How long does it take to get barre chords right?

Youkalaylee

Youkalaylee

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Hello, me again about barre chords!

I've been practicing every other day on my ukulele trying to learn barre chords in particular. The reason I've been practicing every other day is because I work 14hr shifts then have a day off afterwards. After a day at work I don't feel like anything other than sleep!

After 2 weeks I still haven't made much progress. Occasionally I can be fretting the C#m chord and make it sound correct briefly before my fingers give in, but it just feels like I'm stuck in a rut. I've bought a "powerball" which I am using every day to help build up strength in my hands and fingers quicker but I guess that'll take a while to have any effect too.
 
Others will say the same thing - but it really is just practice practice practice. And with many uke chords (such as the one you mentioned) barre-ing is really the way to go.

Try practicing holding a barre shape then just moving it on and off many times to get things warmed up. This is about getting your fingers to do things they haven't done before and it takes time for them to stretch and build muscle memory.

Trust me - in time it becomes as natural as any other chord
 
Its going to take more than 2 weeks to get barre chords down pat so don't sweat it. To a certain degree it will depend on how well your instrument is setup. Trying to learn barre chords on an instrument with a high action will be very difficult. If the intonation is out by a long way barre chords will sound terrible. Numerous factors.

Don't overdo the barre chords. Practice a progression with a few open chords and a barre chord or 2 thrown in.

Anthony
 
Youkalaylee said:
Hello, me again about barre chords!

I've been practicing every other day on my ukulele trying to learn barre chords in particular. The reason I've been practicing every other day is because I work 14hr shifts then have a day off afterwards. After a day at work I don't feel like anything other than sleep!

After 2 weeks I still haven't made much progress. Occasionally I can be fretting the C#m chord and make it sound correct briefly before my fingers give in, but it just feels like I'm stuck in a rut. I've bought a "powerball" which I am using every day to help build up strength in my hands and fingers quicker but I guess that'll take a while to have any effect too.
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When you mean "right" are you being too unrealistic? A professional guitarist I know, with 15 years of band and session experience, says typically to hit chords cleanly 95% of the time takes 6 or 7 years with the instrument, while clean chords 75% of the time usually take 1 to 2, depending on the amount of effort put into improving technique. I don't think it would be all that different with the uke.
 
Mercury said:
When you mean "right" are you being too unrealistic? A professional guitarist I know, with 15 years of band and session experience, says typically to hit chords cleanly 95% of the time takes 6 or 7 years with the instrument, while clean chords 75% of the time usually take 1 to 2, depending on the amount of effort put into improving technique. I don't think it would be all that different with the uke.
Click to expand...

Thank you for this reality check! I am finding barre chords difficult too, but I'm going to stop beating myself up and just keep practicing.
 
Lots of good advice....one bit that worked for me was rolling my finger slightly toward the side....a little less "flesh" there. Enabled me to barre much more cleanly. I wouldn't expect too much for 4-6 weeks anyway. Hands and fingers are doing things they aren't used to doing and 2 weeks is nothing when you are talking about substantially increasing the strength and flexibility of any body part.
 
teruterubouzu said:
Thank you for this reality check! I am finding barre chords difficult too, but I'm going to stop beating myself up and just keep practicing.
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That's the spirit. :) The way I progressed in guitar and now uke was to transpose favourite tunes into keys which feature chord shapes I found particularly challenging - such as in the key of F, which includes the Bb. Yuck! But after a few short months of this, technique improved markedly.
 
Last edited:
How long does it take to get barre chords right?

63 days 5 hours 10 minutes 45 seconds
 
Thanks everyone for the advice. I guess I think I was looking for encouragement and assurance that its not just me, it really does take a long time to learn. I think everything else learning the uke was pretty quick; first few chords, first chord changes, songs, some strumming patterns. Then you go to barre chords and all of a sudden not progressing as fast!

However I'm not sure i want to say thanks to Mandarb as I feel that your reply was a little sarcastic.
 
Youkalaylee said:
Thanks everyone for the advice. I guess I think I was looking for encouragement and assurance that its not just me, it really does take a long time to learn. I think everything else learning the uke was pretty quick; first few chords, first chord changes, songs, some strumming patterns. Then you go to barre chords and all of a sudden not progressing as fast!

However I'm not sure i want to say thanks to Mandarb as I feel that your reply was a little sarcastic.
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Sorry to offend. I was just trying for a little levity. As others have already said - it all depends on the person, how much practice and persistence that person puts in. There is no magic number.
 
Have you tried the thing where you put your middle finger over your index finger while you're doing the barre? Using two fingers to press down can help get a good sound.
 
One thing that helps me practice the barre chords is to take a chord like a D7 and move it up the fretboard, one fret at a time, to Eb7, then E7, etc. all the way down to the 12th fret and then back up. Going up and down the fretboard helps you build up muscle endurance, and you get the feel for a clean sounding barre.
 
BlueLatitude said:
Have you tried the thing where you put your middle finger over your index finger while you're doing the barre? Using two fingers to press down can help get a good sound.
Click to expand...


Eek - not sure that is the best advice (sorry) - as you move on from basic barres, there are some half barres that need that middle finger.
 
barre chords can be a bit of a struggle, just started one in a song d7 with practice you will crack cm,
just a thought might help, if you make a g then roll down to d7 just to get the feel of action then when you get the feel just bar the three strings cm and put it in song
 
Oh, the dreaded barred chords. Yikes! Try piggy backing your index finger with your middle finger. It helps to get a clear sound. That's the way I started and now all my barred chords are piggybacked. Also be sure your action is not too high at the bottom frets which will make it difficult to barre chords in that area of the neck. Bottom is near the head stock and top is near the body. Mike Lynch has many tutorials on youtube, one of which is how to master barred chords. His tutorials are wonderful and easy to follow. Don't mean to sound like an echo, but "practice makes permanance" I practice every day because I have the time and have progressed quickly in two years. Every other day is great as long as you are consistant. In a few months you will wonder what all the fuss was about with barred chords. Good luck my friend.
 
Practice and persistence are are important, but here are a few other points:

1. Experiment. Vary the angle of your uke (Many people rotate it backward to look at the frets, a more vertical face is usually easier.) Vary where your elbow goes. Vary everything and see what helps, what hurts, and what doesn't matter. Learn how to learn new chord shapes; it is an important skill.

2. Observe. Watch other players. Watch youtube. There's a lot of video out there, and I'm sure someone with a similar uke and similar hands is playing a similar chord somewhere.

3. Enjoy. Find a song you like that has just 1 barre chord. Build slowly from there, but try to enjoy the journey.
 
The same amount of time it takes to get to Carnegie Hall.
:D:D:D
 
You will get there! Don't press too hard, and keep the edge of the finger right up behind the fretwire.

Eventually, you'll do the chords without even thinking about them.
 
If you aren't doing them perfectly within fifteen minutes you're a dismal failure... JUST KIDDING!

Seriously, there is no valid answer to this question because it is going to be different for every player. We all come to the table with different backgrounds, different skills, different dexterity, and just dozens of other factors.

The more important thing to remember is that, with the exception of a handful of people with genuine medical issues affecting dexterity, everyone can learn barre chords eventually if they have the desire to persevere!

John
 
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