ILLEGAL BARRE CHORD Hacks

[@charlie_x1917]

I am a self taught guitar player, I have been playing for 2 years now. from my personal experience, to master any barre chord you literally just have to watch your thumb position behind the fretboard. Slide the thumb down the until you find your sweet spot where you can hold the barre. Dont put much pressure, just find your perfect thumb position. make sure you bring your elbow closer to your body, it happens automatically as you apply pressure with your index finger, but just in case. You lower palm may cause you pain for 2-3 days max but you will get a hold if, trust the process. Enjoy the journey

[@Squagglimole]

na I can do a barré without the thumb/wherever my thumb is, that's not it. It's all about just getting your index straight as fuck and really getting it in there sure the thumb can help but the index gotta be like fuck i wanna dive into those strings and choke em to death but yeah as you said, you don't even need a full barré most of the time since you often just have to apply pressure on the top and bottom - and you should srsly relieve your finger of the tension whenever you can (unless you want it to hurt like fuck)

[@lorrienetompong1457]

Do u press all the strings or just the 6th and 1st?

[@BESHBESH]

Bro this is really helpful❤

[@auxc.6805]

take a class cmon

[@Tholin-tm7ps]

​@@Squagglimole I can do it without a straight index bro 😂 to me thumb position is top priority, just my opinion 😂

[@arthurdurham]

I've been playing guitar for over 2 decades, yet I found myself watching this whole thing. Entertaining stuff

[@sparkyguitar0058]

But did it teach YOU anything? Some of it was funny but for me it didn't.

[@AmanSharma74747]

​@@sparkyguitar0058no and yes,(for me), it was useful tips even tho I can play bar chords already but I still watched whole thing cause I liked the humour and animation 😅

[@petset77]

@@sparkyguitar0058 , it was indeed entertaining. Loosen up.

[@Zeus-dw1cx]

We can all learn.

[@redbloodedamerican2346]

Lol me too! 😂 The band, Sister Hazel tunes their guitar down to Eb and uses a capo on 2nd fret then plays regular notes in their song "all for you".

[@Mynoah16]

The idea of tuning down and using a capo is a new one I’ve never heard. Thank you for telling people your secret.

[@foljs5858]

Instant short-scale guitar!

[@Runny117]

yeah but it's illegal so is it really worth getting arrested and/or fined over?

[@Hephaaistos]

thats actually pretty solid advice. i used to wonder why tuning down half a step made barre chords easier - until it hit me... well done!

[@foljs5858]

Besides the lower easier action, also the distances to the other frets will be smaller, so easier to stretch your other fingers, like having a shorter scale

[@niagaracantstopwontstop]

ive avoided barre chords for years because i cant do an F, i did the capo trick and tuned down and i can even do them on acoustic. this is epic, i will continue to level up

[@pickednads6]

Personal addition to your advice: rather than using your index to press down all 6 strings, try curving your finger very slightly so that you're only hitting the strings that aren't covered by your other fingers, i.e. the top and bottom strings Having that curved shape makes it a lot easier to play without straining the muscles too much

[@josdurkstraful]

Good luck with that playing a Gm chord...

[@pickednads6]

@@josdurkstraful You don't really need the trick as much for a Gm, but try it on a B major and tell me it doesn't help a little

[@josdurkstraful]

@@pickednads6 With B major it would surely help, but we also want to play em or em7 shape barchords don't we? So your advice is only partly useful and it will be counterproductive..... I teach guitar for 36 years now and believe me, the right elbow pressure is the way to go.

[@pickednads6]

​@@josdurkstraful I mean god damn, it's not a magical trick that will make all beginners instantly able to play any random bar chord you can think of, but it's a neat little method that could help some people (and helps me, a player for 20+ years), so I shared it. Saying it's counterproductive is like saying all math should be done on pen and paper instead of doing some of it in your head. It's ridiculous. Make your life easier if you can, and if it's not helpful in some situations then don't use it. Really not much more to it.

[@pickednads6]

@@josdurkstraful I'll also add that you're commenting on a video called "ILLEGAL BARRE CHORD Hacks", so this isn't exactly Berklee. Calm down.

