Beginner Guitar Lesson: Barre Chords

[opalxsays]

attempted to learn how to do these barre chords like 2 months ago gave up and attempting again. I have a feeling this isn't going to pretty...

[babygotaids]

are you crazy ?! this is impossible !!! my finger just cant grab all of the strings..its too close together

[Alexandermull1994]

@babygotaids practise practise practise. :D had this problem too but after2 weeks of practise now, i got it

[TheLilBolivian]

forearmmm owwwwwww D:

[Quackamore]

How can 95 people dislike this? 

[cheermeup100]

Thanks for the tips!

[Mr123whatevah]

i love barre chords...i learnt these chords in 2 weeks........i know it hurts your thumb and make you feel like your hand's gonna fall of or something.......but once you get used to barre chords you'll love them and hate open chords.......i dont like open chords at all coz you can't create muting effect in them...where as barre chords are so much easier to shift and to create muting effect................

[BeatMePromo]

well i did it but how do i do that in a song

[xblast196]

i don't care what anyone says barre chords are impossible.

[rurounisld]

took me 6 months to get them right and i still have much to be improved on but im not pushing my self much... i just want to find a nice song and try staff on

[HawK047]

Barre chords are the killer for most beginners. I know a ton of friends who just gave up on guitar because of the barre chords.

[barnfres60]

it all come s arround with a little practice,suprising how one day they just fall into place, but you gotta pit the hour,s in, and then magic !!

[Ojokernegro]

By 1:25 I thought you were bullshitting me, I'm not gonna lie. Then I tried it...at first it did come like a fart, then I just sort of adjusted to it, and the sound actually came off clean...for the first time in my 21 years I played a bar chord!!!!

[Ojokernegro]

@Ojokernegro *ecstatic* I just managed to play all of them!! Dude...I am dying over here with joy! Now the only problem is playing them with tempo...which is not gonna be simple. Especially when I need to place all other fingers before the barre chord. But your videos are dope

[ryanblinkguy]

I have difficulty with not muting the 5th string

[EnergyPigeon]

this is hard on a 7 string guitar with "jumbo" frets xD

[ghdvd]

Lol, I've been playing for a long time and its funny watching everybody complain about their fingers hurting, guys, use smaller string gauge, the strings will have less tension thus making it esier. Try some 0.10. 0.47. Or you can even put electric guitar strings on yiur acoustic

[blink182USA1]

frustrating...nuff said

[ThaPaperTrail]

i just end up muting everything :/

[iammean23456789]

my hands arn't big enough

[ryanblinkguy]

@iammean23456789 I used to think that, it comes, plus try some stretching techniques

[EmilyandFriends93]

This was helpful. Just takes practice I guess!

[cubs203]

thanks man you are awesome whenever i barred a chord earlier usually strings would be muted but after watching this and practicing the techniques ive been doing it perfectly :)

[steffiohmymusic]

thanks! great lesson Peter.

[MrTsalikidis]

i don't think my fingers are long enough

[MangoPQpersian]

sorry, i didnt get anything u just said in the last 4 min and 34 sec

[MrJammydodger1995]

anyone else who cant get the two middle strings to ring cause of a crease in your finger and want to smash your guitar of a wall...

[naruto20ist]

my skin is pilling off so much after this AW

[PIKACHU49386]

Umm... I'll just stick to metalcore...

[imonster242DRohrer44]

@CLMinzyDaraBom haha yeah, they will for awhile. Ive been playing for 3 years and for a 4 months I could play a good bar chord, didnt feel like practicing them or would have gotten it a lot sooner. But you just to hold your finger making the bar harder. But keep practicing and you'll get it!

[TehRealZERO]

this is an excellent video i was having trouble with the barr chords but the thumb position at the back of the guitar neck is a big help.

[lockpicker2k]

I love to finger barre my guitar! XD

[flipidy94]

wow I can't believe I never thought of adjusting my placement of the bar to be closer to the fret

[gfpadaso]

I seem to have no problem playing barre chords. The only problem that i get from playing them is my thumb muscle. I can only play for a limited time using them until the pain dies down. Any help with the thumb placement?

