No, thank you @BanjoBen and @Michael_Mark!
Discuss the Mandolin lesson: Learning Open Mandolin Chords: G, C, & D
3 Likes
I’ve never been able to play bar chords, though. My hands are pretty small, and they always get too tired to hold the chord well enough for a clear sound.
If I could learn some barre chords I guarantee you can. I’m sure my hands aren’t bigger than yours and they used to be extremely difficult for me. They would hurt and stretch my whole hand, and every note would be muted - I thought I would never learn to play a full clear chord. But I didn’t give up. It’s not impossible. If you want to explore your guitar neck further, I’d recommend pressing on and trying at least a few simple closed position chords. The easiest one to start with is the “half” F chord. Just the top 4 strings, but barring the top 2 on fret 1. You probably already do that! Now move that up the neck 2 frets and you’ve got your closed G. Once that becomes easy (your hand WILL stretch and learn it!) then try the full F - barring down to the 6th string on fret 1. Again, by experience I know this isn’t easy to learn but once you get it you’ll just get it. And if I could anyone can!
The CAGED system is another whole fun world to dive into! It’s basically seeing the guitar neck in 5 chords. Learning this system has opened up a lot of doors for me and continues to, as I still have so much to learn! Depending on how serious you are about taking your flatpicking higher (up the neck!), I’d encourage you to commit to putting in the time… and sometimes the pain… to working on these things.
6 Likes
@theCrazyEight Another thing I’d recommend is make sure your guitar is set up properly– if your action is too high, it can make it extra hard to play barre chords. It doesn’t have to be super low for barres to be possible, but you may want to have it lowered when you’re learning them just to make it a bit easier. Unless it’s way too high, though, it’s not really necessary.
It took me a while to get the barre chords well (and most of the time they still buzz at least a little), but I just ignored it and played them anyway. If I need to, I can generally make it less noticeable by focusing the pressure on either the top or bottom strings and strumming through those rather than the full chord.
4 Likes
Sounds good! Whenever I try to play barre chords, I can never hold down all the strings firmly enough for a clear sound. I’ll keep working on it though.
2 Likes
There’s a video in this lesson that shows how to use these chords with Amazing Grace. The video is called application. Click on this link: https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/learning-open-mandolin-chords-g-c-d-mandolin-beginner
Then click on the application video:
2 Likes
Thanks y’all!
Hey @theCrazyEight I tried to explain these concepts more in a vid on my Youtube channel in case you want to check that out.
2 Likes
Got a link handy?
2 Likes
9 Likes
Thanks, I’ll definitely check it out!
3 Likes
Ok I’ve seen several hundred youtube thumbnails promising enlightenment about the elusive CAGED system, but never had a clue what it was. Your video proved what I already suspected to be the truth: that it’s just a fancy name for a basic understanding of the guitar.
Also, your production value went up quickly… I’m genuinely impressed
5 Likes
Thanks! Glad you learned something.
3 Likes