[@hourglass-pastor]

I've mastered barre chords but any bar on the 1st fret is actually evil

[@Prod.F3d]

Facts, I like to use capo only cuz it's easier to reach other frets

[@ej22_gc86]

One thing, don’t try to lay your index finger flat across the strings, instead turn it on the side a little, so that it isn’t the fleshy part that you’re pressing down with. You want the bones to be the contact point! And it doesn’t have to be perfectly straight either. Remember the tip about using your other fingers - that means you don’t have to apply the same pressure with your index finger on those same strings. Make sure you don’t overwork yourself in the wrong area Also my personal bit, I would build a little strength with power chords alone first, as basically it’s the same shape as a barre but you only want your bass strings to sound. That way your ring-pinky get more used to this shape. Or if you want to focus just on the clamp, try a drop tuning. Power chords with just the index finger (and thumb on the back)

[@Insomnia_tic]

This is what i teach everyone! Another thing is to tilt the head up towards your actual head to get a more comfortable reach around the neck. You will have more strength because your hand is closer to your torso. It also makes it MUCH easier to do exactly what you’re suggesting with rolling onto the boney part of the finger. This is half of the proper classical guitar technique. Use it until you get stronger

[@danielmcfarlan1035]

This is how I learned bar chords and I've been playing for years but I still can't play all 6 strings in an F minor shape. The third string always gets muted, if nudge my index towards the sixth string the first string gets muted, and if i nudge it towards the first string i can't press down the sixth string, it's really frustrating, is my index shaped wrong or something?

[@r.e.n.k.1907]

I've been playing guitar for like 15-ish years now and nobody has * ever * explained barre chords in a way that makes sense like this does; thank you so much & I'm definitely gonna try these next practice

[@aidennanz2871]

I watched this video about a month ago and the tip about elbow pressure has helped me IMMENSELY to the point that I was learning how to play Stairway "the right way" last month and I'm now halfway through Playing God. Really appreciate the sharing.

[@dmaikibujin]

Notes: Play for a week and then come back Bench 300 lbs cause it's literally the same thing, or no... cause Art! Don't lower you action - you'll break your guitar! Don't buy an electric just to play barre chords... cause! Don't just play alternate chords, unless you also do pushups on your knees, or just, don't... F is hard as F - Start with Bm instead or Gm, but no, start with Bm. Make sure it feels natural Pull with your strumming arm to push the neck into the barre, until your fingers are stronger than your elbows! *Magic capo tuning magic* Talk to Chris Angel or maybe just cut off your leg - yeah! Another great lesson, love you too! 😁

[@florianolebinski730]

I've got hands big enough to be able to play all 6th string barre chords Hendrix style by wrapping my thumb around, so this is my standard way of playing those chords and has been for years. HOWEVER, I learned and played barre chords the regular way before I figured that was a thing, so I didn't skip learning how to do them. I just found a better way down the road.

[@CoffeeAndElectronics]

Holy crap this video is a godsend for me, I’ve been avoiding so many songs with bar chords, thank you

[@xtrafe5953]

3:33 mindblown animation technology right there.

[@userenvy]

These are my favorite videos on here..helps so much and hysterical. Im like secretly learning ... Because im having fun! Lol

[@userenvy]

Im liking my own comment because i like these videos so much

[@yellowredblue]

You're doing God's work out here. Bringing the real building blocks of performance and songwriting to people. I'll have to try the strumming arm against the guitar trick to add pressure! Based, redpilled, and zero pretentiousness.

[@charlesford157]

I've been playing for 40+ years and I have to say this is a great way to learn Barre chords. F the F chord at first.

[@JoobaSchoolofMusic]

Bro your channel and no-fluff teaching method is really top notch!!

[@kromerdealer8345]

The best advise that I ever had about barre chords is playing F chord closer to the middle of your fret board and then gradually moving up. Seriously, I'm just one week in and I can play F almost perfectly.

[@_Gandalf_The_White]

this is big brain energy, thanks!

[@smokernoker]

To add another advice a friend of mine taught me is to start by playing power chords, he said its shaped like a barre chord but without the barre and it gives your finger less tension

[@poubelle_blanche]

I love you too. And am quite proud of you helping people share our shared love of music.

[@tonetoner8789]

The elbow trick is the best thing I’ve heard

[@tedtedguitar]

dude these videos are gold. love it

[@firegodbg2613]

"Your elbow is a lot stronger than your fingers *for now* "

[@Jamzocd]

This was a very good lesson! I stumbled upon your channel and just subscribed because it was better information delivered than a lot of others.

[@mattthomas1152]

This is probably the best guitar lesson I've ever seen. Subscribed!

[@blacker-bm3hs]

Elbow advice saved my life did it first try after many fails ty

[@werdelke]

Bruh, the right elbow thing just solved this for me... Thank you.