[cq9702]

@gfpadaso yeah just make sure your thumb is lined up straight with your index finger and eventually through time and practice the your thumb muscle will stop hurting. Everyone goes through this with bar chords :p. Good luck!

[juliejulesx]

240p we meet again.



[BruvixVG]

my fingers look like its been in a blender

[CLMinzyDaraBom]

my barre chords sounds like a fart

[MiSsDeViLiShCaT]

@CLMinzyDaraBom Dude, seriously. And when I try harder it sounds like a goose honking.

It's freakin embarrassing when you're playing in front of an audience.

[xyzjace]

I've been playing for a few months, and trying to get bar chords to stop cramping the muscle below my thumb. Seeing your thumb placement being between your first and second finger not only stopped the pain, it helps me get into shapes with greater ease. Thanks!

[soulsie9]

is there a problem if my fingers keep moving :@ Ffrrig

[RockinYellowlizard]

I feel evil looking at the comments because not long ago i felt exactly the same way 3:)

[Reddiestead]

@RockinYellowlizard so did you just practise it and it got easier?

[RockinYellowlizard]

@Reddiestead Yes! I looked at a list of barre chords, and practiced getting a full sound out of each one. I can play them fairly well now. :) It only takes about a week if you work at it.

[leighia1]

oww!!!!!

[jelwood14]

this cramps my hand!! :o

[Mr123whatevah]

i kept saying fuck for almost 10 times coz my thumb felt like it was being separated from my hand

[Cak3z]

My finger looks like a sunburnt Zebra... Ow.

[xxdeadmonkxx]

can`t hear G string in all barre chords ((

[BazzD1]

@xxdeadmonkxx i feel you bro, same problem

[CH3LS3AC]

aww my finger is too small :C

[awfguitar]

wish my finger were stronger. barre chords are so hard.

[Eragra3]

I like his smile :)

[splittersgit]

I hate barre chords! All I get from attempting them is cramp and suicidal ideation.

[UKToneKing]

Great lessons man, I have been playing guitar for years, and although I can listen to a song, then go and play it, I do not know a lot of the chords I am playing, a lot of people do not know what they are playing, they are still great players, but don't know what key ect they are in, this is why I am now learning it all, I guess I am at a loose end, so thought learning this would be fun and good to know, once it is learnt, that is it over and done I guess lol

[jennpangborn]

haha these comments are like a support group

[tes4o]

Does this hurt anybody else's thumb really badly?

[fgmez080193]

@tes4o lol I thought i was the only one.

[Zzzzz5959]

@tes4o Wrists, too!

[fieroturbo]

I have an easier time with barre chords than open chords... am I a freak?

[splittersgit]

@fieroturbo Yes! 

[fieroturbo]

@splittersgit - SWEET!!!

[splittersgit]

@fieroturbo Only guitarists take that as a compliment haha.

[fieroturbo]

@splittersgit - LOL!

[NiddiQifa]

@fieroturbo Fucking freak



[fieroturbo]

@NiddiQifa - :D Thank you!

[CB24Production]

I can play all of the barre chords but... after a while.. my thumb starts to hurt 

[smrniskool]

why does it hurt my thumb? :(

[LostInTransition13]

It's like trying to shift a fucking wardrobe with your finger at first.

[sanderboefie]

omg!!! i had problems with this chord and i've try'd it once and i can do it!!

THANKS!!! :) by the way sorry for my bad english (i'm eleven years old)

[painsme2]

I would like to add for everyone that this teacher can be found @ cvls.com..He has several books and dvds for sale there if interested!

[damonskates]

what is "heighth"

[coopjaquish]

@damonskates as in "how high" like width or length

[zoroarkking1]

u roooooooooooooooooccccccccccck­kkkkkkkkkkkkk



[NoLiefVlogs]

Thx man, I was trying forever to do a barre chord, guess I just needed the right technique.

[tnucnekcuf]

Heighth is my new favourite word.

[BarenakedLadiesLive]

For me, the hardest part of learning barre chords was transitioning between a regular chord (G for example) to a barre chord. Never really had trouble pressing down to get a pure sound out of them, but everyone is different. It just takes time and dedication. Be patient, as practice makes perfect!

