Thumb / Wrist Pain In Barre Chords? Do THIS! 

Hey, everybody-listen up! See it, learn it, live it. I dreamed of playing guitar every day for hours in retirement. But I was born way too early to learn what is taught here. I did it wrong for more than 50 years, and wound up with painful arthritis in the thumb of my fretting hand. Now, I can’t button a shirt without sharp pain-much less play a stringed instrument. A lifetime collection of guitars, mandolins, banjos and ukuleles was hauled away to dealers in used instruments, and at 75 years of age, surgery is the only alternative. Do it right, guys. It shouldn’t hurt.

Notes: Be mindful of tension Fingers close to the frets Finger tips used for non barre notes - don't allow knuckles to flatten (middle) Don't squeeze with finger strength - pull with the weight of the arm - no bending of the strings Shoulder should be relaxed (check it) Elbow should be relaxed (able to wiggle) Focus on adjusting specifics - not just mindless repetition Great lesson! 😁

The tip at 5:11 on rather pulling on the strings with the weight of the arm is diamonds and pearls! Amazing how a shift in thinking can change the whole game!

You just tought me how to play a clean bar chord in under 9 minutes.I've been struggling with these for months! Great video, great teacher!

Holy crap, this is the first video that's actually been able to teach me how to play barre chords without the pain of arthritis, thank you

I play guitar for seven years but still strugle with pain in my wrist and thumb. Just realized I've been doing everyting wrong you mentioned on this video. It was very helpful for me. Thank you!

Pulling the strings with the weight of my arm. Oh my god. For the first time, All my notes of the F Major chord rung out crystal clear! You're a wizard! Thank you. Now I know what to work on while I practice.

Your point about fretting as close to the actual fret is right on the money. I've actually seen very advanced guitar players struggle with this concept throughout my own teaching experience. Great video, Mike!

There are lots of people struggle with this including me and lots of guitar tutors tell you to do things to over come the difficulty all linked to adding more pressure on the hand .. For me this guy gives the best advice on the net ...Why? because he teaches you how to play a barr chord in a more relaxed way - others show how to get more pressure to the finger to barr... Result being like he said this leads to other problems - when changing chords and hand fatigue - I remember giving up guitar years ago because i thought my hands could never do this it was too painful etc And yeah we all get that moment when you play the F barr chord once perfectly for first time everything rings out right and you dont wanna move lol... Anyway gave up cos of this years ago... I decided to try again over covid out of bordom ...Again I was either just sticking to open chords or using capo .. I kept trying my hand hurt was about to give up again ...then I just came across this advice This guy gives the best advice i have ever heard on the subject - totally got in in under a two minutes or right away basically i relaxed and found i could play F G A barr chords etc and transition all down the neck without pain. Very very good advice and teacher this guy....subscribed ...A whole world just opened up .. thanks - my only regret is i never heard this years ago.

This video was made for people like me. My electric is in the shop so I am using an acoustic to perform callous building and finger strength. Unfortunately, an acoustic guitar enhances my suck exponentially and barre chords are avoided for this reason. If I can get all six strings to ring correctly, my thumb is screaming like an Ibanez. The B string just doesn't want to sound no matter what technique I am using.

I've played guitar for over 20 years (self taught, not a great guitar player) and have always struggled with bar chords. I've always blamed it on my lack of hand strength. But I do every single one of the things he mentioned in this video. I can't wait to practice these tips and hopefully it will make my bar chords finally sound clear!! Thank you 😌

How has this video been up for 5 years? I've had issues with Barre chords for years, tried searching for videos & websites for tips, and only now do I come across this gem! Thank you for this, good sir! I'll have to try these out when I get home

Why 99% of guitar teachers are useless and clueless? You understand the problems and give easy. tips. So happy you are online for ALL to hear this.

This feels like a cheat code!! The 'finger closer to the fret' tip is FANTASTIC thank you!

Best tutorial ever. Got my first bar chord after months of struggle.

Been playing for years (self taught) and I've always complained of how my whole palm hurts while pleying these chords, you just fixed it with one video, thank you, for real : )

The pulling thing is exploding my brain! THANK YOU!!!

