If you’ve been playing guitar for a while, chances are you’ve been playing bar chords. Maybe you’re good at them, maybe you’re just learning how to play them. Bar chords can always be a challenge, because your index finger needs to put all this pressure on multiple strings at once. Not always the easiest thing to do, especially if you’re playing a steel string guitar.
So, if you’ve never been properly trained to play a bar chord, you might be doing it incorrectly. If you’re really starting to hurt while you’re playing a bar chord, you’re definitely doing it incorrectly.
The wrong way to play a bar chord is if you use your thumb and the rest of your hand for the pressure on the strings. This causes a lot of hand tension immediately, since you’re using so much hand strength. If you’re playing a song with a lot of bar chords, pressing on the chord like this will make the last minute (or way more) of a song excruciating.
The way you play a bar chord is you actually use the gravity of your arm to push your hand against the strings. The distance between the strings and the fretboard of the guitar is so very tiny, you only have to move your index finger a little bit to fret the notes.
The very simple trick is to use the gravity of your elbow to bring the barring finger closer to the fretboard. With your elbow relaxed at your side, play the bar chord. Move your elbow back slightly, making sure not to raise your shoulder in the process. This should make it a lot easier to press down on the strings, so you can release some tension in your hand.
For a visual, please check out my video about using the elbow for bar chords!