IM-111 • E Shape Barre Chord Grip (Maj and Min)

[justinguitar]

Questions...

Lesson Link: http://www.justinguitar.com/en/IM-111-EShapeMajorMinorBarreChords.php

[tobyjenner]

Hiya folks

I'm kinda fishing for reassurance for the moment, as despite working on the E shaped barre since Nov '13, I'm still struggling with it on my acoustic.

All electrics are fine, including the minor shape - so much so that I'm going back to revisit the BC Stage 6 songs again!!!!!!!!!!

On the acoustic though, I'm ok around Ab and up the neck until it gets cramped (Db/D) but those first 3 frets are real hit and miss. Ok I know for a few months during consolidation I focused getting everything clean on the electrics but I thought I'd be beyond this sticking point by now

So with IM stage 1, I've been practicing the grip on the acoustic and then practicing the slow 1 min changes on the electric. Does that make practical sense, until I nail the F barre on the acoustic? Just conscious of how much time I spent on the BC, trying to get everything 'perfect' on both and really want to crack on with things now.

Comments/views/opinions/suggestions welcome as usual.

Cheers

Toby

[Rossco01]

@Toby I know were broadly in the same place and I can say with all honesty ive spent ages trying to get just F barre chord going on my acoustic and I still dont find it comfortable. Started playing my electric more in last month or two and suddenly its way easier ( on electric) and its allowing me to move on with practice and songs. Practicing power chords has also helped a lot in terms of moving around the neck. Ill keep practicing on the acoustic as well but not letting it stop me moving forward with my learning.

[tobyjenner]

Cheers for that Rossco, its just so damned frustrating though !!!! 

[tobyjenner]

Hey - just noticed your double posting. You getting that database error? I've just PMed Close to let him know there's a glitch out there this evening

[Rossco01]

Yep got it on a few posts

[shadowscott007]

Toby,

You nut slots may not be deep enough.  If they are too high it can make barre chords low on the neck very hard to fret.

You can check yourself.  Fret the third fret and check the clearness between the bottom of the string and the first fret.  It should just clear the fret.  If it touches the fret it is too low.  But it should be very very close.  Here is a site that shows how to check.

http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Musician/GenSetup/NutAction/nutaction.html

It can be so close that it is hard to see, but you can tap right over the first fret (while still fretting the 3rd) and if there is clearance you can hear the tick of the string even if it is hard to see. 

You can check each string that way. 

A high nut can make low barre chords a real bear.

If you aren't sure you can take it to a shop and have it checked out and fixed pretty cheaply.

A tbiught.

Shadow

[tobyjenner]

Thanks for that Shadow, I'll have a look at it over the weekend and if it needs tweak, then see if I'm confident enough to do it myself if it does......

[stitch101]

Thanks for that Shadow, I'll have a look at it over the weekend and if it needs tweak, then see if I'm confident enough to do it myself if it does......

To cut your nut slots properly you need the right size files. One for each slot.
Be cheaper to take it in to a tech unless you already have the files.



I'm getting the error message as well. Almost double posted. 

[shadowscott007]

So I was saying check not fix so...  My lawyers tell me I have to say that you really need to know what your doing, and you probably shouldn't attempt it because this commercial was filmed on a closed track... by a professional stuntman... and if a grizzly wants your salmon just give it to him because kicking him in the crotch ain't gonna work...

But if you are gonna give it a shot I would read up on slotting your nut (sounds dirty) from a couple different sources and may watch a couple of you tubes...

The one thing to remember is to angle the file back towards the head stock.  The point there the string leaves the nut needs to be the highest point.

I don"t think it is too hard, but like many things once you've cut too deep you are not in a happy place... Experience probably helps. Go slow.  Although there are guides out there to use dust from the same material as the nut mixed with super glue to fill in the slot and start over... seen it in more than one place, but it would probably be better not to over file...

There I feel satisfied that any claims that I used my awesome Jedi mind powers to get you to wreck your nut can be rebutted.  "These are not the nut slots you are looking for."

Shadow

[tobyjenner]

Fear not oh wise one. The specter of litigation will not darken your threshold.
Check I shall, file I'll not.

Bit of a rock and a hard place, as I still need to find a shop that has a technician who can do set-up. I'm not convinced they did much to my Washburn HB30 at the shop that's nearest to me. The owner said the guy that teaches above the shop had a look and said it played well and adjusted the bridge pickup. Ok no charge but I'm still getting some fret / string buzz on 6th and 5th strings and I don't get that on my HB32 (that my wife got me for Xmas) and its effectively the same guitar apart from the finish. Also no problems with my Squirer Strat (that's not been touched in 19 years!!). So ok it could be me but unlikely given this scenario. So you might imagine I'm reluctant to go back there with the acoustic.

This guys only 20 minutes up he road http://www.guitar-fouilleul.com/ but I'd be embarrassed to ask him to look at my mass produced in the far east Encore, when he's knocking out hand built classical guitars for thousands of euro's. Could always drop him a line and ask him to recommend someone local.

So I need to search around for other music / guitar shops but the biggest hurdle is the technical vocabulary as my French is limited but I'll get there eventually.

Thanks again for the tips - will let you how it looks once I've look at that nutaction site and determine if its me or the action!!

Cheers

Toby
 

[tobyjenner]

@Shadow - so I checked the gap as per the link and the strings are either touching or just about touching the first fret, so this has got to be me and not the nut (although I could be the nut ).

Anyways, I was actually watching Justin's IM2 1 Minute Changes lesson this evening (barre to open changes) and happened to notice his first knuckle was virtually level to the gap between strings 1 and 2. Hadn't noticed that before and it seems to have made a difference when barring on the acoustic (including my cheapo Rock Star Academy cut away...........all of its £60 worth). So hopefully I'm finally on the right track 

[Hypnagogist]

So, I've always been struggling with E shape barre chords and i've always found ways to avoid them or to "cheat" (playing them like Hendrix with the thumb over the neck or not pressing my index finger on the strings that are already fretted by other fingers). I want to learn to barre properly, though. I can't do an E7 shape barre chord if I'm unable to press down on all the strings with just my index finger.

Actually, I'm almost able to do it. My problem is that the B string falls right into a crease on my finger and it doesn't completely ring out (it buzzes a little). If I press down really hard, I can make it ring out but it also makes me press down too much on the other strings, so much that the G string goes slightly sharp (on an electric, no wound G).

I'm also wondering if I place my thumb properly. Here's a picture:

From what I've read here and there, my thumb should be more to the left, just below my index, right? When I place my thumb the way it is on the picture above, I also tend to stick my arm against my body, and it's probably not a good idea.

I tried something else today:

It certainly looks better, my arm isn't stuck to my body, but as soon as I try to place the other fingers, the B string doesn't ring out anymore, unless I press really hard and the G string goes sharp, just like I said.

Does anybody have any advice? Can you confirm that the second picture is right regarding thumb position?

Thanks!

[Joerfe]

I would suggest you to move your index finger so that it sticks up over the fretboard. That works for me to move the crease away from the B string.
Regarding pressure: make sure to roll the index finger towards the nut, but only slightly. Also think of the index finger as sort of a hinge. Apply some pressure on the 6th string and then press downwards with your hand and elbow.
It is difficult to explain so I'll try to find a video.


\m/ rock on \m/
end Jesper

[Joerfe]

Yup, here it is.
http://youtu.be/vzYfdYtoFf4

Excellent pieces of advice on barre chords in here!


\m/ rock on \m/
end Jesper