Thank you very much for your tips. There are not that many barre chord tutorials oriented towards the classical Spanish guitars (most are for acoustic metallic strings). I would like to add my humble opinion and experience to this topic. I am at a beginner level, took some lesson when younger and then took the guitar again on my own during the "lock down". I used youtube tutorials and dominated open chords within a few months and basic rhythms as well. However managing the F Chord was extremely painful, frustrating and even depressing. I`ve pretty much looked up every youtube tutorial and blog regarding this matter and this is what helped me: all those techniques regarding using gravity and the weight of your hand, pulling with your biceps towards you or just using brute force with the "clamp" really don`t come in very handy if the action height and the height of the saddle/nut are not properly adjusted. I watched another ton of videos regarding this guitar set up procedure and by a lot of trial and error did it myself. I damaged a lot of saddles and nuts along the way (thank God they are cheap to replace), however I managed to set up the guitar as per the string heights recommended on google and without the guitar buzzing. After this, I was still having problems getting a clear ring on the high E and B strings and still felt very disappointed, my F chord was only being successful about an 80% of the time and I still had to apply too much pressure. My last resource was to very carefully file the nut grooves of these two strings just a little bit. Then, I tried my F chord and both strings rang perfectly and the guitar did not experience buzzing along the neck. I can now do the F chord with a minimum of effort at about a 95% success rate. I previously almost injured my thumb, index finger, left shoulder, right shoulder and lower back, attempting to apply all these techniques without success. I own two entry level guitars, the Yamaha C40 and the Valencia VC304 and both were adjusted this same way and now I feel it`s so easy to play the F Chord. As I mentioned before, I`m still at a beginners level and have only been learning guitar on my own via youtube for about a year and a half. I love the instrument and I don`t want anyone to go through such level of frustration as I did. Bottom line: take your instrument to a guitar specialist and have it properly set up and if you can buy an instrument of a premium level then do so as I have been told these are even easier to play with their default factory set up. This whole learning process made me quit the guitar several times until I finally found a solution that worked for me. I had been practicing consistently and after a year and a half I could not believe that I still had not developed enough strength to do a barre chord. So the next time you feel frustrated with the F chord, before thinking about quitting, take it to the Guitar Shop and have it set up. Good luck to everyone and please let me know about your thoughts.

Just discovered this video and I have to say, thanks a million for this small but so important hints and tips. Great job!

Musicians guitarists, As you advance you will stop playing most bare chords and they will be replaced with four note chords with two strings being muted most of the time.However, there will be times that Barchords are absolutely essential so this video is really really helpful for that pay close attention you’re gonna need it.

Great video! You addressed the exact issue that I've been having - tension and fatigue in thumb and wrist from squeezing too hard on barre chords. I am excited to implement those tips. Especially, thinking less about squeezing and more about using the weight to pull the strings to the neck. Really well articulated and demonstrated. Thank you!

My biggest issue was the dreaded B string. Pulling allowed me to get solid sound without breaking my thumb and index finger. So many videos on this subject, but finally found a solution. THANK YOU 👏👏👏

I started working on this today and it works. It’s not a natural feeling but when done correctly I feel the tension leave my arm and transfer to the guitar neck and strings. Now when the weight is applied there is a counter weight that must be applied to the body of the guitar. Kind of makes sense the arm is heavy when completely relaxed. I’m still working on it obviously can’t make this kind of change in an hour but I can tell it’s going to work great. Thank you for the lesson!

Thank you for this most valuable lesson. I've been playing wrongly for decades. ☺️🎸

Got it..Now becoming more accurate when going from one bar chord to another without fumbling my fingers around to get them on the right string

Excellent video, thanks. Good points made, good pace, well delivered. Been playing for 40 years and this has helped me. Never too old to learn........

