chord problems

I am having a hard time getting a barred Bm to sound good, any suggestions?

Eat more fiber.

lol... I have weak fingers so it sounds fuzzy.

Check which finger which is buzzing, do the chord on string at the time. The ones buzzing, fit em proparly on the fret/press harder. And just play freekin guitar, you'll end up managing..

alright thanks. I am self taught so I have to rely on others for hints from time to time.

I've played for about 6-7 years and I still hate barre-chords, specially major chords that "starts" from the A-string. Anyway i remember back when i had problems with b minor, I found it easyer to grip them at the 7:th fret:

EADGBe
79977(7)

Just keep fingering it.. After a while you'll develop the muscles in the fingers and it'll seem a lot easier.

Since you guys are so helpful... how should I go about teaching myself to fingerpick?

Study someone else's style, then try it one finger at a time (with a metronome if possible), then two at a time, then three, etc.

Try simple classical pieces. there are many tabs at guitartricks.com

right on, thanks.

ive just started playing this year, and i can play most of the main chords A, C, D, E, and G and most of the variations thereof. but i was wondering if you guys could give me a few pointers to help my development. first, two chords that have eluded me so far are B and F b/c of the way they are gripped, i cant get them to ring out solidly, when i have to hold my finger over several strings and then span two frets, any advice to help me out? and secondly, and advice on how to master rhythm? just knowing chords is the least of the struggle into playing songs. without the right strumming pattern and rhythm, the chords alone will do you no good. any help would be greatly appreciated. i havent been playing long in terms of calendar time, but i play everday for about an hour (sometimes more, sometimes less). its a great way to pass time, and youre being productive too. thanks in advance

Like Fulgy said, the only way to master barre chords is practice. No one likes to hear that, but that's how it's done.

I've always had a little trouble with the "A shaped" barre chords as you go up the neck. My 3rd, 4th and pinky fingers are a tight fit on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th strings. But I noticed once while watching Clapton play that he uses his ring finger (4th) to barre the D G & B strings (4th 3rd 2nd)-- so he's only using two fingers, index and ring. I can't do it that way without my ring finger muting the 1st string, but, it's so much easier and faster that I just play it without the 1st string. No big loss, and it sounds just as good.

As for "mastering" rhythm, one thing you can do is play along with songs on your CD player. Practicing playing in time with others, even if only on a recording, is about the best way I know of. As Bot said, a metronome is a big help too. And tapping your foot. Sounds hokey, but it works.

Baring is hard when you first start. Some of Keith Richards' open G riffs are good excercizes for rectifying that.

yeah, all the other chords seem so easy now, but its disappointing early on to look at a song that i would like to learn to play and then to realize that it contains either B's or F's and i hit a brick wall

another question is what is more important in switching chords: maintaining a constant strumming pattern to keep rhythym and possibly sacrificing by ringing out some open tuning notes, or pausing the strumming momentarily and ringing out only the desired chords? This may be just a beginner question, but how would be the best way to go about this, the best way to practice changing chords?

yet another question i have is do any of you guys have places on the web where i can find some good scales to practice? i have heard that the only way to learn to play solos eventually is to have a very good understanding of scales and to be able to play them with ease.

I appreciate all the help i am getting here, i work with a few guitar players too, and nothing beats the advice of experienced players.