Why can't I play a bar chord??? (Tips for beginners)

A lot of people are asking the question "Why can't I play a bar chord on my guitar?" and this video is in response to that. Part of the problem could have to do with how your guitar is setup, as it may be making you work much harder than you need to. Part of the problem could be how you're approaching barre chords in terms of your hand and body position.

Sometimes people have a hard time playing bar chords on an acoustic guitar, but if it is properly setup, it should be not hugely different than playing bar chords on an electric guitar.

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[KyLives]

I think if you are having trouble with the bar chords it is because you haven't put the time in. 99% of the learning process is yelling bullshit at your fingers because they simply aren't built for this. Embrace the frustration and just keep trying, even if it seems like you are making little or no progress. You are slowly training your muscles and hardening your fingers. A pro won't tell you this because they soldiered straight through bar chords and thought nothing of the challenge. It was just one more thing to conquer. However for the vast majority of people playing guitar as a hobby this hurdle seems much too high and you shy away from it and gravitate towards something else. Do the hard work now. Lose your mind over it and future you will thank you for it. I just played my first bar chord that actually sounded right and I swear to you I thought it was impossible for my fingers to do what I wanted the first time I tried. I just practiced my basic chords so I wouldn't put the guitar down, then went back and tried bars again over and over until strings eventually started to ring out. Thanks RiffNinja!

[schoco]

you are the highest person iv'e ever seen, right on man.

[khanfliction]

This guy looks like he just came back from a pirate convention

[smoochie]

man hes a good teacher but hes totally super blazed in this video

[jollyjumper]

The first youtube guitar teacher that stands up and walks up to you

[renadamTWELVE]

Bravo to Teach on addressing technicals! So few do that!
Not sure if this will help the new students here, but my classical guitar instructor was insistent that form is everything in guitar work, particularly that which takes strength. It really doesn't matter if you're tackling. classical or punk: it makes a difference. As a singer who just learned to play guitar when I lost my voice for a time... I could not do a barred chord to save my life and didn't have to: I just played open and let my husband/guitarist do that heavy lifting. But I got a little bored with the open crap, so since I study genetics at U of M, I thought I'd take classical guitar as an elective. Best advice ever to newbies like me: "Neck up, wrist forward, fingers relaxed". Teach is very much exemplifying this here. Moving the wrist forward braces the thumb in proper position behind the guitar, better leverages the barre, and promotes the slight turn of the finger he's showing. As for pain... there is some involved in learning guitar, I'm afraid. Nature of the beast. Sore fingers are to be expected, but muscular pain in your fingers means break time for some very scientific reasons: Neural connections get confused when the muscles are tired and shaky, and you're not doing yourself any favors when you try to build muscle memory (don't kid yourself.. that's what practice is all about) under these circumstances. Your brain takes thirty to sixty seconds of repetitive movement to record a basic muscle memory: which is why tapping out your chords on the fretboard as part of your practice routine is immensely helpful (aside from building strength).  I'm not a virtuoso: my field is vocals, which I teach. I'm just passing along what my instructor taught me to save me a great deal of boredom and frustration so that I could play more and experiment more....and it opened SO many doors. STOP avoiding barred chords and just work your way through them. Success begins with the determination to try. Period. This is a great vid! Teach is just a little TOO nice methinks. Make good form your discipline and this stuff will fight you far less. :P

[lgninjalo]

I've been working on learning barre chords for well over 6 months now and its just starting to pay off. My suggestion is to find some songs you like that use shifts between barre chords up and down the neck to help build hand strength. Remember, feeling an ache in your hand is okay, but a shooting pain is not good, so be careful.

[skottlee]

I used to play the guitar a while ago but I made the mistake of jumping straight into shredding. Now I have to go back and learn all the chords. Bar chords are giving me a hell of a time, but your video has helped me on my technique. Thanks bro.

[JaleelJohanson]

I remember when I 1st started out on guitar. Playing a bar chord seemed like an impossibility. Then it finally came.... Best advice is to stay with it! Perseverance will win!

[PollyWillEinCracker]

wow that thumb positioning solved all my problems... and i've been paying a guitar "teacher" money for a whole year now -.-

wow couldnt believe the most important part that i was missing was actually centering my thumb on the back of the guitar neck. Adds much more strength when pressing the strings down. Thanks!

[marsCubed]

Another tip, is raising your hand position (and obviously the guitar neck) so it is about the same height as your chin and to your side, this makes it easier to play many chords as it improves the angle at which your fingers contact the strings/neck.
 ie, the position that classical guitarists adopt when sitting on a guitar stool.
That helps me out when I have really tricky chords to play.

 Mostly though, practice.. eventually you get there.
 using your thumb to apply pressure at the back of the neck aches at first and is not the best technique to try to learn at first.. however, over the years your thumb becomes super strong and stops aching, however you use it.. let that just happen naturally over time.

[carolellav]

Thank you so much for this video! you have no idea of how many people you're helping, keep the hard work! You deserve all the success with your work!!

[GilbertMwesiga]

I just landed on this video after a good search "barre chords impossible", 1 minute into the video, I knew I had finally found the guitar teacher I have been looking for.

[stlavoi]

Being someone still learning guitar and who recently started to master bar chords and am starting to understand what I was doing wrong in the beginning, I have to say that was very good advice. I was thorough and covered a bunch of issues that a lot of self learners wouldn't think of. Thanks for the great advice!

[TheEyered]

I could not do a barre chord to save my life before watching this video. A couple tries after watching this and now I got it. Thanks!

[rkeithpyle]

your videos have helped my banjo playing technique much more than the banjo videos out there. I have played saxophone for 40+ years, and am now stretching my brain by learning the blues banjo (yes, it is a thing). Thank you for your easy going style and straight forward videos.

[ChillingShillings]

good stuff, been playing since 1992 and never could play a bar chord and get the high strings to ring out, I was always trying to bar across the middle of the fret, tried the technique shown here and had instant success

[karlkellar]

Just one point -- you should learn bar chords and this vid (and others on Youtube) has some very good tips. But if you can't get it, don't let it discourage you or prevent you from playing. Depending on the style, you may never or very rarely ever have to use a bar chord. There are lots of substitute chords. And in some styles, e.g. blues fingerpicking, it's usually better not to use a bar. For example, you can play an F chord with your index finger on E & B strings (1st fret), middle finger G string 2d fret, ring finger on D string 3d fret, don't use A string (or use little finger on A), and wrap you thumb around the neck to get the bass F note on the low E string. This is sometimes preferable because you can move your fingers to reach notes, e.g., play G string open then hammer on to second fret, etc. Thus, you can play a melody.

[christianrincon]

Ahhhh, i just used the front of my finger for barres this whole time, thanks for the advice really worked👍