[@Denkmaschinen]

Cool, that's a really nice trick! I use the capo a lot but in Standard Tuning- not because of lacking Strength as i already play for over 30 years. A Capo changes the Sound significantly, depending from the position and many great Songs where written with a Capo in one position or another. Make sure your hand position is correct, adjust the height of the Guitar Strap until you're elbow is as straight as possible and you feel as comfortable as possible. Learn to apply just enough pressure to the Strings to make it sound great! The soundIt doesn't get any better by using to much strenght. This only exhausts you faster! Don't play for to long. If you feel pain, it's already to late.. So you know your limits the best and how long exactly you can play before pain kicks in. Stop before this happens, maybe by using a Timer. Then, make a little break for 5 to 10 minutes, relax your Muscles, shake your arms and hands, maybe stretch your hands a little bit, and then play again. If you play for decades until your joints hurt, your body can and most probably will develop some serious issues! You don't want that, you still want to be able to play when you get older. To many artists have literally ruined their bodies because they played overexhaustively for years and years. Some of them literally are disabled because of this, so take this serious! PLAY. DON'T PRACTICE. Just Play and have as much fun as you can, develop your own style and forget about "errors". Don't overthinkg musical theory. It's just that a Theory! If something sounds good and you like it- make it your own and incorpate that into your Style! Do you have problems learning a song ? Break it down into smaller segments. Learn the first until you master it, move to next and so on and so forth until you feel secure enough to play through the entire song. Don't let you fool by Songs that are considered to "hard". If you want to learn a Song you can and will learn it. Study the chords, pick up as much different chords as possible and learn to Master the whole fretboard even when you're asleep. You're attitude matters and you always i repeat ALWAYS can become better and better like a good bottle of wine by playing as regularly as possible. Boundaries and limitations are there to be broken!

[@JustSomePenguin]

Two videos in a week? It’s a christmas miracle!

[@ethanolgaming6080]

Using capo to reduce guitar action..........that's one really good thing I learned today ....thanks man

[@sakuratree7618]

THIS IS MORE HELPFUL, THANK GOODNESS 😢 WHERE WAS THIS VIDEO WHEN I NEEDED IT. 😅

[@cotydavismusic]

I just do them poorly and scrape and mute and pretend I'm all grunge and shit

[@purplewoodencustard]

😂

[@Cool1st]

Style is more important anyways

[@A-Wa]

when I started to learn barre chords, no one told me the F chord is the hard one, so I just started to practice and did it with my freaking short fingers!

[@bruceringrose7539]

The F is hard because it takes a lot of pressure and good positioning of your index finger.

[@ananassharikopodshipnikovi9308]

Also (this applies with regular fretting too) you can "hang" your fingers on a fretboard. This way you're not just using your raw strength to push strings into fretboard, you use gravity and part of your strength to pull strings to the floor too and somehow that's WAY easier. Probably different muscles + gravity + strings behave better when pulled to the side Thanks to this tip my left hand stopped hurting from fretting. I'm surprised how rare this advice is -- without it I could have fucked up my hand from overworking

[@_Gandalf_The_White]

you may be onto something, by comparison arm wrestling is much easier when you "pull" the persons arm towards your own instead of to the side :)

[@BruceDenton-t4e]

I did the capo trick when i started, I got the idea from Colter Wall. Never thought of using my strumming arm to create leverage, thanks!

[@brostoevsky22]

You're my friggin' hero! I'm missing roughly 1/3 of my left pinky finger (fretting hand). So I can't really use it for anything. Barre chords have been the bane of my guitar existence. However, the G minor barre chord shape is one I can do. I also tried making a barre chord shape in an A major shape which works for me. I won't be doing any cover songs with these, but they can spice up my rhythms, which are lacking as I mostly focus on leads. It's better to create your own music anyhow.

[@maizenbrot]

10/10 would recommend. I tuned down like this a while back to to transpose some pop songs to make them easier for my voice, then ended up leaving it like that. Being able to keep the capo on for normal tuning and remove to instantly tune down is great, I never use frets above like 7 or 8 anyway so it's not much of a tradeoff. Discovered as a happy byproduct that it also made barre chords slightly easier :-)

[@LauraTeAhoWhite]

I found that index finger position matters, the closer you are to the fret (moving down the neck) the easier it is to barre.

[@purple_demon4012]

This vid has helped me ALOT ITS BERN TWO YEARS AND NOW I LEARN HOW TO DO THE BAR CHORDS TSYM

[@snugmugspodcast]

I accidentally shared this information and now I'm on the guitar wanted list

[@dimitrywasnttaken3165]

holy shit the elbow trick made all of my chords sound clean

[@avamilkshake8628]

AINT NO WAY SOME STICK FIGURE JUST TAUGHT ME A BARRE CHORD. I am a 12 year old with tiny hands and has been trying to do barre chords for quite a while and havent been able to find a working video. UNTIL i saw this video.

