Guitarist Douglas Niedt, Guitar Technique Tip of the Month

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GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Your Personal Guitar Lesson

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This month’s despicable and foul NASTY HABIT:

Allowing Left-Hand Fingers to "Help" a Bar

By Douglas Niedt

Copyright Douglas Niedt, All Rights Reserved. This article may be reprinted, but please be
considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.

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The nasty habit occurs while reaching for or holding a bar with the first finger. The guitarist
places the second finger on top of the first finger to “help” it hold the bar tightly. Or, it can be a
subtle in-the-blink-of-the-eye quick extension or straightening of the finger, taking it out of
position. It can happen for a brief instant or last for several beats of a measure. It is commonly
seen while a player holds or reaches for a full bar, but also happens when barring fewer than
six strings. I see it in a wide range of playing ability, from late beginners through intermediate
players.

Why It Matters

This is a big problem for three reasons.

1. Allowing the second finger to climb on to the barring finger puts the second finger
out of position to play what is coming next.

Watch gripping video clip #1 as I play an example from Francisco Tarrega’s Adelita,
demonstrating this vile habit.

Can’t get enough of watching such revolting images?

Try this example from Villa-Lobos’ Etude #7. Video clip #2:

2. This nasty habit can also distort the entire hand position, pulling other fingers out
of position as well.

Watch video clip #3 from the well-known Romanza, also known as Romance de Amor.

I know. You probably had to pull your eyes away from the screen during some of that.

Here is another distressing example of hand position distortion from Fernando Sor’s famous
Study #5 in b minor. Video clip #4:

Have you no shame? You must live on the dark side if you want to watch video clip #5. This
example from Villa-Lobos’ Etude #1 shows how this deplorable habit causes bad finger
positioning AND hand distortion at the same time!

Go ahead, watch it if you must.

These problems don’t occur only on full bars. They can be a problem in smaller bars as well.

Watch this harrowing example from Carcassi’s Study #3 in video clip #6.

This nasty habit is not always obvious. Instead of the second finger blatantly crawling on top of
the bar finger, in a flash it might only make a very quick stabbing movement or straightening
movement across the fretboard. But the end result is the same—the seemingly innocuous habit
leaves devastation in its wake—missed notes, buzzes, frustration, and one angry guitar player
miffed that he messed up the passage for the umpteenth time.

Watch this poignant, heartbreaking example from Enrique Granados’ Spanish Dance #5. Video
clip #7:

3. Long term, this fault weakens your bar technique. You never fully develop the
strength and independence of the muscles to properly execute bars.

Yes, you will still be able to play power chords and Neil Diamond songs, but don’t hope for
much more than that…

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How to Fix It

Defective bar technique is usually at the root of this bad habit. When a bar doesn’t come out
clearly due to faulty technique, the inclination is to “help” the bar with another finger. Bad bar
technique includes using the thumb instead of the arms as the primary source of strength to
hold the bar, incorrect thumb positioning, incorrect rear knuckle positioning of the bar finger,
and incorrect bar finger positioning. Improving your bar technique will make it easier to cure this
habit. Go to my Vault and see my tech tip on barring for more information on correct bar
technique.

One quick fix for an unclear bar is to raise the back joint of the bar finger. This will help the bar
come out clearly with less effort and possibly cure the problem of the second finger leaning
towards or climbing on top of the bar finger.

Watch this Oscar-nominated video clip as I demonstrate. Video clip #8:

Another relatively easy fix for this habit is to roll the bar finger to the right, up against the fret.
This forces the second finger away from the bar finger. It can also potentially make the bar
come out more clearly with a little less effort.

Watch this stunning video clip. Definitely worthy of an Emmy nomination. Video clip #9:

Sometimes, simply being aware of the problem and monitoring the fingers allows a player to
correct the bad habit.

Try out this simple exercise and observe your second finger. Video clip #10:

Although it may seem I make light of this habit, it IS a definite problem that needs to be
corrected. Fortunately, it is fairly easily corrected and you will see a pretty dramatic
improvement in the ease and accuracy of execution of passages that use bar chords.

Plus, once you correct this detestable habit, you will find that people who once looked away
when you played bar chord passages, or spoke in hushed whispers when you played bar
chords, will commend you for your efforts to become more refined in your technique. You will
now be welcomed as a valuable member of polite society, instead of being seen as a ne’er-do-
well guitarist with revolting bar technique.

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THE TOP TEN NASTY HABITS
of Guitar Technique

This article is the second in a
series
published from time to time,
of common technical bad habits
that can wreak havoc with your
playing. They are presented in
no particular order of
importance.

BE SURE TO VISIT DOUG'S "SECRET VAULT"

It contains many of Doug's Previous
Guitar Technique Tips of the Month

Have a comment?
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
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We have a Printer Friendlier (PDF) version of this article that's also easier on the eyes.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.

Have a comment?
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.

We have a Printer Friendlier (PDF) version of this article that's also easier on the eyes.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.

Have a comment?
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.

We have a Printer Friendlier (PDF) version of this article that's also easier on the eyes.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.

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