Every student I have come across has struggled with Bar Chords… including myself in the beginning. The good news is that the process of learning bar chords will actually teach you many things. It will strengthen your fingers and help you develop better technique. Playing bar chords is sort of a right of passage. You’re going from a beginner to more of an intermediate student.

LIKELY PROBLEMS WITH BAR CHORDS

The two biggest problems you’ll likely encounter are 1) some strings are buzzing, and 2) when you stretch your finger across the fretboard some strings are muted.

Know that these are common and most everybody encounters them in the beginning. The solution in both cases is to just keep making small adjustments and practicing little by little. It also helps to make sure your guitar action is adjusted properly. That means that the strings are the right distance from the neck for optimal playing.

Try not to get discouraged. Know that over time your fingers will get stronger. You’ll also make small adjustments that will help the chord sound better and better. Practice and persistence. Keep coming back at it.

OVERVIEW OF THE SYSTEM

 I created a video a while ago for my students that is basically an overview of the entire system. It would be very helpful to watch this video first to get an idea on where you’re going. Then proceed to the steps in the following lessons to work on each of the aspects of the system.