[@robinleaf]

These lyrics are so inventive! Awesome.

[@thesusboy9]

Yay thanks, I am a beginner and I knew this, but illegal barre is too hard for me even though I knew it before I knew the guitar. Thanks for teaching😃😃

[@fuzoka727]

Hello as someone who has been learning for 2 years now, from my experience I never knew what barre chords were HAHA! I saw like a straight like on the chord pages for I thought that you needed a capo for and so I did buy myself a capo but then I later realized that it wasn't it (so stupid of me) so I started putting my fingers around it, of course it hurts. But just know everyone that starting in the beginning would not make you a pro instantly it takes time to get adjusted, unless you've been playing some chordophones like ukulele, bass it would not make it that difficult for shifting keys cause I've started off with a ukulele and It took me 2 months to get used to barre chords on a guitar since they had me one for my 17th birthday, I also started with difficult songs so that whenever I go to easier ones it would not be that difficult to play (also a technique) Also that some people don't have the ability to fully bend their fingers (which can be a technique for some) because of Hypermobility which is why some people use 3 fingers for the A chord unlike for people with Hypermobility they can just bend the middle finger and cover 3 strings (which is what I do) It's all about practice whenever I would be bored I would get my guitar and play the same song all over again till I could do it without looking didn't take me an hour probably like 3 tries. I just don't get it that some people can't play barre chords, I had asked a bunch of people of could not use barre chords and those were the people who didn't knew how to play much, where the people I asked that knew how to use the barre chord had similar year experience as me. So I think it's just a matter of practice till you get used to it. Let your calluses grow It would no longer hurt if you let them it'll take about 1 or 2 weeks for your fingers to get adjusted to the strings :D! Thank you for reading! I just wanted to share what's on my mind about this :DDDD

[@DPW13]

Love the vids lmao! The best!

[@jackblack1675]

I've been playing for 45 years, and although I would probably avoid playing an F Maj using all six strings on a steel string acoustic with heavy gauge strings and high action, I have no problem with barre chords, other than the odd spelling of "barre." Nonetheless, I watched this whole video and loved it. Great job, kid ...

[@QuitoWashington]

That was so damn encouraging, thank you!

[@chrishelbling3879]

You're right: this video changed my life.

[@mariocurtis2208]

I enjoyed this but it made me wonder - how many players actually find barre chords so impossibly hard? Maybe I am speaking from the point of view of 57 years playing but I remember learning the basics and gradually improving. Nowadays everyone needs to use hacks, tricks and shortcuts - where a bit longer practising and less self criticism will get you there a week or a month later (and your pleasure at putting the work in will be huge).

[@amukelaninellymdluli2943]

The capo trick woooow! Love it

[@babablayne]

Wow brilliant. Your videos are the perfect balance of informative and funny!

[@KingShaka_daGreat]

The kiss at the end is hilarious 😅

[@theobserver86]

Chords are the bane of my existence

[@eirgo_s]

2weeks into doing barre. I just brute force it starting with only the first finger, adjusting finger positions until I can pick each string and it doesn't mute or buzz then move on to adding more fingers for the chords. It did help build strength in my fingers too since my action is around 3.5mm.

[@EdwardVonKrow]

Best tip of all…(imo) is don’t panic about learning them. You can get away performing without them for a while…especially if you plan on playing electric and overdriven mostly. Most people in a crowd won’t notice you’re doing power chords, and the others won’t care. Especially if you’re in your first year or two, imo it’s best to focus on keeping tempo, building the brain/hands connection and having fun within your limits, then expanding out into barre chords. I’ve seen too many people give up altogether because they tried doing barre chords too quickly. Just my opinion.

[@DogwitHat]

I’m surprised no one has said use your thumb for the bass note of the barre chords, but good tips!

[@nirbhayrawat711]

Proud of you. Love you. Pchuchhhh 😂😂

[@cahesolo9267]

My first song i tried to learn on a guitar contain a lot of barre chords That is how i mastered barre chords after 3 weeks of playing guitar

[@minahuo288]

Thank you man , I've really being struggling with barre chords, imma try this 👍

[@timcotterill3952]

There’s far to much, pretentious self aggrandisement… (grin), in KZbin guitar videos. I like the piss take & the pregnant pauses… (grin) & then, I get to the end a realise I learned something. You sneaky bastard! Thanks. Also, I read this comment on the Black Sabbath song Planet Caravan… “I love listening to Planet Caravan whilst walking on the beach with my girlfriend, until the LSD wares off & I realise I’ve been dragging a mannequin around a Burger King parking lot!” But seriously, don’t do drugs, drugs are bad, especially if you can’t afford them. Man I really enjoyed your content. Thank you again. Ding.

