Reply To: [unofficial weekender] Brainfarts

[blinky465 17178xp 2]

@limburger if the tips of your fingers are already numb, you’ve got a head-start over most guitar players! Some people even put a dab of superglue on their fingertips to make them hard and less “feel-y”.

Mastering barre chords is one of the most frustrating things to do. It’s such an unnatural thing to do, a weird way to hold your hand – curling your fingers so they press hard enough without deadening the other strings – it’s something that takes weeks of practicing every day to get right.

But, honestly, once you can play an “e-shape” barre chord, you’re away! “a-shape” chords are simple in comparison (not least of all because you play them quite “sloppily” and mute strings and get away with it. Once you’ve got that down, you can play any song, in any key.

“Cowboy chords” are usually a little easier to learn, but they don’t make much sense musically.
Why go from this shape (c major) to this shape (a minor) to this completely different shape (g) to this other weird shape (d) ?
With barre chords, you go up a number of frets, or down a number of frets, and no matter what key you’re playing in, the distance between the frets is always the same. Play this chord, go up two frets, play the next chord, play the a-shape… chord names and letters don’t matter.

Intervals are what it’s all about 🙂
(you don’t need to worry about all that until you’re happy playing a barre chord; but once you can play even just one shape, you’ll be a far better player than someone who can play half a dozen “cowboy chords”. Once you’ve mastered just two shapes, you’ll sound like a pro!)

Other than guitars, what’s everyone else been up to?