barring first fret destroying my finger >.< meant to be this hard?

Hi guys having problems getting a pure Chord out whilst barring the first fret for chords such as Bb. I do the Bb by barring first two strings and have to press sooo hard or they buzz or make a "duh" sound. Also I seem to bar it with the side of my finger when doing a Bb. Is my action off or..? Strings are about 15-20mm above the neck/fretboard whatever it's called.

You might want to take it to your local music store to have them check the action. I bought a new concert with such improved playability that I'm having my others adjusted. Strings might also be making a difference. Good luck to you and don't give up - you might want to go try out a few other ukes if you can find them at a music store and then tell the tech what kind of action feels right to you.

If you are new to using barre chords you may benefit from doing some exercises to improve hand strength. Have a look at Ukulele Mikes tutorial on barre chord exercises.http://www.youtube.com/user/MusicTeacher2010#p/u/37/2CO7zryA668 Also be aware of your thumb placement on the neck making sure you keep the thumb behind the fingers on the fretboard to excerpt firm pressure.

I third all of the above advice, and my 2 pennies by saying that if your fingers can manage it, try putting your middle finger on top of the index finger while barring the chord. Maybe two is stronger than one.

Though I don't guess that works for Bb... Bb minor sure, but not Bb... Have you tried not using a bar chord shape for Bb?

if you are new to barring, then I would wait before taking the uke in to have it checked. Keep making that chord and eventually you will get it with ease.

Hmmm. Can you do this partial bar higher on the neck, say as a C chord - 5433?
It should be slightly easier up there. Once that is comfortable and familiar try the Bb - 3211 again.

If you can't get the C, read up on technique and then just practice.
If you can't get the Bb, then your instrument may be the issue.

Strings are about 15-20mm above the neck/fretboard whatever it's called.

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??

HI guys,
I can do other bar chords easily, e.g. D6, E6, etc but first fret bar's are so lame. i do have callouses, but my finger kind of turns and I end up using the side of my finger which kills. Is that the proper technique?

also Bb sounds perfect when I use two fingers on the first fret instead of 1.

It might not be perfect form, but I find it a lot easier to barre the first fret if I move my index finger more towards the top of the fingerboard - i.e., my first knuckle is about even with the top of the ukulele

Speaking as a beginner that hates the Bb chord, I second Haelejohn's advice. Bb chord is not a naturally ergonomic chord to make. You will develop strength and dexterity with practice which will make it possible and even easy after a while. I have been at it for a few weeks as my daily exercises and it still does not feel natural, and I always get a slight pause i chord progressions when I get to that chord.

Like Ukunuke said, once it feels a bit easier, go to a music store and try it on Ukes there. That will tell you 100% if it is your technique or your Uke. Setups can be expensive so it is always better to be 100% sure before you spend the cash. The store will rarely say you did not need the setup, since it is easy money for them.

nuadre said:

Is my action off or..? Strings are about 15-20mm above the neck/fretboard whatever it's called.

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Hi

I quote MGM here from his EBay page (http://reviews.ebay.com/Ukulele-Wha...-Intonation-mean_W0QQugidZ10000000004902503):

Proper setup means that the ukulele is adjusted for optimum playing. Simply it has the right string height above the frets...termed "action. The "Intonation" or how accurately it plays in tune is correct. and the fretwork is level and smooth. Adjusting action involves two areas the "nut or where the string sits in slots near the tuners of the ukulele and the saddle. Both are often too high or too low when not properly adjusted. Depending on personal preference...the average action is considered to be about 2.5mm to 2.75mm when measuring at the 12th fret..that is from the top of the 12th fret to the underside of the string.

Note (a) your action at 12th fret seems way too high. MGM considers 2.5 to 2.7 mm as proper.

Note (b) The difficulty has also to do with the nut slots being too high. This affects the strings heights at the first fret where you have to barre. To check it, hold a string on the third fret (so that the strings sits on the second fret) and look for space between the top of the first fret and the bottom of the string. There should be very small space (one or two thickness of a xerox paper). If you have more, your finger will have to press the string much farther and that makes the barring difficult.