[@mango_justice]

thank you so much for the lower strings for the neck advice fucking needed it so ty

[@Kille1967.]

there is a big difference between sitting and playing standing. the fingers can get blisters and it hurts. but it is easy to get calluses on the fingertips. I think it's more fun to play bass guitar. greetings from Sweden.🇸🇪🎸

[@GalXE-D]

Awesome videos, dude very informative

[@men6868]

Already been knowing how to barre chord but i gotta watch your videos

[@carolyne_thekkan]

love the animation effects n voiceover more than the content 😂😂

[@lostky77]

2weeks playing finally i can get the strength to play barre, just gotta practice more to move between chords

[@normandcharpentier1918]

Interesting trick! Thx man!

[@firegamartjc7739]

I wasn't listening when I saw that you can put your pick on the capo instead of inside the guitar😮🤯

[@firegamartjc7739]

It works very well wuhahaha

[@k.rizz.]

My bad form always made my thumb cramp

[@mr7oclock346]

I restrung my parlor guitar, and Barre chords were harder to do. So, I turned down, and placed my Capo on my first fret, and now I can play again. Hopefully, my hand builds up enough to get used to the new strings soon

[@damnfreakingsien]

I’m surprised that not many people know of the Bm hack. I also learnt barre chords starting from Bm chord.

[@vinmat3558]

Good info. A good way to address a tough skill. Thanks!

[@rphomemovies]

I am excited to try this! 🤩

[@LordChevonlier]

Damn that 3D animation was smooth

[@42_hoangviet29]

Ur a real one for this

[@ragetime6643]

I just discovered I’ve accidentally been doing barre chords this whole time without realizing it

[@marindjurkovic155]

.. i love watching your videos.. it always makes me smile.. happy easter!

[@sanskritibahukhandi5183]

OML I NEEDED THIS T-T

[@stickher9473]

Quality over quantity. im so happy to see you succeed. started following when you were @ 20ish k subs. Keep it going !

[@barkoictolugueneofbairtona2273]

I'd say this. Place your finger so inwards that the part where your finger is bending is basically laying on the low e string. It sounds crazy. It works.

[@dupp5730]

This video is a gift from god 😭🙏

[@chaebe0001]

thanks

[@iplaycodm4612]

Been playing for 8 months, I never struggled with barre chords, idk why Im watching this

[@joshcortez2903]

Using a capo and tuning back down to standard is a brilliant guitar hack!! 🤌🏽🤘🏽

[@noodlesiis]

I just luv the animation..

[@malegria9641]

I can play any barre chord on the electric, but I have real trouble on my acoustic. Action is kinda high, and I’m too poor to go get that lowered. So that’s why I’m here.

[@_--7830]

Damn that would've been useful exactly 1 year ago. Thanks either way, good vid!

[@hoangnguyennguyen1032]

Getting a lighter string gaugue does help a lot though. Lighter strings means less tension -> easier to press down. Shorter scale length also helps in the same way.

[@mitc8931]

I always keep my acoustic tuned down a full step with a capo on 2nd fret. I prefer the timbre of the shortened scale length and enjoy the quick access to lower tunings.

[@PeaceSTAR253]

Something I found when I was starting out I place my figures down individually when learning a shape. I found that some figures need to go down first. My pinky can have trouble getting into shape if its last. When you memorize the shape it's less of a problem.

[@rayannbounassif3403]

trueee

[@JoLoneyMusic]

I’ve been trying to get the hang of barre chords for a long time but could never get it to sound right. Using my elbow on my picking hand changed that instantly.. holy shit 🤯

[@McNighthawk750]

mmmm, bar chords. I think I'll go and get a snickers bar now.

[@DannyPoet]

nice tips.. like the Capo on 2nd fret idea, didnt see that one b4 :)

[@m10dance15]

Best teacher ever, or maybe😀😀, ofcourse he is🔥🤗 love from India

[@Bluebonnetbottoms]

About to try this! Thank you!

[@elwilly63]

I have never seen this before, nice job.

[@trusarmor4957]

the Bm family has me in tears.

[@brianmorris8045]

I wouldn't call any chord illegal...it's whatever works for you. There are those in the audience are muttering to the people next to them "Oh, he shouldn't play the chord like that, or up the fretboard!" My attitude playing guitar is I play it anyway. They can over intellectualize all they like...because you can get away with saying..."It's my arrangement, so I'm sticking to it".

[@seniorp9444]

If it feels good and sounds good, it is good.