A Minor

[skipper]

I've been playing mandolin for about ten months, and I've largely focused on scales and modes up until now. One of the songs I'm studying has A Minor (2230) in it, and I'm not quite sure whether to bar the two low strings or fret them with my individual fingers. What do you guys recommend, and if you bar, is there any way to avoid too much thumb tension, or do you just deal with a brief vise grip on the neck?

[Scotti Adams]

..bar them..with your index finger.

[4stringmania]

Once of the nice things about mandolin tuning is that simple variations of the A bar chord gives you Am, A7, Am7, and Asus which you can then play up the neck to form other chords. You'll find that after you've played the barre forms a while the soft part of your index finger will get tougher and you won't have to apply as much pressure. #It's well worth the effort to learn these chords!

[ShaneJ]

I barre them, but not by laying my index finger flat. I don't have huge fingers, but I can cover both sets by just laying the last joint of my finger almost flat over them. My finger tip plus a little "extra" will do it. I don't think you have to be double-jointed or anything. The string spacing on a mando makes it easy to cover two strings (and hard not to sometimes) - especially down the neck where it's tighter. Also, I play Am different ways at times for different voicings: 2-2-0-0 (will pass for Am or A), 2-2-3-0, 2-2-3-5.

[skipper]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the help.

[AlanN]

A minor

2200
2230
2235
9735
5200
9730
9778
5778

[Tom C]

I agree with SJennings, you really want to press down on the G and D strings with 1 finger. I think of barring as pressing across the whole fretboard which I do not think is ever done on mando as you only have 4 strings going across.

[AlanN]

...I think of barring as pressing across the whole fretboard which I do not think is ever done on mando...

Actually, it's done often, as in this A6 chord:

2242

and this A9 chord:

2223

[mandroid]

A big + of movable barre chords: Maj 2245 min 2235 7th 2543,
And 4th above DM 2455, 2 frets up for parrern is the 5th: EM4677.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif

[Tom C]

OK