ILLEGAL BARRE CHORD Hacks

Barre chords are one of the biggest struggles for beginner guitarists. But that's because they don't know this trick!
Barre chords are usually approached in the wrong way, forcing new guitar players to waste weeks trying to get a decent sound from an F chord, finding alternate barre chords, or just ignoring them all together never escaping the curse of the novice guitarist.
That was me. As a lot of you know. It took me almost a full year to become relatively comfortable with barre chords. OUCH! But 5 years in, this trick has made playing barre chords almost as simple as playing an E minor.
SO come with me on this guitar journey and play barre chords in just 5 minutes.
Thanks for watching!
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Illegal Barre Chord Hacks: • ILLEGAL BARRE CHORD Hacks

[@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

[@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?

[@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 😂

[@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

[@mattthomas1152]

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

[@BuffDrinkL0TZ]

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.

[@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.

[@ihavetowait90daystochangem67]

Don’t ever try Barre chords, you might get blisters in your little finger and Blisters on your thumb

[@ej22_gc86]

Don’t play guitar at all, stick to installing microwave ovens!

[@R1Willem]

Custom kitchen deliveries

[@daisy-g2w]

@@ej22_gc86 iagree fully

[@darksecret965]

Colour TVs are more of your thing then buddy

[@Yeehaw123]

I got blisters on my fingers!!!

[@hotrodjones74]

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.

[@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.

[@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😃😃

[@tedtedguitar]

dude these videos are gold. love it

[@JustSomePenguin]

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

[@jonw8694]

These are neither illegal nor hacks....It is simply playing barre chords in different places on the fretboard, which is kind of the point of the barre chord shape.

[@purple_demon4012]

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

[@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

[@42_hoangviet29]

Ur a real one for this

[@snugmugspodcast]

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

[@iplaycodm4612]

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

[@duardaoo]

Nice tips, I like to do the B chord shape using two fingers to bar, the index and the ring finger. Anyone else here do this way?

[@UmVtCg]

Ah yes those big 6 string chords. However on guitar, the most played chords are triads with sometimes the major or minor 7th. No piano player only plays chords with 6 notes in them. Also some are octaves, its redundant and irrelevant. Less sometimes is more. Triad shapes free up other fingers for melodies and fills. Just look at Hendrix and all the great players he inspired. Sure as a beginner start with the cowboy chords and barre chords. Triads however are the key to unlocking the fretboard and escaping the pentatonic rut. It's better to realize this early on. I just wish somebody told me.

[@joshfromspace3383]

my thumb is dying from using it for an anchor

[@rumbuzz1]

I thought barre chords were chords you play in a bar. 🍸

[@tdrusk]

Wow thanks Fred durst

[@johnhowellseroje4995]

Barre chord hack #1: Buy a Capo

[@trusarmor4957]

the Bm family has me in tears.

[@johnsmith-xr1uh]

I'm to old for barre chords

[@ryanphillips4123]

I loved the lesson, and I'll be sure to try that capo trick!

[@dupp5730]

This video is a gift from god 😭🙏

[@jaososchefget3632]

this video was fire. got a terrible ad at the end and almost forgot to like

[@DavidKerner-en1ww]

If you can't put all fingers down at the exact same time then what would be the next best order for finger placement on the frets. The barre or middle, or pinky/index first?

[@skullzarenice5]

barre chords are damn evil, i remember when i was crying about a c major then barre chords showed up, everytime i thought i had it a string had to do the stupid famous fret buzz barre chords can die but yk what, in js no time theyll be js like playing open chords

[@MX8SKULLFACE]

I self taught myself today and I can play nightmare avenged seven fold, and seven nation army just started today 😂

[@SpeakingName]

for me personally I can easily play a barre chord but its just switching to barre chords from other chords is whats hard for me, for example this one song im learning it goes from an a chord to a b major chord and ive been struggling on that for days now.

[@fkutw4tt3rtub3]

just play all the chords in barre chords You got A on the 5th fret and B on the 7th fret of an E string

[@1man1guitarletsgo]

What about playing both as barre chords? A with its root on the sixth string, fret 5; slide two frets up, and that's B. Or, play _open_ A, pressing the notes on fret 2 with your ring finger, then slide up two frets and barre across five strings with your index finger. That's B.

