Practicing Barre Chords.
It gets better. Trust me.
I recently started a series of guitar lessons called "Triads and Seventh Chords Series", in an effort to broaden your horizons on learning how to play the infamous "Barre" chords. Each series will include the first six chords in every key in music. (I will do a separate series on Diminished and Augmented chords in future lessons). For now, each lesson will outline the fretboard for each of these first six chords in each key, by showing you how many common options you have to play each chord, throughout the fretboard.
What should you expect?
Each key will have the three major chords and the three minor chords in each key, including their corresponding "7th chords" All total, each "key" lesson in this series will have the Major and minor triad chords and the Major 7th, minor 7th and dominant 7th chords.
The idea is to learn which chords are used for each key - which chords are actually available to you through the structures of each chord built by the notes in each key. Most barre chords use either the sixth-string root or the fifth-string root. There are, of course, a few "jazz" chords that are not barre chords, but still remain relevant to the key.
How to practice these chords.
Start off learning how to actually "barre" your first finger across all six strings. This is going to be uncomfortable at first, but you will eventually get used to it. You can use your second finger to help push down your first finger on all six strings.
You must "arpeggiate" each chord. (Meaning), play each note individually from string six to string one. Listen for each note to be played clearly without any buzzing or flatness. Maybe you could even start with the first and second strings, to see how well you can get those. Add the third string, fourth string and so on.
Once you have some strength built up in your hand and fingers, try building the rest of the chord with your other fingers. Again, play each note separately so you can hear them nice and clear. You should expect that some of the notes simply can't be played because your fingers aren't strong enough to push down all the way. That's fine. This is going to take some time and a lot of effort on your part.
No - Barre chords are not only available to people who have been playing a long time. Don’t think that way. Anyone can play barre chords. You do not have to just concern yourself with open-string, cowboy chords. Expand your chord vocabulary, even if it means learning only one or two new barre chords per month. Believe it or not, the more chords you add to your vocabulary, the easier they are to play.
How should you play these chords as an exercise or in song form?
Try playing both the sixth and fifth-string root major and minor barre chords first. Learn and memorize where the “root notes” are for each chord shape. Play each chord by climbing up from the first fret to about the sixth or seventh fret. There really is no need to climb to higher frets. Higher frets are closer together, which makes it more difficult to make the shapes of the chords.
For example - Start off with the six-string root major chord where your first finger is all the way across the first fret. Build the rest of the major chord shape, and try to play each note of the chord. Try it a few times, then move up to the second fret, third and so on. Start over and do the minor versions of each chord, then the 7ths. Listen carefully to each chord and how differently they sound from one another.
Barre chords are our friends.
Imagine having barre chords in your vocabulary, and using them whenever you see them in a song. If you limit yourself to open-string chords like a beginner, you are vastly limiting yourself from hundreds of thousands of songs you could be playing. Don't be that person. Don't limit yourself just because something is easier. Barre chords are easy too. You just have to work a little harder to play them.