Mickey Baker's #12 (G6) chord?

**Hernandinho** · 06-24-2009, 02:51 PM

Hello,

I'm practicing daily with the Mickey Baker book (can't take classes at the moment unfortunately). Currently on lesson #5, starting with #6.

I'm having some trouble with the #12 chord from lesson #1, which is used for the first time on lesson #6. It's that little 6th chord you play on the top 4 strings:

6th on the 4th string (1st finger)
3rd on the 3rd string (3rd finger)
5th on the 2nd string (2nd finger -- barre)
1st on the 1st string (2nd finger -- barre)

Something like this for G6:

G6
e |-----3------|
B |-----3------|
G |-----4------|
D |-----2------|
A |-----x------|
E |-----x------|

What kills me is that little barre you need to make with your 2nd finger. How do you do it? To get both strings depressed at the same time I have to bend the top of the 2nd finger backwards, and even then it takes quite a bit of pressure. That's not going to be good for the joins I guess.

Making a barre with the 1st finger "behind" the 2nd finger kind of works, but my grip gets too tight for some reason, and makes it difficult to switch to the other chords.

At the moment I'm just leaving off the 5th of the chord -- just muting the 2nd string.

So, how do the more experienced player in this forum finger this chord?

Thanks in advance for any help!

**JohnW400** · 06-24-2009, 03:01 PM

I normally use xx1423. Except when......The purpose of using a 2nd barre at the 3rd fret is to keep your pinky free so that it could play the A at the fifth fret. Joe Pass uses a lot of these type "mini" barres.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 06-24-2009, 03:04 PM

Don't know what's going wrong for you -- that's a form that works naturally foe me. Try barring the top three strings instead of the top two. It may feel better (or might not...)

**Hernandinho** · 06-24-2009, 03:11 PM

John, I tried the xx1423 and it works by itself, but as you say the mini-barre form is required for the chord melody stuff (which is what Baker's exercise is about).

Big Daddy, yes it's a strange problem. I usually don't have issues with using my 1st finger for barre chords... Maybe my fingers are too fat or something... I should switch to bass, heh heh (except that playing bass by myself depresses me)

**fep** · 06-24-2009, 03:34 PM

Hernandinho,

Where's your thumb placed?

My thumb on that chord vertically is at the middle of the neck, like a classical guitar positioning...

My thumb horizontally with the neck is between the frets where my 1st finger and 2nd finger are placed.

Experiment with thumb positioning and see if that helps.

Sure hope you get it, that is a chord I use all the time...

it's a G6, a Em7, and an A9sus (works over A dominant chord variations)

**JohnW400** · 06-24-2009, 03:37 PM

Try playing up on the tip and grabbing the 1st & 2nd strings that way. It's really difficult and uncomfortable to flatten out the 2nd finger like the 1st on this chord.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 06-24-2009, 04:18 PM

Originally Posted by Hernandinho

Maybe my fingers are too fat or something...

And I thought I cornered the market on that! Sometimes I think my hands are odd: the palm part is large, but I have short, fat, fingers. Definitely not the stereotypical long, thin guitarist fingers. Guess it takes all types...

**bfol** · 06-24-2009, 05:36 PM

Hernandinho,

I am working on the baker book myself (up to lesson 13)

that Gma6 chord (which is also a Em7-root on the 4th st) was hard for me at first- i have played for a while but it still took me some time to get the chord down

you just have to do as mickey says and keep doing the lessons everyday- dont skip ahead and always go back and review-

do not get discouraged- i love the baker book and you are coming up on lesson 6 which seemed tough at first - has the ma6 form and some other forms that i never really used before-but just kept going over and over and over and over and over and it WILL come
Enjoy!

**gravyTrain** · 06-24-2009, 06:28 PM

I find doing this bar chord is easier if you point your fingertips at almost a 40 degree angle to the frets instead of parallel to them. The tips of the fingers pointing to the higher frets, that is.

**Hernandinho** · 06-24-2009, 08:49 PM

Thanks for the suggestion and encouragement everybody, much appreciated.

**randalljazz** · 06-25-2009, 04:10 AM

work a little every day at developing that back flex in the first joint of each finger. place the left index finger tip on the pad of the right thumb, hook the right index finger over the back of that first joint, prop the left index finger on the back of the right middle finger, push up with the right thumb while pulling down with the right index finger. don't go to the point of pain, but do some every day (all four left hand fingers).

**Joe Dalton** · 06-25-2009, 04:41 AM

Not everyones fingers are the same, some are more flexible than others, not something to worry about. You can get this chord without the barre too.

**Drumbler** · 06-25-2009, 07:28 AM

I don't barre it.

I put my index on the D string, Middle and Ring on the B and E, and Pinky on the G.

That's the way I've always played it.

**DennisW** · 06-25-2009, 08:03 AM

I also don't even bother trying to barre it, I have the luck of being able to switch fast between chords. And hang on tight on that lesson six, it's really a tough one. Once you get past it, things start to get a bit easier (at least it did for me).

**Hernandinho** · 06-25-2009, 01:44 PM

Thanks everybody for the responses!

I practiced some more the barred version of the chord and it sounds a little better now. Still the 1st 2 strings sound a bit muted now and then.

Everybody's fingers are different, that's true... In my case, the 2nd finger barre seems to work best when I barre the 1st finger behind it, and use the minimum amount of 2nd finger necessary to fret the 2 strings. Always avoiding cramping the hand and causing any pain in the joins (I need those for work, heh heh).

We'll see how it goes... I will practice this version of the chord some more to see if I can get the hang of it. If not, probably the non-barre version is the way to go. Or just mute the 2nd string -- which doesn't sound as good of course, but may be good enough for the faster passages.

BTW, I'm really enojoying the Baker book. I used to play mostly rock back in the day, then stopped playing for a couple of years. With this book, it's like getting a brand new guitar! And much cheaper too.

**Drumbler** · 06-25-2009, 02:05 PM

You can still use your index to barre and cover the E and B strings with your middle and ring finger.

I do barre with the index sometimes.

**manu68** · 06-25-2009, 02:15 PM

I also play it like John.

This lesson is very difficult for me.
It doesn't matter, just the result will count

**RyanM** · 06-25-2009, 04:00 PM

Practice Cariba by Wes Montgomery and you'll have it down.

**Drumbler** · 06-25-2009, 04:19 PM

Those are nice intros and worth the effort.

**fomabourne** · 06-26-2009, 04:01 AM

Forgive me, I am very new and have never studied with a book. What is the title of the Mickey Baker book that we are discussing in this thread? Many thanks.