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Location: Flahdaw | B (224442) is, without a doubt, my least favorite "normal" chord. In fact, I hate it. And not just because it's a barre...I play barres all over the place. Done quickly, in the middle of a song, I almost never get B cleanly....always a flubbed note in there somewhere (unless I'm playing an electric). In fact, I'll transpose a song if there's a lot of B's in it.
What chord do YOU hate? |
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Location: Fort Worth, TX | Do you play the B with just first finger barring and the 4th fret all with 3rd finger? That's how I learned and never have a problem grabbing a clean B. I'm sure this is a dumb question. |
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Location: Flahdaw | I play it that way on electric, not acoustic. |
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Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | I hear the "clean" part, but using the index on the high-e, and the other 3 fingers for the 4-4-4 works OK for me. |
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Location: SoCal | I don 't try to catch every note in the chord. Usually just the inside 5 strings..... |
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Location: south east Michigan | Agreed Mr. G.
The B chord is a buzz kill.
You're busting along with all those booming open chords... then .... like a fart in church... along comes that darn ol' B chord.
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Not a big fan of B-flat either. |
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Location: sitting at my computer | Back in my beginner days (ancient history) I wasn't particularly fond of the F chord (003211) 'cause the E and B strings always tore up the side of my index finger. It was a happy day when I eventually discovered the barre F!!! Rarely play the old F anymore. Although I do okay hitting it these days, B was another PITA chord for me too. Practice, practice, practice... and then... some more practice.  |
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Location: Seacoast NH | I agree with Moody and just shoot for the B root and the next 3 strings, although it does sound pretty good if you throw in the low F# once in a while too. Don't think I could play the 4th fret notes with three fingers even if I tried, seems awkward. Index and ring finger both across multiple strings works for me... |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | never a problem with a B barr....but maybe my fingers just co-operate with that one. |
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Location: Miami | Brad Durasa - 2012-08-09 1:14 PM
You're busting along with all those booming open chords... then .... like a fart in church... along comes that darn ol' B chord.
Absolutely hilarious! I totally relate! When I saw the title of this thread, I thought, I wonder if he's talking about the B chord. Sure enough!
I actually play the three strings with my pinky instead of my third finger. My third finger hurt like hell when I tried using it across the three strings, so I lazily got used to using my pinky.
The other one I hated was the F, but now I powerchord it with my thumb, courtesy of the O's nice small necks :-) |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Agreed. 52 years of playing and I still hate an open B chord. Maybe I should've had a lesson. I fully barre it on the 7th fret or use XX4447 pretty much as a matter of course. Over the past few years, I've memorized and developed an appreciation for suspended 2 chords, or just 2 chords as most music writers use them. As an alternative, I'll often substitute a B2 (224422) for a B whenever I can, particularly if the chord doesn't need a strong 3rd. One other chord that is difficult for me on a 25-1/2" scale guitar is an E/G# because the spread to the low G# is right at the limit of my little finger. On a 24" scale guitar, like a Fender Jaguar, or even a 24-3/4" scale like a Les Paul or the Hamer improv, the slightly tighter scale seems to make a difference for short-fingered folks like me. Maybe it wouldn't be a concern if I had better technique. |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | immoody - 2012-08-10 6:00 AM
I don 't try to catch every note in the chord. Usually just the inside 5 strings.....
Impressive, do you have a 7 string guitar or is this on a 12 string (which would be an even more impressive effort)? 
I also hate B chords (and B flats almost as much). I'll generally try to play it on the 7th fret or capo & transpose. If the song was written by a guitarist, you'll usually find they had a capo on - seriously, who'd actually write a song with a B chord in it. |
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Location: Fort Worth, TX | I suggest learning "Louise". I count 14 B chords in my version. |
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Location: SoCal | Brad, for the E/G#, why don't play the E at the 4th fret (D shaped chord) and then catch the G# with your thumb? Lazy man's way to play the chord.... |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Yup, the Barre B is to be avoided. Prefer the open Key of E:
022100 E
024400 B
046500 C#m
077600 A
Of course you know the worship Musician's favorite chord is Gsus! |
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Location: NH | Boy, that moderator is a busy B! |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | MWoody - 2012-08-09 9:19 PM Yup, the Barre B is to be avoided. Prefer the open Key of E: 022100 E 024400 B 046500 C#m 077600 A Of course you know the worship Musician's favorite chord is Gsus! Another excellent work around, for sure. By bad. I meant to quote Moody's suggestion.