I’ve been learning fingerstyle tabs on a steel string since I was 13, but I had no idea that playing closer to the frets would make it so much easier. I’ve been just powering through the thumb pain for 6 years🥲 I’m excited to not destroy my wrist every time I play. Thank you for this advice

Thank you buddy very much. I’m in my gray hairs and am concerned about being able to continue playing until I leave this world. With arthritis and pain in my hands along with joint deformity and all. I don’t want to get tendinitis. Your kind showing has helped this old boy. Keep those strings ringing!❤️🎸

So, i've been playing barre chords cleanly for months, however until my recent wrist fracture (recovered, but still discomfort) and subsequent thumb issues i researched how to lessen thumb pain while playing and realized i've been putting way too much pressure all along on my thumb and especially while playing barre chords, i;m beyond THANKFUL!!! to you and this video

wow. Bet it's the best explanation out here. U gave me a lot of help. Thanks

OMG!!!! I watched this video last night. First thing this morning picked up guitar, and immediately played my first bar chords correctly ever!!!!! Many years of struggling. AMAZING and so thankful. Relax that shoulder folks!!!!

Finally!! I just got my first barre chord, its gonna suck tomorrow but it'll come around and didnt need that much pressure like when I practiced with other tutorials!! No more self-destructive guitar techniques!!

WOW! This was really a *revelation*. Thanks much Mike!

Seriously this was a eye opener. Especially the bit about the weight of the arm and elbow 👍

Thank you! These tips helped alleviate pain in my thumb.

This is a GREAT video. I remind my students of this all the time. A lot of it is being aware when playing and being efficient. I LOVE how you said "pulling". I can feel the difference by just thinking it that way. You pretty much said everything I tell my students about practice. Awesome.

Incredible explanation. The idea of pulling against the neck with your entire arm instead of clamping with the hand is perfect. Learned how to play an F chord in 1 day with this tip. Thank you

Great video! I'm a self-taught player of about 20 years. I have huge hands, so I've not really had trouble with barre chords, but.....I've recently developed Trigger-Thumb in my fret-hand thumb. I had to completely take a break for about a month, and I've had to develop my thumb-over style in order to play without making my condition worse now. I REALLY don't want to have to get surgery. I've always instinctively known that I need to lighten my grip.....but this video certainly helps to put it into something tangible. The bit about relaxing your shoulder and allowing the weight of your arm to naturally depress the strings has helped tremendously!! Thank you!

You've just saved me from the pain I've been causing myself trying to play barre chords, been using the vice grip method for so long, thank you there is another way.

“That comes back to hurt you. Literally.” One of those insights that makes me chuckle while also melting my brain with its simple truth. Thank you.

Thanks ....Very practical tips ....Not heard on any other teachers vdos ...I highly recommend newcomers like me who struggle in the lack of these Practical guidelines .... Looking forward to taking ur course ...

bro you are so awesome ive been playing guitar self taught for 14 years and i learned so much from this video. thanks for this!

The pulling on the strings trick makes a huge difference. Thank you!

Crazy how you can do something right but so wrong at the same time. This video is exactly what I needed. Thank you!!!

I understand that you didn't come up with this, but this just changed my life. I was hurting in my left hand, but as soon as I tried this, it had immediate results. Much less fatigue to my thumb and fingers. Thank you for this!

This, with building hand strength, is helping so much!!

Wth, I have watched at least 10 barre chord tutorial videos to no avail, and u make my first attempt successful, my mistake all this time is that my barre isnt close enough to the frets, thx sir!

been strugling for some months now this man saved me time to learn barre your a life saver thank you soo much!

Best video so far - especially pinching the strings like a clamp - I was so guilty of this! My hand is carrying much less tension. He really breaks it down, my chords have improved immediately.

Im like wtf??.. This works like magic... So simple tricks create great impact in our playing

Bending the middle finger was something I never thought about in reducing strain on barre chords!! Wow, that immediately made a difference.

Thanks for the idea of using the weight of the arm to pull the strings against the fret, rather than the strength of the fingers. It helped.

Trying to use too much pressure and thus tightening the muscles leading to all sorts of problems is the most common error preventing especially older beginners from successfully being able to use barre chords.great demonstration

It s insane how HARD the "just relax your hand" tips helped me ! I don t realy get why it works so well, but it does ! Thank you

Great tips, and I have learned over time that the more a person loves their trade, the more they try to share it with others. Of course, there are always exceptions, but I can tell that you truly enjoy what you are doing. I can't thank you enough.