If you see these issues, get your ukulele checked out and set up soon (ie, today). There is no point getting discouraged by an improperly set up instrument. At worst, you may get injured.

Cheers
Chief

chiefnoda said:

Note (b) The difficulty has also to do with the nut slots being too high. This affects the strings heights at the first fret where you have to barre. To check it, hold a string on the third fret (so that the strings sits on the second fret) and look for space between the top of the first fret and the bottom of the string. There should be very small space (one or two thickness of a xerox paper). If you have more, your finger will have to press the string much farther and that makes the barring difficult.

If you see these issues, get your ukulele checked out and set up soon (ie, today). There is no point getting discouraged by an improperly set up instrument. At worst, you may get injured.

Cheers
Chief

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Hi I did the 3rd fret press and it does have a pretty small gap, tiny really. So it's not the action then? I'm not having trouble with the chord transitions, I can transition to and from Bb easily but it just seems I'm having to push way too hard barring the first fret to get the bottom two notes to sound out nice.

dktoller said:

Hmmm. Can you do this partial bar higher on the neck, say as a C chord - 5433?
It should be slightly easier up there. Once that is comfortable and familiar try the Bb - 3211 again.

If you can't get the C, read up on technique and then just practice.
If you can't get the Bb, then your instrument may be the issue.


??

Click to expand...

I agree. 15-20mm?

Aloha Ukunuke,
If you're using the proper technique, the the grooves in your nut may be too high....have them checked out.. Good Luck! MM Stan...

I'm a uke beginner too and I also have problems with the first fret barre. I come from the guitar, so barre chords aren't new to me, but I still end up buzzing on the Bb. I'm chalking it up to technique for now. I've noticed that where the knuckle of my index finger lands makes a difference. So perhaps I'll find the sweet spot and make that my technique.

nuadre said:

Hi I did the 3rd fret press and it does have a pretty small gap, tiny really. So it's not the action then?

Click to expand...

OK, so your nut slots are OK. The "action" usually refer to the string heights at 12th fret, which you said was 15 - 20. Mine is about 4 mm so your number sounds awfully large. That may affect the fingering in general and you still want to get checked out, but the difficulty in Bb may not be due to the action.

To barre a Bb chord, remember that you're holding all four strings but only the E and A strings matter. So you can ease up the index finger pressure on G and C strings a bit. Some people only barre the E and A strings using the index finger tip. I prefer to barre all the way acress, since that allows me to place my thumb at the center of the neck and gives me a good leverage.

No matter, I much prefer to transpose the key from these "flat" chords to D or C or G and avoid using Bb (and Eb and Ab).....

Cheers
Chief

chiefnoda said:

I prefer to barre all the way acress, since that allows me to place my thumb at the center of the neck and gives me a good leverage.

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+1 on this - I find making a "correct" Bb barring just the E and A with the end of my index finger terribly uncomfortable. Much easier just to barre all the way across all four strings. Also, if you make the chord with a full barre then you can slide down to the third fret for the C instead of playing an open C chord. This is much faster if you're playing in F where you need the Bb and C a lot.

John

chiefnoda said:

OK, so your nut slots are OK. The "action" usually refer to the string heights at 12th fret, which you said was 15 - 20. Mine is about 4 mm so your number sounds awfully large. That may affect the fingering in general and you still want to get checked out, but the difficulty in Bb may not be due to the action.

To barre a Bb chord, remember that you're holding all four strings but only the E and A strings matter. So you can ease up the index finger pressure on G and C strings a bit. Some people only barre the E and A strings using the index finger tip. I prefer to barre all the way acress, since that allows me to place my thumb at the center of the neck and gives me a good leverage.

No matter, I much prefer to transpose the key from these "flat" chords to D or C or G and avoid using Bb (and Eb and Ab).....

Cheers
Chief

Click to expand...

Wow I got my conversions all wrong >.< Its not 20mm but about 2mm.