Edited by ProfessorBB 2012-08-10 8:09 AM
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Location: Northwest Arkansas | Does a worship player use anything but sus chords? The B is tough. I like X-6-4-4-4-X. Bb is simple use a X-X-D-Bb-D-F. It's a legitimate Bb. Pat Simmons uses it sometimes with the Doobie Bros. I play out of the hymn book and a couple of p and w songs. |
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Location: NJ | anything that has a B5 b9 or b5 #7 or stuff like that it makes me crazy.
once I learn the shape I am ok but the names blow me away |
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Location: closely held secret | MWoody - 2012-08-09 7:19 PM
046500 C#m
Don't you mean 046600? |
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Location: Midland, MI | I don't play favorites among the three chords I know. I dislike them all immensely and equally. They collude against me and trip me up on the I-IV change from E-form barre to A-form barre every time. |
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Location: Michigan | The B is a weird one for sure. I like going from A to B with 2,3,4 on the A chord and just sliding it up and adding the barr. From other chords it is hit or miss depending on the song I will bar both at 1&4 muting the high E. or a just hit the three strings at the 4th fret. I try to avoid B at all times 
Edited by twistedlim 2012-08-17 8:58 AM
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Location: sitting at my computer | Another one that trips me up occasionally is open E7 (022130). Just can't consistently get my little finger to cooperate when trying to grab the whole chord simultaneously. I find I have to grab the E first and then put down the 7. Mind over matter (er, pinky). |
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| B always bothers me as well. I usually end up doing the three note "power chord" version when i have to make quick chord changes. All those great 12 bar blues songs always have the B!
Edited by sonicpictures 2013-03-21 3:27 PM
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Location: SE Michigan | The B flat is even worse than the B because it's closer to the nut and requires that much more effort to barr cleanly. I have always disliked and avoided the cowboy-chord form of D-minor. It always sounds weak and anemic to me. It's easy to play but just sounds thin to me. I will usually go up to the fifth fret and do a barr form D-minor. |
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Location: NH | Oh boy..... I sense the return of the Insomniac Quiz.  |
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Location: Texas | I guess it's what you are used to; the 224442 B chord seems very natural to me, and I'm comfortable grabbing that form anywhere on the neck. However, like Jukebox Joe, I use my pinky to bar the 444 part because I find it easier to clear the high E string cleanly. (I have no choice anyway, since an old injury left my ring finger incapable of arching enough to clear the high E string.)
I can't count how many other guitarists have seen me play that chord with my pinky and told me it's "wrong." However, I was watching an old Led Zep film the other night and noticed Jimmy Page using that exact same form. I wonder how many people told him that he was playing it "wrong"?
Edited by standing 2013-03-21 11:33 PM
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Location: Thredbo, NSW, Australia | Did this strike a chord with me! Pardon the pun.
After 40 years of playing guitar I still struggle with the 224442 B.
I think I'll try ProfessorBB's idea of B2 (224422) .
I also play banjo, tuned to G. So the B chord is 4444. Very easy.
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Location: Sydney, Australia | Guitsome - 2013-03-22 10:45 AM
Oh boy..... I sense the return of the Insomniac Quiz.
Shhhhhh! Muzz will kill you if that comes back. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I got a poster with chord charts on my wall... (that I rarely look at)
There are things like the G9 and the Gb9 that I will never be using in any song.
I know about 16 chords which pretty much cover anything that I am gonna play.
(not to mention another dozen chords that I know but have never used)
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Location: Denver, CO | arthurseery - 2013-03-22 1:37 AM I know about 16 chords which pretty much cover anything that I am gonna play. That makes me feel a little better. |
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Location: New Bern, NC | I hate E-flat. No matter what position I play it in, I don't like it. In first position, it's a D chord up one fret with the first finger on the 4th string - VERY awkward! In 6th position as a barre chord I don't like the voicing. I don't mind fingering every individual note in a B flat or B as a barre chord. I can usually get a clean sound. It certainly helps that I'm playing it on a Custom Legend, which plays like BUTTER! |
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Location: Flahdaw | So try this quickly everyone....
xx7654, B, 020032, A, 332000, 224232, xx5432
Like Slipkid says....that B is a buzzkill
Edited by BobG 2013-03-23 7:16 AM
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Location: Spain | I hate B and never play it. If a song calls for it, sorry but it's getting B7 and that's it. |
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | Agree with Woody - I usually play the "Tom Petty" B chord - X24400. I CAN play a B barre with no trouble - fret the top of the chord (2nd fret) with my index and the bottom (4th fret) with my ring finger. Just doesn't sound as good. Also play first position B7 (X21202 or X21200)
E/G# bass is just a D/F# slid up two frets, using the thumb to hook the bottom string.
A/C# is a G6/B (X20030) slid up two frets.
Eb and Bb - I just move that dreaded B Barre chord shape up or down the neck. For a Bb, you CAN play a garden variety Fmaj7 shape (133210) up the neck and let the top string ring open. It's on the 6th fret (688760). Neil Young does that on "Long May You Run." If you want to pick nits, it's actually Bb(addE).
