Bar Chords and Strap Lengths

[ecca]

Sheer idleness on my part.
It's easier for me to play it like that than whizzing all over the fretboard and tiring my poor fingers out.

[Bojan]

Sheer idleness on my part.
It's easier for me to play it like that than whizzing all over the fretboard and tiring my poor fingers out.

Maybe so, but the point is that you get that chord perfectly and very quickly, and it's a real hard one, especially that far up the neck (or is it down the neck) on the 10th fret.

[roger bayliss]

Some tunes simply demand a different approach... I know it's not Shads tune but for instance playing 'Little Wing' by Jimi Hendrix is one such tune where the thumb technique is employed and it's often a lost thing with some guitarists and I suppose you have to feel comfortable ablout what you play and how you play it. Small hands don't help either and fat fretboards and I am sure that's why many prefer the slimmer neck profiles.

Bojan I watch Ecca play the Savage bit that way all the time at Hankies and he's got it down to a fine art. Me I actually finger the notes and I actually wonder if that's the way it was originally done by Hank if you listen to the 'run' carefully on record.. I always struggle with the full C shape on a barre just never mastered it completely but Ecca just drops it in without thinking

Ecca really does it perfectly, but I would say that Hank originally played that part note by note, the way Phil Kelly plays it on his YouTube video and the way Zoe McCullough plays it on the video with Tommy Emanuel (who, by the way, is absolutely brilliant on rhythm!!!). The reason I think that is because after that shufle, the open B string can still be heard resonating even as Hank begins playing the Bb chord sequence, which means that he is playing the notes individually starting with the lowest note, because if he positioned the entire chord in advance that open B note would be silenced earlier. Do you know what I am talking about Roger?

Yes I understand you Bojan and thats the way I play it note by note ... its the way HBM unravels that set of notes that makes me sure its fingered individually in a kinda arpeggio fashion and yes I have seen Phil and Zoe play it that way which reinforces my view.

[roger bayliss]

I think also the rhythmn part on FBI is a notable example of where the thumb is used instead of a barre although you can play it okay with the barre as well.

[ecca]

I see no advantage whatever in using the thumb instead of a barre.
It releases no freedom to the fingers of the left hand whatever.
It's just convenient.

[Bojan]

I see no advantage whatever in using the thumb instead of a barre.
It releases no freedom to the fingers of the left hand whatever.
It's just convenient.

I agree.

[cockroach]

Well, with most guitars, you have six strings and they are all there to be used at some time or other- as are most of the frets, that's where all the music is folks!! And it would be very limiting indeed to deliberately not use some chord shapes, fingering positions or inversions- a bit like driving a car and not using top gear at all....

I think everyone might agree that its best putting in the hard work practising and learning to play- which means learning and using the hard stuff as well as the easy stuff. Everyone finds barre chords difficult at first, even a simple first fret position F chord playing only the top four strings needs the first finger to cover the top two strings-which is hard at first..the more you play, the harder the callouses get and the less pain!

As well as developing single string improvising etc I was always fascinated by chords, and picked up lots of useful knowledge about scales, harmony, etc from studying chords and the notes which make them. Playing melody lines in double stops or even triple stops is more easily accomplished and understood when related to chords.

In many styles of music, the only way to play many tunes or songs is by using at least some barre chords. Then again, sometimes just curling the thumb over when playing to substitute for a full barre also has its uses.

My goodness, then there's the OTHER hand, not only using a pick/plectrum BUT also using all those other spare fingers!!!! The learning never stops folks!!

The sky's the limit!!

[Bojan]

But sometimes you just have to use your thumb!



. . . or your toes even:

[steve.t]

hi all, interesting thread & it`s hard to dissagree to much of whats been said.i`m a self taught rhythm player & i mainly play barre chords now as i find them easy to play & to a great extent they give me more control over the chord such as damping,hammer on`s & avoiding unwanted open string`s ringing out. ok you might be running up & down the frets abit but i just find them more user friendly. i`m not saying their right for everyone or for every tune, as i tend to use open chords when finger picking ballads on accoustic. i`ve watched bruce & i think he`s a master rhythm player & i wish i was half as gifted as he is. i dont think there is a hard & fast rule with this, even the hank`s out there dont play exactly as hank does but they still sound great so who`s right?
cheers, steve.

[RayL]

Three pages about bar chords so far and nothing about straps so let me suggest that actually finding a decent strap can be a problem.

If you don't want
1. Cheapo nylon that creases
2. Logos of firms that you'd prefer not to advertise
3. Heavy metal studs
4. Fake fur
then when you are standing in the music shop looking at the rack the choice dwindles to very little.

Here's what I try to find: 2inch wide plain black leather top surface with natural or suede underside that doesn't slip around on the shoulder.
Here's what seems very difficult to find: A strap that can be adjusted without taking off the guitar

Ray L