you'll find it a lot more comfortable to play barre chords without the pain.
UA-cam is just incredible, can you just imagine without Ross's help I'd have probably given up on my barre chords and just avoided songs with them in altogether. Cheers Ross 👏👏
the best tutorial i have ever watched. 5 minutes and 51 seconds and i can finally play barre chords :)
Comments like this are why I do what I do. :) So glad this helped you!
Dude i've been playing guitar by myself for almost... 14 years, i know my way arround chord voicing, positions, scales and all that good stuff, but the technique man, my technique sucks. In barre chord territory i've been blindfold, at some point I even had an had injury
for playing wrong, putting all the preasure on the muscle betwen my thumb and my index finger ending in the clinic with tendonitis
.
This video is MUST SEE for every guitar player, whether new or experienced
, really a game changer!!! Thanks so fucking much!!!!
This is brilliant - years of playing and NO ONE ever told me this. Ross should be in the guitar hall of fame just for this one piece of advice
How can this video have only 1500 views? Man you literally nailed it, I've been 3-4 years playing and always had trouble playing barre chord (mostly on acoustic guitar because the pressure needed is higher), I was never able to play songs that had only barre chords or that 3 of the 4 chords were barre chords.
You literally saved me man, big thumbs up and you got a new sub!
Happy to help!! And I am glad to hear that you have broken the barre chord barrier!
Ocsar you nailed it
Adrian you nailed it...
@@rossthemusicandguitarteacher I have literally had the same problem. Always used to put songs to the side that had barre chords in them and stick to the easy stuff! It actually sounded like a Bm (clapping hands) !!
great lesson on barre chord
The one about pulling rather than squeezing is what’s saved my barre chords, thankya Jesus!!
I’ve been playing for eight years and it never occurred to me that there were ways to make barre chords less painful. I thought you had to play through the pain to be good lol but it still hurt after this long. You saved my life and my hands my dude
Bro, that pull technique VS the squeeze is a game changer
Omg I've been crying through some song because I've not had this technique down at all. This feel so much better after only trying out on a few chords. Thank you so much!
Wow nobody told me this. After years of pain I finally decided to UA-cam it and you literally just explained it point blank without wasting time. This video was here when I started. From now on I will simply solve the problems I don’t understand by looking them up. Thank you.
Very welcome! If you get a chance, visit my channel and give some of my new songs a listen, would be appreciated. :) Happy practice!
The smile after you say “no squeezing needed” at ~4:26 is worth a million bucks in guitar lessons. Mahalo for sharing your know how.
I've been playing guitar for about15 years on and off, and i've never been able to play bar chords for more than one song at a time because my hand would start hurting and getting tired. As a kid when i told my guitar teacher that it hurt or my hands were getting tired he just said i would build the muscle eventually if i practiced enough, so i just assumed they were supposed to hurt. Now that I know more about technique i realised if it hurts i'm probably doing it wrong. And so finally i decide to look into it and see your video. You probably just saved me from rsi or an injury of some sort.
Your teacher probably also had trouble playing barre chords and therefore, couldn't really help you.
Notes:
01: Side of finger
02: Right against the frets - focus on parts needed for the chord
*03: Thumb should be placed in the middle of the barre = even pressure on the fingers
04: Pull with the arm
05: Push on the body
Great lesson! 😁
I can honestly say this is the best lesson I have seen for beginners learning Barre chords.
Glad you found it helpful!
I don't think you understand how much I would like to thank you after playing guitar for 5 years, I've never done barre chords better. Thank you lol
You are very welcome. :)
Number 3,4,and 5 changed my life for ever. Thank you it is easier now
this guy seems super chill, i love the unedited video format! also i have been trying to figure out barre chords for the past hour, thanks for the help!
Glad to help however I can!
Thank you sooo muuuchh, I'm only fifteen but I have been getting very very severe wrist pain from playing Barre chords and it has been effecting my daily life. I'm so glad I don't have to quit guitar because of pain now!!!!!!!