[dontgetmenoswine]

first time ive played any bar chords that have sounded proper, thumb will out of action for a week but cheers none the less!

[FryMeALiiiver]

plugfather . com has some great lessons also, as well as an awesome javascript guitar tuner!

[guyinadv]

i pause my porn for this.. ugh!! porn resume..!!

[Edward8585]

bar chords rules!:))) are hard but you have to practice!i use my index first ,that s my way i find it a litlle easier!good luck!

[salzford]

my finger is far to small!!!!!!!!

[VertX]

great advice about putting first fingers and then bar. thanks!

[Zuerill]

my fingers =(

[ckmojoblow]

owwwwwwwwwwwww my f***ing wrist!

[philiphuynh]

@ckmojoblow jerking off with your left hand will strengthen your fretting hand

[jpwbox]

@ckmojoblow Perfect comment...I thought the pain was over once all my fingers were callused...now we move to bar chords! :-/

[DaRealBlubberyWalrus]

i HATE barre chords... btw wats the point of it?? answer plz

[mikusa09]

its already been 30 minutes and i can play them better already. thanks!



[sheep11394]

My Fingers too Small);

[nexxus230]

That helped a lot!!! especially the thumb placement

[themeleed]

I can't get the top two notes to come out fully, my index finger is having troubles...

[55MasabAfridi]

the G chord which you've played,is it also called G sharp major?

[cargirl2421]

It's also a lot about muscle strength in your fore arm if practice a few days just holding the chord it will be much easier after you work out those muscles

[Stanelz]

wow i remember when these were impossible for me to do...now they take no effort at all

[poackley3006]

Pete thank you so much for sharing. I have played the guitar for years and really never wanted to do anything but just play good enough to sing. You have opened some doors for me and it is well appreciated here. Dave

[ilsevdb]

AWSUM I CAN PLAY BARRE CHORDS NOW WOOOOHOOOOOO FEELS LIKE HEAVEN

[ToxicCrush96]

Anyone who can do this is clearly magical... I'm not magical.

[AnInnocentSwiftie13]

The awkward moment when I find learning barre chords off Youtube easier than I do learning them from the guy my mom pays to teach me :L

[SeaMoNsterzNoo]

bar chords are E.V.I.L!!!!

[H1GHONKN1FE]

Does squeezing a squishy ball help strengthen my fingers; hence, helping me bar chords?

[sdsddsfdsgfsgs]

@H1GHONKN1FE Yes it does. Keep doing it until you wanna cry of the burn then the next day it should feel alittle more stiffer and stronger. Do it everyday.

[Bobsaget937]

Goshhhh that hurts

[goodwinheath]

His guitar sounds awesome, just saying.

[DoubleSingleJ14]

@dbzmania123 - Don't let that stop you, everyone just needs practice. I'm a beginner guitarist that's young (12) and I thought I could everything down easy, and I thought wrong. Everyones been there, don't sweat it. Practice makes perfect!

[dbzmania123]

I press as i hard as i fucking can and still i can't get all the strings, and i see children 10 years younger than me do it better!!

[squadsleft]

Love it!

[CRABCORE4EVA]

the F chord....my enemy hopefully this will let me kill it

[LiAYuMmY]

Thank you so much! love this!

[SongwriterToInspire]

Hey thanks! Great lesson, it helps a lot!

[casdfdfsdfds]

THE THUMB.. MY THUMBBBB

[phl2bk]

Great video, very helpful!

[MellowLegume]

Bar chords are like bitches, they bitch.

[EpicVblogs]

... 6 years later - SCREW YOU FREAKIN' BAR CHORDS !!!!

[MrFluffybear101]

Im not really a "big" fan of bar chords o.e

[theguyinthefunnyhat]

i'm trying to play black hole sun in drop d. i always mute them.

[JOELIKESUKES]

do push ups work?

[ToErpeton]

@JOELIKESUKES :'D

[whitegandalff]

barre is easy ;)

[Parabellum13X]

For some reason I find barre chords so much easier, like so much easier than open chords. Everyone thinks i'm crazy lol.

