My fingers won't stay at a good angle doing Bb

Youkalaylee

Youkalaylee

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As you can see my forefinger won't stay straight. My fingers all actually bend inwards towards my middle finger, which is the only straight one. So my forefinger and ringfinger rotate from the middle knuckle inwards. This means my fingers look like that when doing Bb. When I try to form it while I am getting better and get a clear sound a good portion of the time, I can't hold it for long. The space between my thumb and forefinger feels like a muscle strain after holding it for about a minute. I've tried relaxing my pressure on my thumb and forefinger but if I do them the chord doesn't sound.

Help?
 
... while I am getting better and get a clear sound a good portion of the time, I can't hold it for long. The space between my thumb and forefinger feels like a muscle strain after holding it for about a minute. ...
Click to expand...
If you are sometimes getting a clear chord, you are on the right track. It takes time to build finger and hand strength in your fretting hand, and Bb is a challenging chord for many people. I'm assuming here that your ukulele is set up properly and your action isn't overly high. High action will make the Bb chord even tougher.

Another thing to try is adjusting the position of your forefinger. Try barring 4 strings or 3 strings instead of just 2 and see if that's any better for you. Different things work for different hand/finger shapes.

If you are feeling significant pain, I'd suggest backing off a little until the muscle gets stronger. If you injure yourself, you might have to stop playing entirely while it heals, and you definitely don't want that!
 
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cantsing said:
Try barring 4 strings or 3 strings instead of just 2 and see if that's any better for you. Different things work for different hand/finger shapes.
Click to expand...
:agree:
And practice helps as well, esp. with the barre chords....

Always remember: the actual note of a fretted string is determined by the finger closest to the bridge (soundhole) - whatever you do between that finger and the nut (headstock) is up to you, just do what feels most comfortable to you.
 
cantsing said:
If you are sometimes getting a clear chord, you are on the right track. It takes time to build finger and hand strength in your fretting hand, and Bb is a challenging chord for many people. I'm assuming here that your ukulele is set up properly and your action isn't overly high. High action will make the Bb chord even tougher.

Another thing to try is adjusting the position of your forefinger. Try barring 4 strings or 3 strings instead of just 2 and see if that's any better for you. Different things work for different hand/finger shapes.

If you are feeling significant pain, I'd suggest backing off a little until the muscle gets stronger. If you injure yourself, you might have to stop playing entirely while it heals, and you definitely don't want that!
Click to expand...

Yeah there's no problem with the set-up, I bought it from an experienced UU member and it plays like a dream. If the action was any lower it'd be selling itself on the streets lol :p

I'm focusing mostly on fingerpicking atm as I can't sing to save my life. I've found I can get away with Bb most of the time by shifting the focus of the pressure in my fingers to the strings being played, but I can't get away with that when picking all 4 together lol

This isn't the first thread I've made about Bb. I'm not an impatient person but a worried one. I've found barreing the whole fret tougher but ill keep trying both.

It's not significant, if I take my hand away and shake it a bit I can try again after literally just a few mins rest.

Thanks!
 
One thing you might try is to pull your elbow in close to the top bout which will rotate your grip a bit clockwise.
 
Youkalaylee said:
I'm not an impatient person but a worried one. I've found barreing the whole fret tougher but ill keep trying both.
Click to expand...
Don't worry, it will come. One neat thing about learning the uke is watching how something that initially seems impossible suddenly becomes easy, and that includes the Bb chord.

Don't know if you've seen this video. I really struggled with barre chords when I started, and I saw a difference after using the exercises suggested here for a while.
 
try using a finger for each string keep thumb in middle of neck, and fingers upright, if you are learning twinkle twinkle little star it should be good practice,
 
another thing i have found which works for me is having a couple of things on the go, so when you go back to Bb its seems fresh, your fingers will get there in the end,
 
I play sitting down and this is what I do. Elbow in, shoulder pressed a little forward, wrist cocked a bit to get more of an arch in the chord shape. And what the guys said above.

It's like learning to play an F chord on the guitar; once you have it, it takes you to a whole new level of chord shapes. Same goes for a uke.
 
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cantsing said:
Try barring 4 strings or 3 strings instead of just 2 and see if that's any better for you. Different things work for different hand/finger shapes.
Click to expand...

That worked for me when I was learning B flat. Once I had it down with the barre on the first fret, I was able to move to just playing the first two strings a lot more easily. It still took a lot of practice and fingering it slowwwwwwwwwwwly. And I still play a sloppy one once in a while!
 
Patrick Madsen said:
I play sitting down and this is what I do. Elbow in, shoulder pressed a little forward, wrist cocked a bit to get more of an arch in the chord shape. And what the guys said above.

It's like learning to play an F chord on the guitar; once you have it, it takes you to a whole new level of chord shapes. Same goes for a uke.
Click to expand...

I keep my elbow in, arching my wrist doesn't feel comfortable yet it does work.
 
Others beat me to it, but I'll agree that barring works for me. I bar my index across all 4 strings rather than just the top 2. It's been much easier since I started doing it this way. Who knows if I'll go back the other way, this wa works pretty well.
 
Youkalaylee said:
View attachment 48404
View attachment 48405

As you can see my forefinger won't stay straight. My fingers all actually bend inwards towards my middle finger, which is the only straight one. So my forefinger and ringfinger rotate from the middle knuckle inwards. This means my fingers look like that when doing Bb. When I try to form it while I am getting better and get a clear sound a good portion of the time, I can't hold it for long. The space between my thumb and forefinger feels like a muscle strain after holding it for about a minute. I've tried relaxing my pressure on my thumb and forefinger but if I do them the chord doesn't sound.

Help?
Click to expand...
Try this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNWaEHsSlmY
 
Elbow touching your ribs and inside wrist facing up...as you fret...no matter if you chording index finger is straight or angled...it will take time to build finger strength...
keep at it...and happy strummings...
 
Try to keep the uke parallel to the ground and neck pointed slightly away from the body. This will allow for easier wrist rotation and better finger positioning when it comes to playing the Bb chord shape.
 
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The Bb is the bane of my existance. I have been trying for 2 years and still cannot get a clear sound. However, one answer said to put a finger on each string. Voila! I can now get a beautiful clear sound and the Bb finally sounds like what it is supposed to. I have many unconventional ways to get certain chord sounds. There is no wrong way to fret a chord, as long as you get the desired sound. If you choose to do it the conventional way,just keep at it and eventually you will be able to master it. It's all practice plain and simple. Happy ukin.
 
addicted2myuke said:
The Bb is the bane of my existance. I have been trying for 2 years and still cannot get a clear sound. However, one answer said to put a finger on each string. Voila! I can now get a beautiful clear sound and the Bb finally sounds like what it is supposed to. I have many unconventional ways to get certain chord sounds. There is no wrong way to fret a chord, as long as you get the desired sound. If you choose to do it the conventional way,just keep at it and eventually you will be able to master it. It's all practice plain and simple. Happy ukin.
Click to expand...

Yes you're right, but you always need to think of the next Chord and transititon...which will be easier to get there....happy Strummings....
 
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