Bar Chords - what the heck?

[ElVerde42]

I couldn't begin to make those shapes when I first started, I thought everyone was insane that it was even a possible technique.

OK this makes me feel much better I think it's that thing of "any skill I personally have is clearly no big deal because I can do it, but skills I don't have are Wizard Magic." Glad to be getting so much great information in this thread, though - I think it will help a lot.

 

[ripock]

and some days are better than others. Yesterday for example I was struggling for whatever reason whereas other days it is a thoughtless process for barres.

 

[ploverwing]

and some days are better than others. Yesterday for example I was struggling for whatever reason whereas other days it is a thoughtless process for barres.

Isn't that the truth? It's so frustrating when that happens. But then, I've noticed that sometimes if my brain engages too much, it interferes with my muscle memory, and screws playing up no end.

 

[ploverwing]

OK this makes me feel much better I think it's that thing of "any skill I personally have is clearly no big deal because I can do it, but skills I don't have are Wizard Magic." Glad to be getting so much great information in this thread, though - I think it will help a lot.

Lol you're so not alone!

 

[ElVerde42]

It is possible that your uke has the strings set too high at the nut. This makes playing barre chords a real trial of strength. You can test this by pressing a string down at the third fret. The string should now be almost touching the first fret. If the gap is more than the thickness of a piece of paper, I would suggest getting an experienced person to adjust the grooves in the nut.

I tried this and actually used a piece of paper - looks like the action is a teeny bit high. (Thanks for suggesting this and providing a way to check - I'd wondered but without knowing how to check it felt like I was blaming my tools for my own shortcomings. I'm about to move across the country but once that's done I'll take it in for adjustment. Would pretty much any music store that handles fretted instruments be able to do this?

 

[ElVerde42]

Problems playing barre chords start with problems with your posture. Before you read or watch 100 barre chord tutorials, watch this tutorial on ukulele posture, from the Ukulele Underground YouTube channel. P.S. If you are using a strap, get rid of it until you master barre chords. Relying on a strap too early can really mess up your posture.

I have an electric ukulele that I mainly practice on and it's imp

first of all I want to validate the OP. The reason barres are difficult is they are difficult. They take practice.

That being said, here is the one thing that cured my woes in about 20 seconds: instead of focusing on pressing into the fretboard with more and more pressure, make your elbow heavy. Gravity wants to pull your arms to the ground. Slightly exaggerate that force and pull your elbow toward the ground. Then as your fingers are being pulled downward, resist with your fingers. Thus, instead of just pushing into fretboard, you're pulling down and clamping down enough not to let your fingers slip off the fretboard.

I was having trouble with getting a clean E string on my barres and was frustrated, but after learning to pull down it fixed it in a matter of seconds. Give it a try; we're all different and maybe it won't fix you up but maybe it will.

Thank you for this suggestion and the validation - you described it very well and I will give it a try. (The "make your elbow heavy" suggestion is similar to suggestions I've found helpful with learning cues in horseback riding - isn't it funny how connections can pop up across various skillsets?)

 

[ploverwing]

I tried this and actually used a piece of paper - looks like the action is a teeny bit high. (Thanks for suggesting this and providing a way to check - I'd wondered but without knowing how to check it felt like I was blaming my tools for my own shortcomings. I'm about to move across the country but once that's done I'll take it in for adjustment. Would pretty much any music store that handles fretted instruments be able to do this?

You can certainly ask at any music store that handles fretted instruments; they may have someone on staff, or they may have a luthier that the refer people to (that's the case for my local music store).

 

[John Colter]

I tried this and actually used a piece of paper - looks like the action is a teeny bit high. (Thanks for suggesting this and providing a way to check - I'd wondered but without knowing how to check it felt like I was blaming my tools for my own shortcomings. I'm about to move across the country but once that's done I'll take it in for adjustment. Would pretty much any music store that handles fretted instruments be able to do this?

I live in England and I have learned to make these adjustments myself, so am not able to answer this question. When you are settle in your new home, you could seek out the local uke club, if there is one. Someone there would be able to advise you.