[cheskie207]

@Parabellum13X you are crazy.

[MichaelMyers702]

See What You Guys Are Doing is That You Guys Press to Hard... Press the Barre With The Same Pressure As If You Were Playing A Normal Chord. :)

[0ThatOneChick25]

Dude thanks a lot. I finally learned how to do this. I'm so happy. I can finally learn more songs the right way

[Deoneta]

Wooooaaahhhhh! I practiced bar chords for a long time a few days ago and quit because my hands got sore. I just picked up my guitar and now I can play them with ease. JUST PRACTICE. IT WORKS!

[1mannen1]

o god i have trying to do bar chords for so long but have never worked for me and now i decided to look for help and here i find it and when i see he has his index finger almost on the other thread i try it and do you know what i could do a bar chord like a pro. there you see what a little move to the right can do. anyway thanks allot m8

[MrPeacecorp]

just get the action corrected by a good luthier or take it to the guitar shop and u will see that it has done a world of good to your playing (frommy own experience)...DONT attempt to adjust the truss rod to adjust action cuz its there for giving the neck enough relief..dont attempt to set up the guitar by yourself..

[MrPeacecorp]

those who find it impossible to barre the strings down without killing pain on the fingers get the action (height of the strings from frets) corrected..if ur finding it hard to barre then this could be a pointer to ur problem.. just check if the action is too high... preferably the action should be about 0.4 mm for thickest string at first fret and progressively lower for the other strings at the first fret and 2.5 mm for the 6th string & 2mm for Ist string at 12th fret(or lower)..

[MrPeacecorp]

C major and minor barre chords on the 3rd fret and B major and minor barre chords on the 2nd fret have the sixth string muted by the baring finger because the root/base note is on the 5th string means 6th string is muted to be theoretically correct. Practically if u barre 6th string it doesn't make a huge diffeerence to pick out by ear i think... Didnt see anyone correcting the mistake in the video...

[xoxotntxoxo]

my fingers are just not bending in the right places :(

[TheMada1518]

I can do it on the electric guitar.Its harder on for me

[decayandnostalgia]

I've got big hands and fat fingers. I'm having the most trouble c major. It's pretty hard to get my second finger on the string properly then barring it makes it really hard. I've got a fender tele standard if that makes a difference..

[Frawstbyte]

Other fingers before the first finger.... GENIUS!

Many thanks.

[Alinask84ever16]

i hate them!!!!! but anyway thank you:):)

[pEGiOnBoI]

These are freaking hard!

[patrickhutch36]

it just sounds vibratey! am i not putting my fingers down enough or wuut?

[bboyrules]

@patrickhutch36 you need to push down harder and make sure that all your fingrs are on the strings properly. just strum each string one a time so you can work out which finger it is making it sound like that, then you can work from there

[samljer]

@patrickhutch36 if it vibrates/fuzzes, you need to build hand strength.

[mustang19ms]

Thanks very much it was very helpful, the position of the thumb actually is very important.. so I will give you a thumb up :)

[SaleishaC]

oh my this is so helpful it rly helps me to do barre chords better thanks so much for the skills:))

[jemmagreendayy]

This is so helpful , i tried this before watching it and as soon as you said try

putting your fingers on starting from the smallest , i got it straight away.

[IBeShannNom]

@TheBlackblood96 I was just saying a random time.. i play guitar a couple of hours a day. I can play a few barre chords but i get stuck on a couple.. so, yeah i'm not an amateur.. and i AM dedicated. Jus' sayin bro'.

[Realrpg]

Is that a Martin D-41???

[savisaysrawrr007]

i can't do it i'm getting so pissed!!!!!!! my hands are really small so this is hard ):

[whatevrhappened138]

F*** bar chords! Agh!

[lkrauss100]

@whatevrhappened138 fuck chords in general!

[jonthediscobandit]

@whatevrhappened138 - They aren't that hard actually. But, you do need them if you're gonna be a guitarist. beefcakejcc definitely knows what he is talking about. It just takes some time to get used to. Don't give up, you won't regret it. Also, check out Marty Schwartz on youtube. He has a free E-Book that will show you all your chords, and he does free online guitar lessons, and he explains everything in detail. Best of luck to you my friend!