Speaking of problem chords, my personal nemesis is the aforementioned garden variety Fmaj7 (133210), using the thumb to get the first fret of the sixth string and let the top string ring open. I usually play a standard F barre chord, but I miss that open top string. I also play Fmaj7 without the bass string (X33210) and even Fmaj7/A (X03210), which Neil (again) uses on "Hey, Hey, My, My." My fingers just aren't as nimble as they used to be, and I just can't grab the first fret on the bottom string with my thumb and not muffle it. Some nights are better than others - but usually not. I's much easier up the neck with a capo, of course.
I fingerpick a lot and can avoid strings that don't sound good or right. On E/G#, I play the bass and the top 3 strings and avoid 4 and 5. It works. I know a lot of 2 and 3 string fragments up the neck which give some variety and a nice, open "chimey" sound.
Edited by rick endres 2013-03-31 10:42 PM
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | standing - 2013-03-21 11:29 PM
I guess it's what you are used to; the 224442 B chord seems very natural to me, and I'm comfortable grabbing that form anywhere on the neck. However, like Jukebox Joe, I use my pinky to bar the 444 part because I find it easier to clear the high E string cleanly. (I have no choice anyway, since an old injury left my ring finger incapable of arching enough to clear the high E string. )
I can't count how many other guitarists have seen me play that chord with my pinky and told me it's "wrong." However, I was watching an old Led Zep film the other night and noticed Jimmy Page using that exact same form. I wonder how many people told him that he was playing it "wrong"?
It's not wrong if it works! |
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Location: sitting at my computer | rick endres - It's not wrong if it works! +1 |
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Location: Suisun City, Ca | <p>The 4-finger G7 gets me. xx5432 w/ 1st, 2nd, 3rd 4th fingering. I can NEVER get the pinky down at same time as the rest. Never! Eagles - I can't tell you why. I play a lot of Pink Floyd. Lots of B's, mostly B minor.</p>
Edited by AstroDan 2013-04-01 12:27 PM
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| I don't know why, but the B7 X21202 doesn't feel natural, to me. Also G M7 X1303X (Jimmy Page & Neil Young) gotta stretch! |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | You could always get a double neck, take the octave strings off and tune the other neck to a B chord. |
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | AstroDan - 2013-04-01 12:25 PM
The 4-finger G7 gets me. xx5432 w/ 1st, 2nd, 3rd 4th fingering. I can NEVER get the pinky down at same time as the rest. Never! Eagles - I can't tell you why. I play a lot of Pink Floyd. Lots of B's, mostly B minor.
I know that shape; I would never work that hard.
A couple of easy ways to play G7:
3X0001 - Use the thumb to grab the 3rd fret of the 6th string, and use the tip of the thumb to mute the 5th string (it's a lot easier than it sounds).
And the EASIEST G7 of them all:
XXX001
Use the index finger to get the first fret of the top string. The open 3rd string gives you your G note for the root. I play this one a lot if I have a song where I go from a G to a G7 (like the Eagles' "Lyin' Eyes"). Easiest chord known to man (and woman) - unless you count what I call Em/open:
000000
I think it's actually named G6.
Edited by rick endres 2013-04-01 10:00 PM
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | SOBeach - 2012-08-17 11:15 AM
Another one that trips me up occasionally is open E7 (022130). Just can't consistently get my little finger to cooperate when trying to grab the whole chord simultaneously. I find I have to grab the E first and then put down the 7. Mind over matter (er, pinky).
You can play the basic version E7:
020100
A little different coloration, but it works. Less can be more. Those simple little 2 and 3 note chords have a nice open, ringing sound...
Edited by rick endres 2013-04-01 10:47 PM
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | E7... I use two versions.
020100 and 020030
It depends on the song.
But I have never used the 022130 version...
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | arthurseery - 2013-04-01 11:17 PM
E7... I use two versions.
020100 and 020030
It depends on the song.
But I have never used the 022130 version...
I have played the 022130 version from time to time, but depending on how loose my fretting fingers are on a given night, I have a greater or lesser degreee of success getting the pinky finger planted.
There is another way, but I think it's even more of a pain in the butt. Take a basic C7 chord and slide it up the neck to the 5th fret, making it an E7 chord.
076750
John Fogerty uses that as the main rhythm chord for "Born On the Bayou."
I have trouble with C-shaped chords (which are similar to the dreaded Fmaj7 chord when you go to grip them). It has something to do with the touch of arthritis I have in my fretting hand. I don't even play the "baby" C chord (X32010); I'm actually more comfortable (and have no trouble with) the fuller C/G chord (332010). I grab a basic Cmaj7/G (332000) and drop my index finger on the 1st fret of the 2nd string.
In fact, most of the time I play the even easier C9 instead of regular C chords. C9 has a more "rock-and-rolly" sound and is easier to grip:
X32033
When you have a G-C-D progression (which is pretty common, especially with Eagles stuff) it's easier to play G5-C9-D.
