'Also, I can't find a good way to play a B. I tried the "official" way (barring the 2nd fret with index, 2, 3&4th fingers on the 4th fret) - but I just can't get it down.'

dont worry about it. that is the correct way to play a B chord. you will get used to stretching your middle finger across 3 frets but it takes time (took me months and even then it took me years to get good at doing it clean and fast). with a b chord i tend to play it with my wrist slanted. that is, i have my index finger barring it sort of diagonally across the fret (barring finger with a shallow curve instead of just dead straight). doing that allows you to pivot along your middle finger easier so you can reach the g and b strings with your 3rd and little finger respectively.

also you do not need to press down very hard on your barring finger - the important thing is that you press down gently but evenly so you dont accidently mute the d and g strings. the reason why people find themselves barring harder and harder till their palms are crisscrossed with guitar string imprints is because they are distributing pressure evenly along the string. if you look at your index finger sideways on youll notice it has a very shallow cut in it along the 2nd joint. when you barre, the strings you will most likely mute are the d and g strings because they are around that cut away in your finger. also its easier to apply pressure to your finger tip or the base of your finger. its much harder to apply pressure through the centre of your index finger. so you press harder to not mute those d and g strings but the others are digging into your palms. i try not to barre with the flat of my index finger but i roll it slightly on its side and barre that way because there are less contours, meaning less likelyhood of muting strings, meaning you dont have to press down so hard. you get a knack for it once you do it for a couple of years.

about the e chord. it depends on what chord im changing to or from. for instance if i was playing a series of chords up against the headstock, say i would usually play an e chord like

e--0--
b--0--
g--1-- with index finger
d--2-- with 3rd finger
a--2-- with middle finger
E--0--

i do this because it feels natural to switch chords quickly that are within 1 fret of each other up against the headstock.

i sometimes play an e chord with

e--0--
b--0--
g--1-- with middle finger
d--2-- with little finger
a--2-- with 3rd finger
E--0--

i find myself doing this more often when im playing barre chords up around the 10th or 12th fret and quickly have to swoop down to play a low e chord. i do this because my fingers are locked in place and all i need to do is release my index finger. then if i have to play another barre chord very quickly afterwards i can just snap my index finger down on the fret board. alternating between the two isnt that important but if you feel you can play certain chord progressions faster and more comfortably then go for it. as long as you you keep it 1 finger 1 fret it isnt so important.

quote:

Originally posted by Derivative 'Also, I can't find a good way to play a B. I tried the "official" way (barring the 2nd fret with index, 2, 3&4th fingers on the 4th fret) - but I just can't get it down.' dont worry about it. that is the correct way to play a B chord. you will get used to stretching your middle finger across 3 frets but it takes time (took me months and even then it took me years to get good at doing it clean and fast). with a b chord i tend to play it with my wrist slanted. that is, i have my index finger barring it sort of diagonally across the fret (barring finger with a shallow curve instead of just dead straight). doing that allows you to pivot along your middle finger easier so you can reach the g and b strings with your 3rd and little finger respectively. also you do not need to press down very hard on your barring finger - the important thing is that you press down gently but evenly so you dont accidently mute the d and g strings. the reason why people find themselves barring harder and harder till their palms are crisscrossed with guitar string imprints is because they are distributing pressure evenly along the string. if you look at your index finger sideways on youll notice it has a very shallow cut in it along the 2nd joint. when you barre, the strings you will most likely mute are the d and g strings because they are around that cut away in your finger. also its easier to apply pressure to your finger tip or the base of your finger. its much harder to apply pressure through the centre of your index finger. so you press harder to not mute those d and g strings but the others are digging into your palms. i try not to barre with the flat of my index finger but i roll it slightly on its side and barre that way because there are less contours, meaning less likelyhood of muting strings, meaning you dont have to press down so hard. you get a knack for it once you do it for a couple of years. about the e chord. it depends on what chord im changing to or from. for instance if i was playing a series of chords up against the headstock, say i would usually play an e chord like e--0-- b--0-- g--1-- with index finger d--2-- with 3rd finger a--2-- with middle finger E--0-- i do this because it feels natural to switch chords quickly that are within 1 fret of each other up against the headstock. i sometimes play an e chord with e--0-- b--0-- g--1-- with middle finger d--2-- with little finger a--2-- with 3rd finger E--0-- i find myself doing this more often when im playing barre chords up around the 10th or 12th fret and quickly have to swoop down to play a low e chord. i do this because my fingers are locked in place and all i need to do is release my index finger. then if i have to play another barre chord very quickly afterwards i can just snap my index finger down on the fret board. alternating between the two isnt that important but if you feel you can play certain chord progressions faster and more comfortably then go for it. as long as you you keep it 1 finger 1 fret it isnt so important.