[@marktanner8695]

Love you too !

[@goldenglowladore3842]

I enjoyed the tips snd learned.

[@JamesMarquess]

Playing guitar becomes callous

[@donavonmacallister3101]

Literally

[@RichardPinedo-qr3cn]

I’m proud of you. I love you too.

[@sluys1999]

I got a setup for my acoustic by a luthier last Saturday. Now I can finally bar the first fret with ease. It's such a game changer, and I can recommend it to anyone.

[@lupinbrabablebix9840]

I see that the tension might be less on the 3 rd fret but I learnt how to do a bar chord on F minor only using my first finger to bar and my ring finger on the A string 3 rd fret , to play Woodstock I just slid this shape up to 5 th fret and back as required

[@fkutw4tt3rtub3]

F was the first barre chord I played it took me only a few days, I did nothing else during that time I didnt use any of the advices (because I tried them earlier and they werent useful) I was just picking up guitar every day suffered for hours playing nothing but F chord until I was able to play it on day 3 or 4 The advice is, dont look for shortcuts Yes it's hard(nearly impossible) to play barre chords without practice, everyone were struggling with them Yes, the side of your point finger might become a bloody mess while you learn it But all the "shortcuts" will only slow you down and develop bad habbits and draw your focus from playing the chord to dumb and useless things like pushing guitar with your elbow etc (which none of the guitar players thinks about outside of giving the advices for noobs who cry instead of practicing) Just man up and eat that pain with a big spoon it won't be long until the pain is over and barre chords become a breeze Just do it ffs

[@TySchmelinh-qg1vi]

Can you do one where you can stretch your finger

[@bl0bf243]

my problem is transitioning from other chords into a barre chord

[@adamgalambos8137]

i must learn the Eb (C shape) chord on my nylon stringed classical guitar.. so any other chords are so much easier to play :D

[@RayleignMarcus-v9i]

Thompson Patricia Williams Paul Garcia Carol

[@Blueyzachary]

K but I have webbed fingers and I actually played the F chord

[@davidbakke9293]

I’ve never tried tuning my guitar with a capo on cuz I thought the strings would break 😂

[@christiangibbs391]

"Fred Durst" Guitar Hacks😎✌️🎸😂

[@andellryan824]

😂I think the easiest way to learn a Barre is play E maj, add the pinky to get a sus4 chord an slide down to get the Bm Barre obviously it comes with practice but it worked for me

[@davidbarnett5777]

The only way I could play Barre chords would be to have the bones of my arm, wrist, fingers surgically rearranged. Barre chords aren’t just hard, they are , for me, a physical impossibly.

[@wwidt]

Damn it, I'm giving up on it and not going to ever even touch a guitar in my life, I was trying for weeks, practicing really a lot and nothing helps, no progression at all I still can't play even easy chords!

[@effen_aey_man]

Pro-tip you don't need to retune your guitar with a capo on, all you need to do give the strings a little tug and you don't need to retune

[@eslowanne]

my guitar is a high action. ouch.

[@utsavkrsaha]

It's kinda funny & weird i actually got very comfortable with barre chords right from the very beginning & found it very easy. I never understand why my other friends always, still now finds it a bit difficult. I actually play barre chords more than open ones. Lol has been a weirdo since childhood at everything specially at maths & arts.

[@onion405]

ever try thumping?

[@glaviomiranda8297]

Imagine u bought a guitar from aliexpress and you push the guitar with ur elbow towards you and it just snaps into two😂😂

[@Anthony_Goncalves]

use thumb or different versions of that barre much more practical

[@u2popmart]

It’s a useful video and im not trying to be rude but 2:12 can be harmful for photosensitive people it really caught me off guard But thank you for the good tips

[@LimaJayaSRC]

Eyy love you too 😚

[@hourglass-pastor]

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

[@XCIV.F3d]

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

[@cotydavismusic]

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

[@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?

