Learn & Master Guitar Secret #4

To Learn Barre Chords, Lower Your Wrist

This is #4 in a series of Learn and Master Guitar Secrets. These simple tips can help you improve your guitar playing skills and sound better. Here's the next one. It's a "play better" tip for overcoming one of the most challenging problems in learning guitar.

It reminds me of that Davy Crocket song about him 'killing a barr...' Most new guitar players would say these ARE a bear!

Learn & Master Guitar Secret #4: To Learn Barre Chords... Lower Your Wrist

Barre chords are often one of the biggest hurdles you'll face when you're learning how to play. (In case you don't know, 'barre chords' are those chords that require your index finger to stretch across and push down more than one string at a time. It allows you to make chords anywhere up the neck.)

Most of the trouble comes when folks just can't quite get enough pressure against the strings and they end up with notes that either 'buzz' or 'thump' (completely muted.)

Mastering barre chords is a game of focusing the right amount of pressure to get a clear sound. I've taught thousands of people how to play barre chords effectively so here are some ideas that'll help:

1. Squeezing the guitar neck doesn't work. You can squeeze your guitar neck until the varnish begs for mercy and you probably aren't going to get that F chord to ring out clearly.

The answer isn't in your "squeezing" muscles of the hand either. It's more about precision.

2. The strength needed for barre chords really comes from just the index finger (and supported by the thumb on the back of the neck.)

Keep your index finger straight--straight as an arrow. If you're getting buzzing or dead notes, it's usually the index finger curling or your wrist coming too close to the back of the neck.

There'll be some training involved. (I give you some good exercises for this in the Learn & Master Guitar course.) But for now, just don't let that index finger bend, keep the pressure on!

3. THE KEY...Lower the wrist. Resist the urge to raise your palm and wrist up against the back of the neck. Sometimes you'll feel like this is the only way to get enough pressure, but actually it's fooling you! It won't get the job done.

When playing barre chords, lower your wrist away from the back of the neck, letting your hand arch over the fret board a little more. That's how you'll keep your first finger straight and apply pressure where it's needed...down onto the fret board.

4. Be Patient. Musicians are "athletes of small muscles." And it just takes time to develop the tiny muscles used for making barre chords. So some folks just give up on barre chords too soon.

How long should you expect? Weeks or months usually. So don't get discouraged after three days of trying. You may not even be doing anything 'wrong.' It just takes a little time for both muscle development and muscle memory.

You'll see the breakthrough. Just keep at it.I can help. Check out Learn & Master Guitar here.

Keep Learning and Growing!

Steve Krenz
Author and Instructor
Learn & Master Guitar

Steve Krenz is a professional guitarist and guitar teacher in Nashville, Tennessee. For more information on his award-winning Learn and Master Guitar home study course, click on the button below