I tried the index/barre idea and it worked great. I guess I never really looked at my index finger like that. I moved it up so the contour is above the strings and it worked great. Still not perfect, but much better.

Thanks again for that tip. Now for my current problem, heh.

I can't seem to get certain strumming patterns out of my head. I practiced Oasis - Wonderwall for two practice days (about 5 hours total) - I have it down beautifully, but I find that I subconsciencely strum in that pattern now. It's kind of funny really, I'll be playing 3 Doors Down or something and I'll just bust into a Wonderwall pattern. My friend recommended a rhythym ticker thing.

So, I'm sure it will go away once I learn more and more strumming patterns, so it's not really a problem.

I seem to have a bad habit of strumming all strings, especially on songs where you really start to wail (like Greenday and such) - I usually mute the top string with my thumb. Is this a bad habit - should I be hitting only the strings that are open? If so (which I'm assuming it is) - do you just have to "aim" quickly or do you keep your hand planted or resting on certain strings to strum them (with fingers of course).

Thanks again for the tips, it's going along nicely!

strumming is all about up and down beats. its like how kicks and snares work in dance music. the kick is the downbeat. the snare is most often the most distinctive upbeat. when you get into a rhythym strumming patterns just work out naturally. theres no need to learn or memorize strum patterns. as long as you keep time you should just fall into the correct strumming sequence. its the oddest thing.

as for strumming all strings or muting certain ones while strumming this depends largely on the sound you want. strumming all the strings with a thin pick (0.7 to 1 mm thickness) creates a rolling, resonant kind of sound. also, some chords will sound wrong if you strum all the strings because the additional notes being strummed change the way the chord rings out. for instance...


if you are playing a sequence of 5 chords:

F#5 A5 B5

e--------------------
b--------------------
g--------------------
d-4----7----9--------
a-4----7----9--------
E-2----5----7--------

you should mute the e and b strings. if you strum all strings the chord wont ring out in the correct pitch and it'll sounda bit off.

chords like

F#7#11

e---0---
b---0---
g---3---
d---4---
a---4---
E---2---

are varients on a F# chord. this one rings out with all the strings and has a resonant, shimmering kind of sound whereas F#5 has a more muted, chugging kind of sound (partly cuz of the muted strings). when deciding on what strings to strum, it all really depends on the chord you play and the desired effect.

again certain chords require you not to strum the E string, chords like

Bm

e---2---
b---3---
g---4---
d---4---
a---2---
E---x---

thats cuz the root note of the chord is B. strumming the E string will just make the chord ring out in a very slightly off pitch. most chords where the root note is played on the a string require that you do not strum the top string.

i have different strumming patterns depending on the style im playing or the effect im going for. when im playing a sequence of 5th chords (like above) ill usually lock my wrist on the bridge/tremolo system which means i can strum the top 4 strings very rapidly if required and also palm mute those strings quickly for an instant chug effect if required. if im playing light, resonant chords ill usually keep my strumming hand loose and slightly floppy (not resting on the bridge), just clipping the strings with a pick.

when playing flamenco i have to do something really different. to do those superfast rolling things on spanish guitar (dunno how to explain except to say that you can hear it on 'the doors - spanish caravan'). you do this by locking your wrist on the bridge and using all your fingers to kind of 'crab' the strings in sequence. no pick. consequently it has a soft plucking kind of sound that rolls really nicely. this is superhard to do though and it doesnt sound so good on on a steel strings. makes for really cracking good (but really cheesy) spanish flavoured trance though (like on jam & spoon - angel (ladadi o-heyo), if you can do it.

the last one isnt so important to learn - the distinction between the first two is important though.

Last edited by Derivative on Sep-03-2004 at 01:07