my little finger's 3.5cm shorter than the one next to it.
Maybe my fingers are relatively 'normal' after all!
Simple fact is, barre chords are hard to begin with. Some players (Jimi Hendrix, David Byrne and Wilko johnson) tend to barre the bottom (E and A) strings by hooking their thumb over the top of the neck rather than using their index finger as the barre. Might be worth try. There'll be a time when you'll need to play an F major.
That is ok on slim-necked electric guitars and probably would be on my Tanglewood acoustic which has a narrow-ish neck, but it isn't suitable for the wide neck on my classical guitar. I'll 'do a Boden' for now (see above) but learn how to do barres properly eventually.
Well, I picked up the parcel containing my Snark tuner from the Amazon lockers at Tod station. I go to that station every weekday to pick up a copy of the Metro (for its cryptic crossword) but I have never noticed the existence of the lockers. It turns out that they are hidden away round the other side of the station building, next to the car park. Anyway, it will be very handy for me in future - I can go on all-day rides and not have to worry about being in when Amazon parcels are due to be delivered.
The tuner is pleasingly tiny. I will probably leave it on the guitar at all times. (If I take it off I will probably lose it or tread on it!)
I just tested the new tuner... It is very easy to use in its standard mode. That worked really well, except for a slight tendency for it to glitch from an indicated E to an A on the top string. I'll experiment with moving the clamp position and muting other strings to see if that makes a difference. It isn't a showstopper because I can just ignore the A glitches and tune to the E reading.
I compared the tuning to what the old tuner indicated and it is about 3 cents flatter if I stop sharpening the strings as soon as the Snark indicates that the note is right. There is probably scope to go a little higher without the Snark showing sharp.
I had a go with 'Hz mode'. It is interesting being able to see an actual frequency value but it shouldn't really be needed and I may not bother with it most of the time. The tuner is strict about tuning order in this mode. In standard mode it just tells you what note you are playing, independent of string. In Hz mode you have to work up from the bottom string (on a bass you must work down from the top string). If you play the strings in the wrong order, it gets confused. I did that several times before noticing my mistake. Make sure that you pluck the right strings in the right order or you will have to start again.
Finally, ColinJ's mnemonics for standard guitar string frequencies:
- First string. It is the most bass string and I would guess that it is around 80 Hz. In fact it should be 82.4 Hz. Remember it as 8 = 2 x 4.
- Second string, second team, second eleven; the second string is frequency is higher than 82.4 Hz and begins with 11 - 110.0 Hz.
- Third string, a bit higher than 110 Hz but it won't be as high 200 Hz, so it begins with a '1', and it is followed by a simple series - '4', '6', 8' - 146.8 Hz .
- Fourth string is heading towards the magic 200 Hz but in fact string 4 is 4 Hz lower - 196.0 Hz.
- Fifth string... 'fifth columnists' accused of undermining Trump almost 24/7; almost 247 Hz - 246.9 Hz.
- Sixth string frequency is 2 octaves above first string = 2 x 2 x 82.4 = 329.6 Hz.
Alternatively... you
could just cut out the little cardboard frequency chart supplied with the tuner and fix it to the headstock using the tuner clamp!