I have been casually playing since I was 14 and I am 38 now and have always avoided barre chords because of the pain. After watching this and implementing the techniques i can actually play barre chords! I wasnt playing close enough to the fret and was squeezing way too hard.

Thank you! Some people teach us to pull the arm down when it shoud be, as you suggest, simply relaxing the arm. I noticed my shoulder up when playing barre, so now I will relax it and it will drop naturally.

I just started 2 months ago and are studying barre cords now. Struggling for 2 weeks now. Gonna work with your video tomorrow. I play an acoustic guitar with steel strings btw. Thanks for the lesson

Thank you! Super helpful video - I've been playing (amateur) with a sore thumb/hand/arm for over 20 years...over half my life now...you helped me fix that in less than 10 minutes 👏👏👏

Great video. I got rid of the tension in my arm and the pain in my thumb 😀 Thanks a lot for sharing.

I've struggled for years playing bar chords and hated them due to the pain in my index finger. I would always squeeze it so hard to get all the strings to sound clear. You have taught me how to bar in 5 minutes that does not hurt my index finger at all. Thank you.

This makes so much sense. Been squeeezing with my thumb and hand... after trying some high neck bar chords my hand feels like it's about to fall off. Will practice this. Thanks for the video!

THANK YOU OMG IT WORKED

As many before me stated, your explanation worked for me. Now bar chords are a lot easier and sound better on my acoustic. Thank you.

This what I needed to know. I just started to self learn classical guitar with the Christopher Parkening method and my arm and thumb hurt. This video is amazing. Thank you!

Wow; thank you!! These tips were so helpful and I really like the way you frame it.

Love this!..also do one for strumming techniques on acoustic guitar..something I have been struggling with for many years...your tips and explanation are spot-on! Thanks

Ok. Best Barre Chords lesson on RU-vid. This is real technique.

I’ve been playing for about 3 years now, all self-taught. This was very eye-opening and extremely helpful.

Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you! I knew all the wrist pain couldn't be right. Subscribed

Oh man you're so articulate. Your instructions are concise to the T almost as if you were breaking down an engineering concept... I'm sure you'd do extremely well in public speaking...

dude you’re a lifesaver, I quite literally was able to bar chords properly after this, thanks so much for the info!

The 5:11 was the key issue for me. Finally solved. I've seen so many videos looking for the solution for this, you were the single one mentioning this. Thank you!

Great tips! Still trying to get the right pressure of my 1st finger down. I feel like I need to apply an enormous amount of pressure to get all of the strings properly fretted, especially the B string. But I've noticed that my capo doesn't seem like it uses a ton of pressure to do its job... Another thing about the middle finger placement... I don't have the problem of straightening that finger out--it is bent at the knuckle. But it is bent "backwards" to the string at such an angle that my fingernail is getting in the way, if that makes sense. I've filed them down as much as I can and I still feel like I wish I had no fingernails at all on my fretting hand, lol.

The "pulling" strings idea makes total sense... when I play relaxed and just having fun I have a lot less fatigue. Currently I can only play about 10 minutes non-stop because i start getting numbness in my index finger and thumb fatigue. I'm probably getting carpal tunnel (15 years mechanic and last 10 years as a CAD tech, lots of mouse work and typing now) and I lead worship at my church now so I have to space the worship set out so that I can speak or rest for a few minutes between songs.

thank you so much ive been straining to pinch the guitar fret board to try and learn creep and getting tired and frustrated to soon going to try n watch this vid daily and remind myself of this fingers crossed this is amazing tips

I know. I'm late. Sorry! But I want to say, thank you very much for this video. I was practicing barre chords for almost 2 months and I was squeezing my fingers on the fretboard when I was doing barre chords. But I said to myself, this is not the right way playing barre chords because I realised how much my arm and wrist hurts. And I searched a way right here on RU-vid and I saw this video. And after all these months I can finally say that "I can play barre chords". So again. Thank you very much!

The video explains guitar playing skills in a clear, simple and effective way. Very HELPFUL! Thanks a lot!