[painsme2]

@whatevrhappened138 Yes they are tough but i say you have it down by now and love them!

[alphaharps]

I cant do Barre chords, my hands are too small :-(

[jackjumperfreak]

@alphaharps bulllllcrap, just an exuse, alot of genius pro players have small hands, whp cares if you are good you can play everything, and when you practise u stretch ure fingers

[ArianeQube]

@jackjumperfreak Django Reinhardt used 2 (TWO) fucking fingers....and he still kicked shit out of most guitarists in his day...

[IBeShannNom]

How long would it take the average beginner to learn this if they did it for like 5 min's a day? (;

[TheBlackblood96]

@IBeShannNom if you do it for 5 minutes a day, you might as well quit cause its not your thing. guitar takes practice and time and practice.

[Quake203]

my barre chords actually sound good for the first time. thanks!

[Rayqiaoza]

I think you just have to practice till the skin there gets hard so it'll be easier later.

[diptwares]

I was having a lot of trouble with barre chords, one of my books said to "stick with it, it might take a couple of weeks," that was a joke, a year later I was still having problems.

What helped me with the breakthrough was the "heavy arm" school of thought, I read that and withing a few hours I could play a barred b7th.

Try a search for "barre chords, heavy arm" and that should get you to their site. That and help like here should get you some progress.

If not, there is always the piano!

[infinitedork24]

After an hour. OH MY GOD I CAN DO THIS

[Loves2Antique]

1,181 people like barre chords? I'm going to have to agree with the 87 dislikes for once.

[iHateyuall]

Trying to play creep -radiohead.. Killing my thumb..

[Jazziieh3]

i can't press my finger on the whole freaking fret. omg.

[PAULFC93]

I've been practicing these things for weeks now and i still can't get it quite right......i'm way better than i was.....but switching between normal chords and bar chords has to be one of the hardest things for a beginner guitarist to learn.

[EXPRESSON12345]

dat IS quite difficult indeed fr me..........

bt u knw 1 year ago i cudnt even hold the two lower strings of d 'F' chord n thot its jst damn impoosible

bt now its child's play....

hope i get dis 2 soon.......

[bornindeat]

thanks man really big help take care

[FakeProjectNo2]

i GIVE UP.

[101010twenty]

thinking about just learning songs without them

[OhmBoyTV]

This is the first instruction I've found that explained to place the 2,3,4 fingers down before the index finger. That is a huge help!

[pingoothepenguin]

I'm on a right handed guitar. Playing an untuned guitar with my left hand. How the fuck do you think I feel? *cries*

[suhasbajgur]

Not easy ... but I am trying hard!

[Dontholdback747]

AHH!!! OH GOD IT HURTS!!!!

[atox88]

I did it!!! The first time I played an actual barre chord properly! thanks

best video on learning barre chords on youtube

[cloudvol7]

Man I gotta make one of these videos,I can get people playing in no time.I'll show them the cheater bar chord's,and no offence to Peter,but he maKes the C major to hard looking.All you have to do is lay you'r index finger flat on the three strings.

[mspenelusuk]

i can play barre chord but when i try to pick it, it has no sound for several strings (usually at 1st till 3rd string). anyone has the same problem?

[Chickenjuggle]

@mspenelusuk Watch at 2:03

[woogiepooh1995]

@mspenelusuk same here mostly the 3rd and someitmes the 1st the rest are perfect

[Masterpieceman16]

my wrist still doesn't bend in a way that I can play barre chords. don't think I will ever be able to do it.

[mulyonost]

@Masterpieceman16 Just keep practicing, I myself, a couple years ago almost gave up this barre chords, but I think, all my friend could do that, why I can't, so I keep practicing, and now I can do that even without looking to the fret :)

[omarrianowilson9]

@Masterpieceman16 Me neither. My Index Finger Does Not want To Co-operate. I try, Try, And try More. But i only Get madder and madder. Im thinking about Avoiding them All together.