After a 40 year break from guitar playing, it was great to learn your tip number 5. I recall my classical guitar tutor telling me about the no squeeze and push the neck into my hand (tip 4), but the addition of your 5th tip has made the barre cords sooo easy. :)
hands down 1 of thee bestttt tutorial i have ever seen
Man i was struggling so damned hard with my f and bM. 45 minutes after seeing this video, struggle no more.
Thank you so much! I'm 2 months in and i couldn't imagine how i was gonna progress beyond those two
Super happy to help. My teacher Ben Cantu originally helped me with this.
I cannot believe it! After being unable to play barre chords and thinking I would never get there I find one lesson, no just one tip makes it all possible. I move my thumb back on the neck and hey presto, my wrist no longer is at an unatural angle, it no longer hurts, the strings ring out clear and my F chord sounds like an... F chord! I feel like I've just started to walk after crawling for ages. Thank you.
Best advice I believe I have gotten for Barre chords. Just holding my elbow in went from mutted strings to getting an acceptable sound, I need practice it but to working with it. Thanks!
Much love! My teacher Ben Cantu helped me greatly with this.
Wow....now I could put away my capo because finally we have a real, unselfish guitar teacher!!!! Thanks (Bogota, Colombia...ex-pat
Great tips! Thank you! The last 3 points really put a fine point on some things I was intuitively trying to do but couldn't figure out exactly.
For me in the begging I found out that Barre chords are far easier to play with the guitar in classical position, neck almost perpendicular to the ground and then slowly letting the guitar neck come down until it's parallel to the ground, or whatever angle you play at.
Seriously you dont understand how many years ive avoided bar chords because i couldnt play it. It was all in the placement of my thumb that changed it all. Wow thank you so much youre amazing!!!!!
OMG ! You are an actual genius!!! I had an injury on my left arm and have had several surgeries on it, which has left if quite weak, so i've always struggled with barre chords, this video has been nothing short of a miracle!!! Thank you!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Very glad to help. 👌
This video deserves tons more views.
just started out on guitar and this was literally the most informative and most helpful way of playing these barre chords. I can now play them with such ease thank you so much dude!
Thanks for the kind words brother!
Wow. I am a total beginner and have never done a successful barre chord before. After watching your video twice and applying your wisdom I can make a decent sounding e minor. Thank you so much!
Before watching this video my strings were buzzing like a fridge, afterwards they were singing out like canaries. Feels quite effortless when you know how. Thanks!
Just started playing guitar about 2 months ago. I just got into learning the F barre chord and this video saved me so much frustration and headache. Thank you so much!
These tips are literally genius.
Two years after creation of your lesson, I discover your video and its changed my life for Barr Cords!
Thank you so much man, have been doing bar chords on and off but when I tried to learn a song with them there would always be a string buzzing and I’d be pushing very hard, now I’m starting to do them with ease!! Thanks again lifesaver
Happy to help and much love
This...!!! Thank you!!! I just... Thank you man!!! Took me 7 Years of practice to find this video and fix 7 years in 5 Minutes...
You are an excellent teacher!! Many thanks for the exceptionally clear lesson.
You are very welcome!
Oh man, this is such an eye opener! I've been playing a few months and working my way through some classical-ish music book I've got, and this was exactly what I needed to apply consistent and pain-free pressure as needed to play so many parts of the music. Thanks so much!
This is the first video of yours I've seen, but immediately I notice that you radiate all sorts of valuable qualities in a teacher - experience, perceptiveness, humility, and a pure desire to help people learn. I feel really lucky to have found this. I'm subscribing; I'll be back to learn more later.
THANK YOU! I’ve been using my thump to apply pressure and didn’t realize that it was making it worse. I’ve been trying to practice with my thumb off and it’s definitely helped!
You are so welcome!
