JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Musician Message Forum Need help with barre chords

Hey Janice,

I read this post with great interest. I've been playing guitar for three years now. I noticed that all gentlemen have posted on this and thought it would be beneficial to hear from another female. I can play barre chords as an exercise type thing where I'm switching from one barre to another on a four count etc, but I can't play them in a song where I have to switch. The problem for me is that I have small hands with short fingers. I can't reach and maintain the tension. I also have moderate arthritis in my hands, especially in my thumb joint. This greatly effects my grip strength.

Another issue for me is that I've only memorized a couple of barre shapes but I learned a lot of open chords, so now I play up and down the fret board without having to barre. I try to work on them everyday though. I just spend about 5 minutes at the beginning and end of each practice session playing them. Mike D's advice to keep your elbow close to your body has helped me. I think it's good your guitar teacher is having you practice them. If you learn them early in your playing, you will have more options in your aresnal, very important for songwriting.

Good luck and keep practicing!