Let the weight of your arm pulling on the strings rather than squeezing your hand. Wow.. the improvement is immediate. I've been practicing Cavatina and my only problem with this piece is bar 3 and 5 where I had struggled to produce clean nice tone for some of the barred notes. This technique helps me immensely. Thanks so much. Liked and subscribed.

Great lesson! Barring the chord became a little easier when I relaxed my arm.

i’m so glad i clicked on this video. my guitar teacher was telling me to use my thumb as a clamp. i have nerve and numbness issues and his way has my hand/arm f**ked up.

This is the first video to actually help me significantly with barre chords

"I can see clearly now, the rain is gone." Thanks!

Loved the tip about pulling down ! I had figured, rather than squeezing I should push up, with my first finger as a fulcrum. Was better, but not very good. Downwards, that's brilliant. Gravity does all the work!!

The "pulling" advice is goddam amazing

Thank you for this video. I started guitar lessons 1 month ago. I have exactly this problem right now - with the Thumb Finger and the Wrist in general. And when i get tired - it continue to the elbow... Your advices are 100% on the point right for me :) Thank you, one more time for sharing your knowledge on guitar.

Yes! I always tell people to try to play them without touching your thumb on the back. That forces them to use the right muscles (pulling with the arm). The thumb is not for strength, it's for stability.

This video is amazing. In the passed I've watched videos on this subject that didn't help and it out me off looking at other videos on the subject. A few years later and I find this video woo. Thanks for the help. Straight off the bat I'm so much better

king, helped a lot! thank you

Thank you so much for helping me undo 50 years of bad practice

The first two tips are useful to me, I "forgot" during the last years of practice to push string down as close as possible to frets. Also, one should not practice and practice without understanding why things do not work as they should, but rather improve the fretting.

Thank you so much! been struggling with this didnt know if it was the frets or the way I was playing but now I know

Logged into my account just to like this video.

Really Thank you I felt as if I was doing it virtually in right way yet even before playing it physically because I got the right mental preparation about the challenges and so that I avoid hours of wrong repeatings and frustrations

You have no idea how you moved me with your advice. I'm from Greece, and I'm a professional classical guitar teacher for years, but in the old days as a student myself I've been doing this fucking mistake for 18 years (!!!!!) I was squeezing the arm between my thumb and fingers, not only in barre chords but in every occasion. I was sure that it was the only way to make the guitar stand still. I lost hours and hours of practice every day with little benefit in my playing, and I was rather struggling with the guitar than playing it. My teachers were of huge reputation but then here in Greece as you may have heard in many cases whatever shines is no gold. Then one day my then teacher told me something by accident, something rather irrelevant that led me to try to ''hang'' my left arm onto the guitar's arm. My whole world changed. I had already my certificate and I was going for my ''diploma'', but that one demanded the ability to play pieces of high virtouosity. So I've been stuck for 4 and a half years without ever being ready for the exams, and my then teacher was angry with me, not been able to understand what kept me behind. It was December of 1999 when I tried the right way and I was so happy that I wanted to shout. Alas, I was playing guitar suddenly. My technique and the results of it changed in the blink of an eye. I took my diploma two months after with the biggest grade. (''arista'' as we say it). Some of my students in the days ahead took their certificate with excellence due to such advices from me. So I wanted to give you congratulations about this video, as I feel that it can help thousands of guitar students or players around the world. You are a good person. It's like I have a ''deja vu'' and this phrase of yours ''you're doing it wrong'' is about me 23 years ago. Forgive me if I made any mistakes with the language. Keep the good work.

I’ve been playing for 30 years and this never occurred to me. Cheers

OMG thank you!! After a year of trying in vain I finally got it! your explanation was a game changer for me. I'm so happy now. I watched tens of video about barres and searched for reasons why I can't play them well and why my fingers feel so bad. You were the only one who finally got through to me. Thank you :-) (explanation for learners: The moment I positioned my middle finger right on the string, everything clicked for me and started working! :-D )

These are great tips, they have helped me out so much already! Thank you.

ay i gotta come here and say thanks for this. took a couple days but i kept practicing and trying to implement what you were saying and it did not really take that long to get it! thanks so much it is so effortless now to play F lol.

Thank you for sharing these subtle techniques. Excellent instructions!