Holy moly! This video is what it took for me to finally - FINALLY - be able to do barre chords. Every beginning guitarist should watch this video. Save yourself gobs of frustration. This video was like magic. Thank you, thank you!
Hey thanks for the awesome tips Ross. I really appreciate the fact that you were kind enough to share your knowledge!
I broke my left thumb playing cricket and have been devastated at not being able to play barre chords. Your last 2 tricks just saved my years worth of practice. Thank you Jesus :-)
People: Hozier
Other people: Jesus
Me: Is there any difference...?
Yep
Has to be the most helpful video I've watched on barre chords as a beginner - the technique does work, no more sore fingers :))
Bro thank you. You are a genius I love that pull on the left push on the right idea. I haven't tried it yet but thinking that is good and all these little things I haven't thought about make a difference. Truth is right now I am suffering with extreme hand pain in my left thumb. It came on a few years ago and i didn't have an injury that I did that day and then the pain was there. It was all of a sudden, I felt pain and it nagged and i don't know how many years it has been now. But i have had nights that my hand looks like i have mangled it because for some reason i feel relief when i pop the joints and i will just be yanking on the thumb in different directions till i hear the pop. And my instincts know to open it up there and i get the pop and if feels amazing when i do get it. But I wonder if it is all in my head and all i am doing is more damage. And i know I am supposed to sit up straight and have good posture, but I lay on my back alot and play lying down. It may be due to the fact I live in a bridge under a freeway that you can't stand up inside of and have to crouch to move around inside. I thought that the pain was due to the fact that my father had given me a very cheap acoustic and the action was so high you could do the limbo under it. When I lost my father, I missed him so much and would busk on the streets using that guitar and because it came from him, I loved it, and I was obsessed at that time too and would play for 8 hours straight and could still keep going I loved it. But it hurt my hands pushing down those high in the air strings for so long. And I have had a few hand injuries like ride the bike on a bike trail and not see in the dark the metal things they put there when it comes to a road to cross. And another time carrying a guitar case and the side of a computer piece of metal at the same time in one hand. The 2 items split open from each other and omg the pain was intense i had to go to a chiropractor to try and fix it. And i wondered if that moment had come back to haunt me. I have been playing guitar for over 35 years and i can't tell you the misery of being able to shred and sound like Satrani and then all of a sudden you can't play Every Breath you take because i am only about to play a tenth as good as I used to play. I see people playing and miss being able to do that. And I even got a Quartarone shot or however you spell that. But i didn't get told any exercise to do or rehab. So having to research it all myself because i want it better again and it is embarrassing when i can't open up a ketchup packet or tie my shoelaces or zip up my pants. And you would be amazed how much you need your thumb and its crippling when it goes out. According to some videos the person says that guitar playing is not the reason for arthritis. But I want this pain gone and any suggestion on how to fix this would be appreciated. And btw I am a billionaire and in the middle of trying to get to my money but when I get it, I am going to send some your way because I want heaven on earth and people like you trying to help others 0ut with sharing is how it will it work, and thy kingdom come is my belief.
You are welcome! I was VERY lucky to have an amazing teacher, Ben Cantu, who helped me develop this. His teacher, Ricardo Iznaola, was a technique MASTER!
Brilliant lesson. Even with 23 years playing under my belt, I needed to hear most of this (due to constant wrist fatigue).
Thank you so much for this lesson!
4:50 My mans out here pullin gang signs
Hahahahaha this and that Jesus comment made me really drop from the Sofa 😂
Ahahahahahaha
I've been playing guitar for maybe a month and I feel so fortunate to have found this video since I'm reading these comments of people saying they just figured out barre chords after years of trying. Big thanks from me.
Thank you so much! My hands were killing me. Hopefully your technique helps my hand pain
That last tip was literally a life saver. Not only did it help with bar chords but it is now way easier to slide my fingers up and down the frets just by having that pressure applied by my arm. Major thank you.
So, my hands are pain free.
