Who else plays guitar?

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Demi777

Senior Member
Oct 13, 2014
6,889
1,958
113
Germany
#61
I do but the barre chords...just cant do em..sadly its quite restraining
 

JeffA

Minstrel
Mar 31, 2022
360
72
28
#62
I write and play. My son and I are the music ministry for 2 different congregations. I posted 2 of the songs I copyrighted last year onto my wife's website. They are just home recordings I used to do the copyrights but I hope you like them.
Here is the link:

Music | Kitchen Foodie Presents
 

Sula

Member
Jun 19, 2021
82
56
18
#64
I just bought a guitar 🎸. Had a lot of Lol about myself trying to figure out how to position my fingers lol and also tune the guitar but I have Yousician app and also fender to help me lol
I love blues , Eric Clapton, buddy guy …
And I’m challenging myself with this new hobby 🙏🏻 I would love to be able to do some blues worship songs. All I want is praise him 🙏🏻
 

Juliamh

New member
Mar 22, 2022
4
10
3
#65
I play the guitar but not played it for years love all worship songs and have written some of my own too
 
Apr 12, 2022
32
15
8
#66
I do but the barre chords...just cant do em..sadly its quite restraining
I would bet you're struggling smashing the strings down hard enough with your index (bar) finger, right? Unless you have strong fingers to begin with, very few can handle bar chords without lots of practice and muscle work.

But, in case you're not aware, you can:
1) Switch to nylon strings on your acoustic. [Assumes you are on an acoustic.]
2) Have the string height adjusted on the neck. Even the best guitars will have far better action when a professional adjusts them closer to the fret bars.
3) Use electric. Electric guitars require less effort to squash. Though item 2 can still be very helpful.

There may be some ball-squeezing exercises you can find on-line to help build your bar finger's strength over time.

You will be glad you went to the trouble since bar chords will make playing easier, ironically. :)

My near-pro friend once told me that the more you put into a guitar, the more it gives back. :)
 
Apr 12, 2022
32
15
8
#67
I just happen to be tossing a lot of old music sheets to minimize how much I will take when we move to our smaller home.

It was a treat playing in a small Christian band in the days church coffee shops were active. Steven Curtis Chapman, DC Talk, Clay Cross, Michael Smith, and our own compositions were a blessing to share.

I really like my Yamaha acoustic and my Gibson Traditional Pro.
 
J

JAPOV

Guest
#68
I just picked up one of these, comparable to a Guild, very happy with it :cool:
 
J

jennymae

Guest
#69
My mama taught me how to play the piano, guitar and violin, but I wasn’t any good at it.
 

Demi777

Senior Member
Oct 13, 2014
6,889
1,958
113
Germany
#71
I would bet you're struggling smashing the strings down hard enough with your index (bar) finger, right? Unless you have strong fingers to begin with, very few can handle bar chords without lots of practice and muscle work.

But, in case you're not aware, you can:
1) Switch to nylon strings on your acoustic. [Assumes you are on an acoustic.]
2) Have the string height adjusted on the neck. Even the best guitars will have far better action when a professional adjusts them closer to the fret bars.
3) Use electric. Electric guitars require less effort to squash. Though item 2 can still be very helpful.

There may be some ball-squeezing exercises you can find on-line to help build your bar finger's strength over time.

You will be glad you went to the trouble since bar chords will make playing easier, ironically. :)

My near-pro friend once told me that the more you put into a guitar, the more it gives back. :)
I have a fender western guitar. I dunno why it doesnt work. I do have more strenght than most but somehow nothing worked. The strings can cut my fingers upen and the chords still dont work out. Watched aaall sorts of tips and tricks but these chords mess me up
 
J

JAPOV

Guest
#72
I have a fender western guitar. I dunno why it doesnt work. I do have more strenght than most but somehow nothing worked. The strings can cut my fingers upen and the chords still dont work out. Watched aaall sorts of tips and tricks but these chords mess me up
Yikes! Helio is right, your guitar definitely needs an adjustment, and light gauge strings :cool:
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
59,675
29,016
113
#73
I have a fender western guitar. I dunno why it doesnt work. I do have more strenght than most but somehow nothing worked. The strings can cut my fingers upen and the chords still dont work out. Watched aaall sorts of tips and tricks but these chords mess me up
If it is a matter of playing in a different key, have you tried using a capo?
 
O

Oblio

Guest
#74
I have a fender western guitar. I dunno why it doesnt work. I do have more strenght than most but somehow nothing worked. The strings can cut my fingers upen and the chords still dont work out. Watched aaall sorts of tips and tricks but these chords mess me up
Yeah, Demi, try having a music store set it up, with lower action and lighter strings. Tell them the struggles that you're having.
 

Demi777

Senior Member
Oct 13, 2014
6,889
1,958
113
Germany
#76
Yeah, Demi, try having a music store set it up, with lower action and lighter strings. Tell them the struggles that you're having.
i will need to look for one as the one I got the gutar from closed down because of all the lockdowns and restrictions we had until recently 🙈
 
J

JAPOV

Guest
#77
i will need to look for one as the one I got the gutar from closed down because of all the lockdowns and restrictions we had until recently 🙈
You may have more luck if you look for a "luthier". Many work from home :)
 
O

Oblio

Guest
#78
Another trick is to tune your strings down half a tone.
That'll make it easier to push the strings down. A lot of guitar players do that.
 
O

Oblio

Guest
#79
Once you done the adjustments on your guitar, if you find that your fingers still hurt, then you just need to keep at it until you build up calluses. Then it won't hurt so much. The tendons in your hand won't hurt so much either.
Don't push yourself so hard that you get frustrated and quit. But keep challenging yourself. That way playing stays fresh and with time, you get better. Playing guitar and singing to the Lord is an integral part of my relationship with Him. I highly recommend it. Shalom!
 
Apr 12, 2022
32
15
8
#80
I have a fender western guitar. I dunno why it doesnt work. I do have more strenght than most but somehow nothing worked. The strings can cut my fingers upen and the chords still dont work out. Watched aaall sorts of tips and tricks but these chords mess me up
Ug. My first guitar was a western guitar and the strings were more than 2x higher than normal above the fret. This is because the neck likely wasn't all that great, so moving the strings down to a comfortable level would cause too much rattle or buzz as the string's vibration would touch other unwanted fret bars. At the time, I didn't know enough to recognize this problem so I quit playing until many years later.

A luthier (guitar blacksmith) will look at all of the guitar and will likely also tweak your intonation.

But in the meantime, I do recommend you switch to nylon strings.