[@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.

[@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

[@michaelvarney.]

Or… and work with me on this for a min… you can just do a barre chord and have it suck for a day until you can do them. You know… how your forefathers did it… and how 99.9999% of all guitarists before you did it?

[@danielmassey3732]

I've been playing guitar and Barre Chords for years and this is plain bad, confusing advice. If you want to play Barre Chords, you have to get used to contorting your hands into an unnatural shape. Once you get used to it, it becomes second nature, but at first it's really tough. My personal advice would be to use the 'side' rather than the 'face' of your index finger to fret the Barre initiallity, then rotate the rest of your hand into position. Of course it wont actually work perfectly, but it'll get you used to 'locking' your finger into place, with less tension than using your other elbow or other nonsense. Ultimately, stick with it, as with all things guitar if you practice for 10 mins a day, what seems impossible today will be easy next week. Happy playing everyone. :)

[@seniorp9444]

When playing an F chord definitely don’t be like Hendrix and hold down the E string with your thumb. It will work great but everyone will say it’s wrong (while secretly thinking it’s cool)😂

[@ben_joven]

I say this about 22 times a sentence when I’m stoned: 4:10

[@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

[@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.

[@firegodbg2613]

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

[@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.

[@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!

[@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! 😁

[@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).

[@bluerazor0367]

Video stats 2:15

[@Reshed]

So helpful. Thank you!

[@erikracz4162]

For a rock guitarist, bar chords should be a practice priority. I don’t believe cheating, or getting around learning the right way, will make you a better player. You have to stick with it. How long does it take the average player to learn the proper way to fret bar chords, 3 days? If you can’t learn to play bar chords the right way, how are you ever gonna work your way up to accomplishing being able to play a chord, pick a few notes, then go into a melody line, or solo, like when your playing a complete song? With continued learning and practice. Not cutting corners because of laziness. 🤣

[@wandacore3946]

i’m just gonna learn how to learn to move my capo fast

[@Apoteto]

Dont stop playing until your fingers bleed

[@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.

[@sir_charlie]

FIRSRT BITCHES

[@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 :)

[@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

[@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

[@xtrafe5953]

3:33 mindblown animation technology right there.

[@k.rizz.]

My bad form always made my thumb cramp

[@ReZhorw]

I've been playing for a while and major barre chords are no issue but the G string is under the fleshy part of my finger which forces me to press extra hard to make it fret without buzzing

[@havable]

Try shifting the position of your hand until you no longer have to press down hard on that part of it. Sometimes its as simple as that. If not, maybe its the guitar. But don't fret your puns off, work with the buzz. Pretend its a super cool effect you got from an invisible guitar pedal. Own it, work it, and work that sound into a tune.

[@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 ...

[@fuxor15]

how can a 5 minute video be so exhausting? please just get to the point dude

[@neptvnebeatschannel]

This video is the worst thing I have watched on KZbin in 2023.

[@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.

[@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.

[@DogwitHat]

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

[@SIGshorts]

I already play ukulele so I thought guitar would be easy... IM GOING TO JUMP OUT OF MY WINDOW IF I SEE ONE MORE BAR CORD ON A SONG IM TRYING TO PLAY😭

[@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

[@JoobaSchoolofMusic]

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

[@juliadixon8465]

Perhaps you can try to speak slower next time. My ideal listening speed would be 0.85 of your normal speaking speed. 0.75 is too slow.

[@ditto5071]

Guitar teacher here, this is very useful to pick apart and use in my own lessons, especially with leaning the guitar from the opposite end to apply finger pressure. I've always thought it to be a finnicky to begin retuning the guitar in different places but it's always better than one of those stupid guitar tools that do it for you. Does placing the capo further up essentially allow for easier/softer barre chords (on the index finger)? Thanks for the content bro

[@RedlightBlue]

Yeah the capo sort of artificially lowers the action, and the further it is from the nut the lower it gets, which means less distance to push for the guitarist 🎉

[@mangomaster3937]

This is a hell of a lot easier than just trying to do a bar chord for as long as I can, every day, until I can do one successfully...