Now to my back.
and my thigh
@@creator4734 yes please
iF he can fix back, thigh and finger pain I've got this abdominal issue he could look into.
This is honestly the only video that actually taught me HOW to play a barre chord. THANK YOU
This was the most helpful tip ever! You, sir, are a godsend!
You are most welcome!
10+ years of playing and I knew only like 2/5 of these. Thank you, this was genuinely helpful
I liked the Chili Peppers better before you left.
Lmao
ua-cam.com/video/h1KbRqA2MCU/v-deo.html
Edit hes back in peppers @Fred
Ahhhhhahhahahaha Funny, I just saw another vid where he's wearing a plaid shirt & I thought oh kinda like JF!
has entered the chat
I was trying to learn the F#min barre chord and the pain in my hand was killing me! I found your video and am so glad I did! Not only did I finally succeed but it became much more painless for my hand. Thanks! I have subscribed. :)
*Barre chords* : I will end your career 😎
*This random life saving Jesus lookin guy teaches* : HOLD MY GUITAR 🎸
lol bruh y u aint got more likes plus mr jesus got more views
@@amankodimela8499 thTs not nice
Fantastic video. I have been struggling with barre chords, and after watching this, it is because I spend too much time trying to get the optimal sound while trying to "squeeze" out the chord. Great and informative to learn about using the arm, and pulling the guitar with the other arm.
YESSSS @the push-pull technique, helped so much
I started playing guitar Tuesday and I have finally been able to do bar chords thanks to his video. Recommend it to beginners who are struggling 👍😁
this video saved my life, i will forever be in debt
The tip on pulling is pure gold.
Duuuude, I freaking hate barre chords, and I refuse a Capo.. this technique( broken down nicely), has me playing without frustrating finger cramps. The contact Points, thumb placement and using the old roman leverage technique. Nice.... UPDATE!!, in case you were like me and got frustrared playing barres and 2mnths later I'm a totally different player, I can't put real time in but I learned this lesson very part time and have these barres pretty much nailed, I don't have alien hands so the super eight fret stretch aint happening..been playing off and on when I can and love it..Im sure you'll learn playing them,using the arm is huge(I gave up, just solo over backing tracks, started out trying to play satch and got good doing so but never understood what I was playing and why?) learned back asswards no real lessons, and love the Blues now.. even different tunings with slide added.. I'm from a (dead kennedys, bad religion,suicidal tendencies,black sabbath, zeppellin,maiden,satriani,vai,Gilbert,Buckethead type Genre... now using four digits on acoustic(working on my pinky plucker..lol) playing some jimmy johnson, blue grass style music.. freakin weird how the path of music/life take you...
Update: since pretty much nailing these chords, it's put so many missing pieces of the puzzle together, notes in the scales in relation to the chord, plus a few extra for style.. Add pull offs, hammer ons, tap harmonics..= medicine.
Wyatt Sprague awesome sauce, man. Keep blessing the world, one note at a time - there isn't enough of it.
push and pull instead of squeezing.... total game changer for this newbie, thank you!!!
OMG I feel like crying. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!
You are most welcome!
Thanks! Super helpful.
Thank YOU! Glad it helped. :) Once you can get barre chords lots of things open up
Ok, this was basically life-changing for me, thank you, Jesus!!!
Hands down, the best lesson that I have seen on Barre Chords...!
I’ve been playing guitar for over 35 years and here’s my tip, for what it’s worth: 1. learn guitar on a steel string acoustic, not electric. 2. Whenever you’re not playing guitar squeeze a squash ball with your left hand. Both of these techniques will build up strength in your left hand.
I've been struggling with barr chords on my baritone uke since I got it. You're literally a miracle worker. I'm getting a guitar for christmas so im so keen to try it on it.
You remind me of Sirius Black from Harry Potter :)
KiwiWRX i
KiwiWRX NOT AT ALL.
