Finger barres vs individual fingerings

[briandavidyork]

I'm going through some of the lessons on this site, specifically the drop2 and drop3 stuff and am looking at the lesson for Fly Me to the Moon. Is it considered better technique to use individual fingerings whenever I can? For example, on many of the drop3 chords with the 1 in the bass, I can use a barre to grab two or three of the notes, but it is more of a strain on my hand over time, and it seems like I am more likely to get an occasional buzz on one of the strings.

I would assume that ideally its best to use individual fingerings, but that if you're playing fast or the situation calls for it then a barre is good too?

To be honest I'm used to classical scores where they will tell you barre/half-barre for these two measure, etc.

Any thoughts on this?

[pauln]

What you want to play may come from a standard notation score, a series of graphic fingering schema, a lead sheet with just chord symbols over the scored melody line (or sometimes no melody line ), or from your mind's ear (either recalled from practice and experience or realized in the moment). Then the thing is to come up with a fingering solution.

If the fingering is suggested in the score or a lesson that's great, but otherwise you need to develop a long term "fingering vocabulary" based on some kind of systematic application of mechanical fingering solutions. As in all things guitar, there is always a pressure balance between what you can execute now and what you wish to be able to execute in the future, which bears on how the fingering solutions become developed and implemented.

It's a complex subject and more so the closer you examine it. At a high level, I think most of us have adopted an informal approach whose strategy is to do what is possible (physically safe) and most effective in the present keeping an eye out for adjustments in the future. That just means letting the hands inform you of what they are capable of, and letting them hint at what they may be capable of doing with development.

[docsteve]

To put it more simply: Barre chords are okay, but mostly sound too fat unless you dampen some of the notes. Get used to 3- and 4-finger voicings, and leave out the bass note in a band situation. That's the bassist's job.

You're not going to find jazz scores with guitar fingerings written in.

[Christian Miller]

I prefer individual fingers where possible

[rpjazzguitar]

I think the first order of business is to protect your hands. So, if an uncomfortable barre or stretch, or something otherwise awkward, hurts then consider an alternative. Sometimes practice helps, but not always.

The advantage of a barre is that it can free up other fingers to do something you can't do any other way.

Similar argument applies to your left thumb.

[vintagelove]

Coming from the classical world, I originally preferred individual fingers, however once I got used to the partial bars, I found them superior for reaching the fastest transitions between chords. Also, any discomfort disappeared after a short while.

[StringNavigator]

...Is it considered better technique to use individual fingerings whenever I can? For example, on many of the drop3 chords with the 1 in the bass, I can use a barre to grab two or three of the notes, but it is more of a strain on my hand over time, and it seems like I am more likely to get an occasional buzz on one of the strings...Any thoughts on this?

I value barre chords and partial barre chords in folk and rock. Laying one's index across the strings frees up other fingers to add notes. However, this often doesn't work so well with four note jazz grips. I have better results with each note fingered individually. The chord even sounds more authentic to my ear when individually fingered and it makes it easier to switch between grips. Jazz chords like the difficult Mickey Baker AM7 [57x699] grip taught me to shape the entire hand from the wrist to the fingertips into a "goose neck" so that the fingers are nearly perpendicular to the fretboard. Everything is easier then.

I think it's a bad habit to always lay fingers across the strings with jazz grips, but they both have their place. The Am7-5 [5x554] and the Gm7 [xx5766] work better when individually stopped. The D79 [x54555] is a good use of a partial barre, but switching to a D79-5 [xx4554] changes that approach.

It's a hybrid approach to use both, but they each have their place. I've seen photos of Charlie Christian holding down a six string F major [133211] with thumb on the E string and the neck almost horizontal facing up. But he probably had to hold that chord down for a long time. Who can argue with what works?


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