Secrets to Bar Chords - Page 2

A Common Mistake

 

A common mistake made by beginners in attempting bar chords is trying to lay the index finger flat across the frets. This is not the most effective method. The joints and folds in the skin make it very hard to get a clean crisp sound. By rotating the finger slightly the contact point becomes the side of the finger and the joints are moved to a position where they are unable to interfere in the quality of the sound.

Try this experiment. Take the tip of your index finger and place it between the thumb and index finger of your pick hand so that the nail is being held by the index finger and the thumb is holding the meaty part beneath it. Gently flex it up and down notice that the finger flexes at all three joint points.

Now turn your pick hand so that your index finger is holding one side of your fingernail and the thumb is holding the opposite side. Now flex your finger. You cannot. Your joints are not designed to flex from side to side. Your finger is much more rigid and immobile. By turning your finger to the 7 o'clock position, (holding your finger in front of your nose so that the nail points towards the sky. Imagine a clock face and count around your finger to the 7 o'clock position), you are making it much stronger, an effective foundation or bar for your musical growth.

A good way to obtain this 7 o'clock position is to move the elbow in closer to your side. Effective playing position dictates that the elbow be slightly ahead of the ribcage and close to the side. If you look at your fingers while they are placed on the frets they should be slightly below your shoulder.

The neck of the guitar should be in a gradual incline from the body to the end of the neck. If you feel uncomfortable at first remember once you have developed the skill you can fine tune the positions to make them more comfortable.

I want to make a few suggestions about strumming technique. It does not matter if you use a pick, your thumb, or a finger. What matters is that you strum slowly and rhythmically across the strings so that each sound can be clearly identified.

I highly recommend that you take the time to practice strumming with each of the implements listed above. Each one can be used to provide "special" textures to your music