 

[John Colter]

To strengthen the muscles of your fretting hand, you could try playing this arrangement of DINAH. Most of the chords are best played with a barre. When I was committing this to memory it gave my left hand a real workout!

I don't know how to send a Google document so I photographed my computer screen - jpegs are easy to send.

 

[Kenn2018]

You most likely will have to slightly rotate your index finger to barre. (Meaning you'll use part of the side of your finger.) Your fingers have bumps and valleys. (Knuckles and the finger bones.) So you have to move your finger around to find the place where the finger is pushing all the strings evenly. (Across the neck.)

You don't have to smash the strings down to the fretboard. You only have to push hard enough to get clean notes. The closer to the nut, the harder it gets because you are bending the strings between a closer nut and fret.

You can also use the thumb behind the neck as a "pivot." Applying rotational force by moving your arm slightly. So all of the pressure doesn't come from pinching the thumb and fingers. IE: Gravity, rotational and squeezing forces combined.

I'd suggest you practice a single barre across all four strings so you can quickly make the barre at the optimal placement of your finger. Practice going from other chords to barring all four. Start at the 4th or 5th fret and move towards the 1st.

Practice these SHAPES:
BMaj7 shape 4444
Then practice a B7 shape: 4544
Then a Bm shape 6444
B chord shape 6544
D7 shape 4445

These shapes can be used up and down the neck to make other chords.
Many players, including me, play a B chord barring only the A & E strings with their index finger. It's quicker and easier. Practice the barre as well as using the half barre.

Practice while watchng TV. Mute the strings with your right hand.

My first uke was a Fender Nohea tenor I bought on Amazon. The strings were very high, and it took a pair of Vicegrips to barre a Bb or B chord. I had a setup done and they became much easier to hold.

 

[rustydusty]

and some days are better than others. Yesterday for example I was struggling for whatever reason whereas other days it is a thoughtless process for barres.

I totally agree with this, and and I appreciate it coming from somebody of your skill level. Sometimes it sounds good, Sometimes it sounds like crap. It all takes practice. I've had friends that have said: I wish I had musical talent, and I tell them, nobody is born able to play an instrument, it takes a lot of hard work and time. To get "good" at it, If you aren't willing to put in the time, you're never going to get there...

 

[Neil_O]

The strings were very high, and it took a pair of Vicegrips to barre a Bb or B chord.

Interesting idea for a capo!

 

[ploverwing]

I totally agree with this, and and I appreciate it coming from somebody of your skill level. Sometimes it sounds good, Sometimes it sounds like crap. It all takes practice. I've had friends that have said: I wish I had musical talent, and I tell them, nobody is born able to play an instrument, it takes a lot of hard work and time. To get "good" at it, If you aren't willing to put in the time, you're never going to get there...

Yup. Actually true about almost anything. You may have a certain knack at a young age, and if that's nurtured, you seem to be amazingly talented to those who don't know any better. But I think it still involves a heck of a lot of work, it's just that if you love it and have that little extra edge of underlying understanding, it doesn't feel like work. For everyone else, it's still a heck of a lot of work.

That said, be more like kids, who are unlikely to be much bothered if their barre chords aren't perfect. Good, consistently clean barring takes time to nail; in the meantime, cut yourself slack and enjoy expanding your musical capabilities with barre and other movable chord shapes. Don't hold yourself up to unreasonable expectations. You'll get there soon enough.

That is great advice: be more like kids who are less tied up in the end result and just take joy in the "hey, I'm playing the ukulele!" moment. OK, so we might be playing it like crap, but that's ok, because if we keep it up, we get to sound less like crap! I need to embrace this more: lately, I've been in a bit of a funk of "uuuuunnnnhhh it sounds so baaaad and it doesn't matter how hard I work at it!", which is nonsense. I sound a lot better than I did 6 months ago, and a whole lot better than I did a year ago (I didn't even play ukulele a year ago), and I have three glorious ukes to play on, and that brings me a lot of joy.