Mr Guthrie more like
nah he is guitar jezuz
Number 5 is a killer - you are right to be proud! Thanks much for that lesson.
It turns out that Jesus exists and is a guitar teacher. I mean, he just made a miracle, thanks to him I got the barre chords sounding correct
Man your 5 minute video did what I could not do for months. Thank you so much.
do you have an advice or do you recommend a specific exercise.. if when I close my left hand fingers, the second and third finger are almost impossible to space apart to reach two consecutive frets? I see that you can go even a fret difference further...
Is your wrist very square or is it straight? Are you squeezing with your muscles in your hand? Are you squeezing with your thumb?
Try to avoid all of these things. If you can keep your wrist straight and your palm/thumb relaxed, you will not be "fighting" against yourself. The more pressure you apply with your fingers or thumb, the harder it is to control the other fingers. If your fingers are tight and can't move apart you are likely squeezing very hard in some way or another. If you are very square with your wri8st, your fingers will prefer to behave more rigidly and you will feel pain in your wrist.
Watch more videos on beginner technique.
This video change my whole outlook on playing a barre chords. The last two tips are game changers. Brilliant!
the major shape shounds great, finally... But when I lift the middle finger and try to play a minor chord that note doesn't sound at all and I can't figure it out.
Move your index finger higher or lower so the knuckle is closer to the third string.
Try to roll your finger to the side if you haven't already.
One thing not mentioned in this video is that your can roll your finger to the side by bringing your left elbow in a bit closer to your body.
Try to come closer to the frets if you can.
Also, try just barring e-g-b strings with the lower part of your index finger, this may give you some insight with your other fingers out of the way.
@@BibleStorm that was super useful advice. Thanks covid!!!
good lord, that tip about pulling with your arm really helped. i tried it FIRST time and it instantly worked. great great tip
My teacher Ben Cantu showed me that one. I had tears in my eyes haha. I just put out a new lesson for the first time in a while, check it out if you get the chance: ua-cam.com/video/xj9TREee2kw/v-deo.html
@@rossthemusicandguitarteacher you've no idea the pain i went through by pressing my poor index against the strings. i recently started playing and was struggling with bar chords. my G,B was always muted no matter how i placed my index but tried your technique first time and BOOM, amazing. i played the whole morning jubilated till i couldn't feel my fingers lol. will be checking out your videos and definitely will recommend your videos.
@@rossthemusicandguitarteacher Nice vdo
unfortunately I had to injure my hand before I learned all these tips ,pulling the arm especially ,it should also be mentioned that string tension and action play huge role in ease of playing barre s
Been trying to learn the F chord forever now. This literally just made my day!
How come every time I try playing a barre chord the G string gets muted?
Zhinoi it’s because you are playing with your barring finger flat against the fret board. When you do that, the natural curve in the middle of your finger mutes the string as it can’t press it all the way down. Roll your finger over slightly so it’s not flat
Tip #3 changed my life, #4 and #5 changed my future! Thanks mate!
OK Ross: now show me how its done on an acoustic...
Works the same, just a bit harder.
Dude! He was using an acoustic.
@@joetroutt7425 He probably meant "classical".
Actually he's using an electric
Can't thank you enough, dude! Been struggling with consistency in barre chords over the last year, and pain tended to be an issue... I heard about number four as a great trick, but three and five really helped.
Everyone is saying who you remind them of so imma just add Brian May into the mix. Not a lot but just enough ya know?
Dude I was thinking the same thing!! Smart guy with curly hair and... a red guitar that probably very special...
Brian May's like a 100 years old.
@@happybird4907 gods don't age
@@shelbylynn7319
Don't believe in God's.
But I will say he plays a mean guitar 🎸
dude thanks for this vid! i've been playing guitar for around 8 years, and I was playing barres in a way that was damaging my wrist to the point that I had to go to PT. Trying to relearn techniques to keep from hurting myself again, and this is SO HELPFUL!