32033 - X32033 - XX0232.
When you shift back and forth between the G5 and C9, you can leave your ring and pinky fingers anchored on the 3rd fret of the 1st and 2nd strings. Sometimes I play a D/F# chord, using the thumb to grab the 2nd fret of the 6th string:
200232
It's all about making it as easy as possible on yourself. "Guitar without tears."
NOTE: BY THE WAY, FOR YOU HEAVY DUTY MUSIC THEORISTS IN THE CROWD - PLEASE DON'T HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE NAMES I CALL THESE CHORDS. THEY MAY NOT BE 100% MUSICALLY ACCURATE. I THINK THEY'RE PRETTY CLOSE, AND IT BEATS CALLING THEM FRED AND ETHEL - OR GEORGE.
Edited by rick endres 2013-04-02 8:45 AM
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | Oh - and I have to say it's encouraging to me to hear that most of us struggle a little and have to find workarounds for various chords. Oddly enough though, the B barre chord doesn't give me much trouble...
Edited by rick endres 2013-04-02 8:59 AM
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Location: Flahdaw | One benefit for me of being more of a picker than a strummer, is that I can sometimes "walk" into difficult chords a finger or two at a time.
Something like x05432 doesn't have to be slammed into....just start with the pinky on 5 and work your fingers into the chord |
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | darkbarguitar - 2013-04-02 9:33 AM
One benefit for me of being more of a picker than a strummer, is that I can sometimes "walk" into difficult chords a finger or two at a time.
Something like x05432 doesn't have to be slammed into....just start with the pinky on 5 and work your fingers into the chord
Exactly, Bob! Walk into it - great way to put it. I do that a lot with James Taylor tunes; you can grab the chords a little at a time. JT's not exactly a shredder so you have plenty of time. I finger strum a lot too - don't always use the pick, so I can strum the top end of a chord when I transition from one to another, then go strum the bass. When I use a pick, it's usually on songs like Eagles and Lightfoot where you can just flail away with an up-and-down pendulum-style and play all six strings. I use a modified thumbpick with the tip cut off and a .38 mm light gauge Dunlop nylon pick velcroed to it. Gives it a nice, light strumming touch...
Edited by rick endres 2013-04-02 10:31 AM
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | BTW - this is a GREAT thread! |
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Location: sitting at my computer | rick endres - Exactly, Bob! Walk into it - great way to put it. I do that a lot with James Taylor tunes; LOL! Good ol' James Taylor!! It's his song Carolina In My Mind that's the one where that sometimes troublesome (for me) E7 occurs. And being a strummer not a picker 'walking into it" gets a bit tricky. *disclaimer - I'm not claiming to play it "the right way", just the way I learned it. It comes in during the chorus... D Bm G E7 E Ain't it just like a friend of mine to hit me from be hind D Bm7 Em7 A D Oh I'm gone to Caro lina in my mind the chords I'm using: D 000232 / Bm 024432 / barre G 355433 / E7 022130 / E 022100 D 000232 / Bm7 224232 / Em7 022030 / A 002220 / D 000232 I can usually grab it okay, but it's like you said rick "depending on how loose my fretting fingers are" at that moment. Thanks guys, for the alternate E7 chord suggestions, but (to me) their voicings/colorings don't quite fit in this instance. ymmv I just gotta keep practicing it!! +1 "great thread"  |
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | LOL! Boy, did YOU ever come to the right place, Beach! "Carolina" is one of my favorite tunes, and I'm a real JT aficionado. Here's a link to an mp3 of it that I recorded for one of my CDs:
http://www.box.com/shared/9x3hleb389
Please give a listen and see what you think. If you like what you hear, when I get home tonight (and have a guitar in my hands so I can see) I'll write out that E7 turnaround section for you and break it down into "mini chords" so you can see how to play it a lot easier. Looks to me like you're workin' too hard - especially the G barre chord. I think I fret two notes on that.
Anyway, I won't be home til about 9:30 EDT, but I don't think it will take too long to break it down. What you need is to see how to play the "to hit me from behind" section. You shouldn't even need to finger the whole E7 chord if I remember correctly. You won't believe how much easier it is - and how much more fun.
Edited by rick endres 2013-04-02 2:03 PM
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Location: sitting at my computer | Nicely done rick! Thanks! Being a strummer not a picker, my versions of JT tunes are, well... strummier! As far as "working to hard", could be, probably am, but aside from getting that pinky finger to cooperate on the E7 the rest goes easily enough for me. |
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | Even though it's strummier, you might be able to do a single strum for the words on each chord - "to hit" (strum) "me from" (strum) "behind" (strum) (strum).
We'll see... |
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The worst basic chord in the guitar world