I'm needing advice on using bar-notes with the guitar.

I'm talking about this bar-note where you cover the first fret with your entire index finger and play an E with the next fret  (not sure what's it called). I have to play like this cause the neck on my acoustic is warped and sticks out at a weird angle and there isn't a guitar shop within a hundred miles of where I'm at (plus I'm too poor to buy a new one right now).

So I'm needing advice on playing bar-notes where it doesn't feel like I'm going to break my wrist. My index finger doesn't want to stick straight when my next two fingers are bent at an angle. I also can't position my thumb on the neck of the guitar just right to get comfortable enough to play it.  

This acoustic guitar cannot be tuned at all cause you get it playing one note correctly and the other's are out of tune (a no win situation when tuning this thing).  

So I need some advice on what I could do to get more comfortable playing this bar-note my dad showed me a while back.  

P.S. Me and him were thinking of re-gluing the neck back straight, then using wood clamps to hold it in place until it dries.

yeah you should fix the neck, would play better.

I play bass, so I cant give you advice on fretting chords.

Perhaps nialll will be along soon.

is it bar-chords you're having trouble with, such as a B chord or an F chord? i used to hate those ones, anyway if this is what you mean then maybe i can help

it's the A and E notes I'm having trouble with. I can't seem to position my hand comfortably without it hurting after-wards. What's worse is playing the next note down or up the fret. But it's the only way I could play this almost broken guitar

you need to run some scales everyday or something similar.

builds more muscle, stretch and endurance in your hands

start slowly and buildup

it takes time and patience and practice everyday

its worth it

dont forgat to stretch your hands and fingers before and after, so you dont end up with a repetitive motion problem

I play my bass everyday, sometimes 4 or 5 hours a day ( with breaks)In fact I am sitting at my desk right now, with my bass in my hands

I have been at it for over 40 years though

I'm actually beginning to think I may have carpal tunnel syndrome My wrist/hands have been hurting so much lately.  

"Stretch out your hands and fingers" ? How do you do that ? I ought to give it that a try. It might be good for my wrist/hand problems

I'm not that good with music to know exactly what scales are, but I'm assuming scales have to do with piano chords. Like how for example 3 notes makes up a chord (I'm really good with piano chords, I could find them all just by ear). Well it's hard to explain and I'm once again sleep deprived.  

So to sum it all up, practicing the guitar is like exercising. You have to stretch before you begin, give it your all, then keep at it for years ?

gently bend your fingers and the wrist back, hold for a few seconds. Do the other hand

make circular motions with your hands from the wrist

repeat frequently

The more you put into something, the more you get out of it

This post was last modified: 06-06-2012 04:52 AM by skyblue1 .

it even hurts when I do that I think I may have carpal tunnel syndrome. Well except it's not my wrist that's generally hurting it's the top of my hand that hurts the most.

My daughters handss hurt after just a few minutes of "proper" piano playing (with her fingers/hands positioned correctly- she is a novice)  Therefore I believe you are just feeling it (muscles that have never been stretched or used before) I think you will be okay...skyblue is right, do your  "excercises" as he prescribed.

Just yesterday a guitar teacher (I was picking my daighter up from piano /voice class) was telling a mom that she needs to get the neck fixed on the guitar - they come loose and will NOT hold a tune  - he said a music store will glue it (funny coincidence)... I think, therefore, you are quite correct - you need to fix the guitar...

The neck of the guitar is warped like it's been twisted a bit to the right and it's loose at the base of the body. You could just lean foreword and change the tone of the music your playing.
And tuning it is impossible cause for instance, you could get the guitar to play the G note cor-rectally but the rest of the notes are out of tune and vice versa.

My Dad showed me these bar notes in E and A which is awkward to get my index finger to completely cover one fret while playing the E, the A is even more frustrating cause your doing the same as E , but instead your playing the A a fret down then the E.

What my question was aimed at generally was rather or not there was a trick to playing those bar notes a little easier than how I have been playing them.

Even when I do get the thing fixed I still want to learn those Bar notes cause I'm not giving up that easy on them.  

P.S. I have been doing the exercises that Dr SkyBlue prescribed me. It just hurts a bit when I do them

do the exercise slowly, especially when warming up.

you are a little young for carpal tunnel, but that could be it none the less.

I hope not I hate spending time in the hospital and would rather take the pain then get bunches of surgery on my hand over and over again.

That's why I don't like to leave this house because I'd hate to end up in the hospital for days, even weeks. :/