Tags: guitar

Today’s Focus: Bar Chords. Phrases: Phrase 2 + Phrase 4 (continuing from your previous work). Keep the volume moderate and the left hand light. Tomorrow we’ll rotate to Arpeggiation on the same two phrases. Enjoy the session.

10-Minute Warm-Up

1. Finger independence & light stretching (2 min)
   Gentle wrist circles, finger spreads, and slow chromatic crawls on frets 1–4 (each string). Keep shoulders relaxed.

2. Open-position and barre warm-up in C (4 min)
   Slowly move through Cmaj7 – Dm7 – Em7 – Fmaj7 – G7 shapes. Hold each cleanly for 4 beats, then switch. Aim for no buzz and minimal left-hand tension.

3. Target chord isolation (4 min)
   Practice the denser shapes you’ll use today at a very slow tempo (no metronome yet):

   • Fmaj7 (barre or rootless voicing)
     
   • G9
     
   • Eb7
     
   • Bb7 / Bb9
     
   • C#ø and Abø (half-diminished shapes)
     
   • Dbmaj13
     Switch between them one at a time, focusing on clean fretting and quick but relaxed releases.

Main Exercises (~15 minutes)

Goal: Clean, solid bar (or partial-barre) chord shapes and smooth transitions inside Phrase 2 and Phrase 4. Tempo is secondary—clarity and economy of motion come first.

Exercise 1 – Phrase 2 bar-chord transitions (7 min)
Phrase 2 chords: F∆7 → G9 | C∆7 → Eb7 → Dm11 → G9sus4 → G9 | C∆7 → C7

• Play each bar slowly (quarter note = 50–60).
  
• 4 reps of the full phrase, pausing 2 beats between bars to reset hand position.
  
• Then 4 continuous reps of the whole phrase (no pause).
  
• Focus: clean Fmaj7–G9 move and the Eb7–Dm11–G9sus4 chain. Use rootless or drop-2 voicings if full barres feel heavy; prioritize clarity over size.

Exercise 2 – Phrase 4 bar-chord transitions (7 min)
Phrase 4 chords: F∆7 → Bb7 → Bb9 | C∆7 → C#ø → F∆7 → Abø | Db∆13 → C6

• Same structure as above: 4 reps with short pauses between bars, then 4 continuous reps.
  
• Pay special attention to the C#ø and Abø shapes (keep the half-diminished grip relaxed) and the final Dbmaj13 → C6 resolution.
  
• If any shape is consistently muddy, isolate just that transition for 30–40 seconds before continuing.

Optional quick link (1 min)
Play the last bar of Phrase 2 into the first bar of Phrase 4 once or twice to connect the two phrases you’re already working on.

Short Cool-Down (5 minutes)

• Hold each of the main chords from today for 8–10 seconds with minimal pressure—just enough to keep the notes ringing. Breathe and release tension.
  
• Slow chromatic fretting on the middle four frets, then gentle wrist and forearm stretches.
  
• Listen back (mentally or via a quick phone recording) to one clean pass of Phrase 2 and one of Phrase 4. Note one thing that felt better than last time.

Session total: ~30 minutes.