E Shape Major

[ahimsa]

@JustinGuitar your comment about adjusting the angle of the neck really helped me.
Spaced repetition to revisit the mechanics, each practice session is getting better.
White Rabbit has been one good practice song for me, F# G A C E

Thanks!

[uncleah]

I wouldn’t say that barre chords on my electric were easy but they are a lot easier than on my acoustic and I have them down fairly well. I had no idea that moving my index finger just down a little bit could make such a big difference on my acoustic. I don’t get it right all of the time but a whole lot more than before. My hope has been restored.

[artax_2]

The tip given at 13:06 about focusing energy not on the tip of the finger but in the middle of the barre is one that seems to be overlooked out in the guitar community at large.

However, I have to say I read on a different article that focusing the pressure on the middle knuckle (as opposed to middle of the barre as Justin suggests) might be easier for people to achieve. Maybe for some people it just just semantics. But I tried both ways and found Justin’s suggestion just ok, that trying to barre the middle of the barre didn’t always work and was hard to do. But as soon as I saw it described as focusing the pressure on the middle knuckle, it worked much better. This could be because my main issue with 6th string barres is the B string, since my middle knuckle sits directly on top it, so the string falls squarely into my knuckle crease. It seems like mentally focusing my strength to that middle knuckle instead of the fingertip (which is where we’ve been putting pressure for how many modules now?) is very helpful.

[SteveL_G99]

@theoneally

The wrist being straight is a bit of a doozy. I entered this lesson thinking I already had barre chords pretty much down, with some minor improvements to be made, but this totally changes things. Feels like I am learning them from scratch again when my wrist is straight

@theoneally Tim, your post was over a year ago and I am just starting this lesson, so I hope you sorted out your learning issues with the straight wrist. I learned the E shape barre chord many years ago and assumed I had some bad practices to overcome so I carefully studied my form with a mirror. I made an amazing discovery. If I changed the angle of my thumb to be less straight up and angled toward the nut, like playing a C chord, then my wrist straightened out. So:

Thumb straight up and parallel to the barre finger - bent wrist
Thumb at 45 degree angle to barre finger - straight wrist.

This just might be my peculiar biomechanics and short fingers, but i thought that it might be helpful to others.

[Tbushell]

@artax_2

This could be because my main issue with 6th string barres is the B string, since my middle knuckle sits directly on top it, so the string falls squarely into my knuckle crease. It seems like mentally focusing my strength to that middle knuckle instead of the fingertip (which is where we’ve been putting pressure for how many modules now?) is very helpful.

I got a lot of improvement with the B string by focusing on the feel of the string and the adjacent fret under my finger…not the pressure of my finger. I practiced just picking the B string and feeling it buzzing, and then applying just enough pressure to make it ring cleanly.

This helped when I played the whole barre chord.

According to the book “Learn Faster, Perform Better”, there’s some scientific evidence that this external focus - focussing on the contact with your instrument rather than internal sensations - is a better way to focus your attention when practicing.

[hurtfingies]

I was not very happy with the formatting of Beginner Grade 3 so instead, I opted to just spend time with the guitar in my hands, learning/playing songs and noodling around. Now that I have opened up this grade, I am so pleased to find out that this is exactly what I was already doing. Cheers

[TerrySpearman]

I find I do better if I move the thumb a bit closer to the body of the guitar, say behind the second finger rather than behind the bar. I think it helps by rolling the first finger onto the edge a bit and off the fleshy part

[AoxoA]

I can get a good sound with my thumb behind the middle finger and my wrist in bad position, but when I but my thumb behind my index finger and have a straight wrist, I can’t get the b string to ring out. What could I be doing wrong?

[Fast-Eddie]

I suggest moving your index finger around slightly and even rotating it a bit. When I’m making an E-shape Barre chord using my thumb over the top, my index finger is angled with the tip closer to the fret.

It can take a while, but you just need to keep making small adjustments to your finger positions until you find the right combination for your hand anatomy.

YMMV

[Tbushell]

@AoxoA

I can get a good sound with my thumb behind the middle finger and my wrist in bad position

That depends how “bad” your wrist position is.

I’m assuming you mean it’s bent. If it is 30° or less, I wouldn’t worry about it. Anything more than that might risk pain or injury.