Having trouble with pressing on >1 string at a time on my guitar.

[BigToque]

I've been playing for all of 2 weeks and have managed to teach myself how to play with the first 3 frets on the first 3 strings (E, B, G).

Anyway, I'm looking at a tab (and I've seen it on some sheet music) where I need to press down a couple of strings all on the same fret. (say string E & B on the first fret).

I've seen some chords where you have to hold more than 2 or 3 strings at a time on the same fret! Is this something you just have to learn how to do? Or is there some kind of trick to it?

My fingers are killing me from trying to do this!

(I don't even know if what I'm saying makes sense - I hope it does)

Btw, I use a classical acoustic.

 

[MrFire8808]

you mean like a barre chord? post the tab of what you're trying to play i think

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

Originally posted by: BigToque
I've been playing for all of 2 weeks and have managed to teach myself how to play with the first 3 frets on the first 3 strings (E, G, B).

Anyway, I'm looking at a tab (and I've seen it on some sheet music) where I need to press down a couple of strings all on the same fret. (say string E & B on the first fret).

I've seen some chords where you have to hold more than 2 or 3 strings at a time on the same fret! Is this something you just have to learn how to do? Or is there some kind of trick to it?

My fingers are killing me from trying to do this!

(I don't even know if what I'm saying makes sense - I hope it does)

Btw, I use a classical acoustic.

Some guitar chords are called Barre chords -- called that because your index finger acts like a "bar" and depresses all of the strings simultaneously at one fret.

I remember when I was first learning on a steel-string acoustic guitar I came across some diagrams of barre chords, and I thought there had to have been some kind of mistake. There was no way in hell I could hold them *ALL* down with *ONE* finger. My hand muscles already hurt like a sonuvabitch trying to keep 'em down one at a time.

Alas, the truth is that your hands will eventually get strong enough to accomplish that feat. Along the way you could change your strings to a lighter gauge that would be easier to depress in barre formation. Electric guitars are really easy compared to a guitar like yours.

Edit: Also, the strings either go G,B,E or E,B,G depending on if youre naming them upwards or downwards, but if they go E,G,B on your guitar, you have some tuning problems.

 

[MrFire8808]

what he said

 

[flxnimprtmscl]

Practice. Your fingers will eventually get strong enough. I was so frustrated trying to learn barre chords when I started that I was about to buy a slide just so I could keep even pressure across all the strings. I eventually got it without the slide and you'll get it too