trouble strumming

[Mike78]

when baring cords, i can never get a great sound out of a cord shape any hints and tips on suggestions to improvement on my playing cords. i have big hands and thin fingers..
hope to hear from someone soon, if not have a very merry christmas and a happy new year Mike. aka mandolin family.

[HonketyHank]

The high string tension and short scale of a mandolin make barre chords very difficult compared to, say, a guitar. When I watch pros playing backup, I rarely see them use barre chords. But if you need to use them, start with making sure your mandolin is set up for good action, especially in regard to depth of the nut slots.

After that, there might be suggestions about left hand technique but I'll leave those to others who use barre chords.

[Bill McCall]

I’m suspecting you’re using the 2245 chord shape (A major). That shape and it’s derivatives are common in some genres. The 233x shape. F major, is also common. If you’re using a lot of barre chords I suspect you’re playing Mando as a little guitar, which is not the best path to chording success. But if that’s your path, focused practice is the key, focusing on finger pressure, as light as necessary for clear tone and good position behind the fret.

Many players only use 3 note shapes, with very few barre chords, which makes chords quite a bit easier.

Btw, what genres of music are you playing?

[CES]

Practice, practice, practice…but sensibly so you don’t get any overuse type injuries. I head up our youth praise band at church and use barre chords a lot with that music, especially if the singers require significant key changes, which happens frequently. While I’m not above using a capo on mandolin and have used one if we changed keys just before a worship service (so no time to practice the new key/learn any new to me chords), I don’t think it works very well with the short scale, so I try to avoid if possible.

A nice, low setup makes things easier as well…

[Mike78]

thank you for your help and suggestions, yes they are the cord shapes i am have been trying to play for years but i feel my hands have not been strong enough todo it. but again thank you for the hints and tips you have given to me. hope you have a lovely Christmas. Mike happy Mando playing

[Mike78]

hello there thank you so much for you for your hints and tips. and suggestions i will deffo take on bored. i am use to playing classical folk, bluegrass music is new to me, makes me respect the hardness of playing blue grass music know. but again thank you for hints and tips and knowledge on my issue. many thanks and have a lovly Christmas.

[dhergert]

All the existing posts provide good pointers.

I use barre chord patterns almost all the time, but I use a non-standard tuning on the mandolin which lends itself more to barre chord work; the resulting barre chord patterns are easier and more within natural reach than barre chord patterns in standard mandolin tuning would be. That said, the higher tension standard tuning and the shorter scale on mandolin do make barre chords harder.

If you're using "normal" standard tuning, you might want to look into "box" closed chord patterns instead of barre chord patterns. Box patterns are pretty much optimized for standard tuning and provide the same flexibility up and down the neck as barre chord patterns.

If you decide to stay with barre chord methodology, there are a few things that can help:

1) If you're not going to use the low D course in your picking pattern, it doesn't have to be covered (stopped); in that case you can use simpler 3-course barre chords. Just be more careful not to hit the 4th course with your picking pattern.

2) Rutted, low and fine frets make barre chord work harder.

3) On longer-scale instruments (ie: guitar, banjo, etc.) a person can "back up" the barre index finger with the 2nd finger. The mandolin standard scale is too short to allow for this, so the index finger has to be used alone as a barre...

4) The thumb should not be running along the exact back center of the neck as would be done on guitar and banjo, otherwise repetitive stress injuries may occur. Best to run the side of the thumb along the bass side of the neck for barre support instead.

5) Don't try to play barre chords for hours at a time until you can very comfortably produce clear notes with good tone. That's a good way to know your hand muscles are progressing and are up to the task. But still, don't over do it... If your left hand is hurting after a session, give it a day or more to rest up and recuperate. Consider doing the dishes by hand for hydrotherapy -- intermittent hot and cold water while moving your hands and fingers can be extremely helpful.

6) Don't try or expect to master barre chord work in one day. Go slow, seeking clarity and good tone, and be sensitive to how your left hand is feeling.

[Dave Sheets]

Make sure your mandolin is well set up, small changes in the nut matter greatly on a mandolin.

As time goes by, I'm finding I use bar chords less and less. Two and three-note chords seem to work as well for me now.

[maxr]

What's the advantage in using the long 'chop chord' shapes you find more in bluegrass books? Do they sound easier when chopping, or better, or are they played for convenience with other common bg chords?

[Zach Wilson]

What's the advantage in using the long 'chop chord' shapes you find more in bluegrass books? Do they sound easier when chopping, or better, or are they played for convenience with other common bg chords?

*Only a guess since I'm not really a BG guy*

I'm guessing that BG players used/use full chords (all four fingers) to make it easier to mute all the strings on the chop part of the strum pattern.

I could be wrong. It's happened before

[Charlie Bernstein]

All great comments above.

I bar chords a lot, but I don't usually hold them down to strum. I just grab the chord, whack the strings, and let go - a cheater chop.

Have you tried finger-strengthening exercises?

[dhergert]

What's the advantage in using the long 'chop chord' shapes you find more in bluegrass books? Do they sound easier when chopping, or better, or are they played for convenience with other common bg chords?

Chop chords are very percussive on F and A style mandolins and provide a good rhythm background. They are often played "muted" instead of fully pressed down to the frets, which emphasizes the percussion sound more than the note. When used, this often provides a drum sound, which is one of the reasons drums are less common in bluegrass -- the mandolin does it.

"Long" or closed (or barre or box) chords also are helpful for double and triple stops in tremolo and chord melody work. And they make it possible to play up the neck for greater key and octave capabilities.

[Zach Williams]

It gets easier the more you play. Your hand joints even start to adjust. The spread between my left hand thumb to pinky is wayyyy wider then my right hand, by almost an inch. There are at least 1/2 a dozen different ways to play the same chord. Try a few variations and hopefully it helps

[Mike Scott]

I have small hands and use three finger chords for chop chords. I don't play bluegrass all the time and play a couple of other genres too. I do use barre chords on guitar and uke too. One hint that helps on all but especially on mandolin is to reinforce your index finger with your middle middle finger and then use your ring and pinky to fret the other strings (if needed). YMMV. Good luck!