Strumming Badlands

This has been my lastest song to butcher :razz:

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/b/bruce_springsteen/badlands_crd.htm

At first, I couldn't really hear the rhythm parts, which is a huge thing for me. All I would hear were the keys first. Then I finally zoned in on the guitar, and got a feel for it. It wasn't working too well at first, so I went to youtube and found a guy playing along with the album, watched him, and got it down a bit better.

When he comes to the Emaj, Amaj, C#min, then Bmaj part, it's done by barring the Amaj with the index, then flipping the ring finger up to hit the C# note on the 5th string, then flattening the ring finger and moving the index finger up to do the Bmaj.

The simple fact that I can explain this without my guitar in hand excites me greatly. Also, the fact that I ALMOST have it sounding good, excites me even more.

My main issue lies wtih that C#min reach. I can't get it to sound out properly, my index finger tends to slant too much while barring the Amaj. I'm going to do what you guys will probably suggest anyway, slow it down, and train the index finger to stay put. Anything else I can do to help achieve this?

Also, I find it somewhat amusing that whenever I do any sort of barring with the index and ring figer, I inevitably "flip the bird" with my middle finger. I'm trying to work on pushing that down a bit too, cuz it just looks silly, but probably can be useful in some situations, :lol:

While I swore that I was going to focus on learning theory more, it seems my life doesn't allow time for that now. So, I'm perfectly happy with continuing to just learn basic strums and make them sound passable. :cool:

Barre chords...
These chords demand, imho, the 'classical' hand position with the thumb behind the index finger and pointed towards the headstock of the guitar///amybe somewhere formin line with the neck to up to a 45 degree angle up from that line....depending on what chord one is forming. All fingers should be parallel to the frets. The palm is away from the neck. I keep all fingers close the frets. There is no reason for me to pull a finger away. When one finger pulls away from the frets, that finger exercises a force upon the other fingers to follow it....counter to what is needed, right?
IF the thumb is wrapped up around the neck andif the palm is up against theneck, then the fingers are not going to want to come to the full barre easily, ime.

I don't know the song, but there are different ways to play C#m. Try first finger on the G string first fret..........second finger on the D string 2nd fret......third finger on B string 2nd fret.......play the first string open.

THat inversion is correct for a C#m, but without a bass player hitting the root, things get a bit questionable/indefinite. IN other words, those 4 notes can be a C#m, they can be an Amaj7, they can be an E6. IF I am a guitarist struming by myself, I ususally want to define the chord and sometimes movement from and to chords with a certain bass note. YMMV.....

i have two solutions for you ... 1. skip the C#min... the song works fine without it ... 2. play the song in C or G ... i taught myself to play partial barre chords using my index finger and my ring finger on the top four strings and ignoring the others ... sure i'm lazy, but it works just fine 35 years later !!! here is an example of a chord than can be played with two fingers ... http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xo7k1k54vdo/TErptG0ehJI/AAAAAAAAAIg/FoIBe3_NWmo/s1600/D+barre+chord.png as a keyboard player, i have fairly good use of my pinky for sus4 and 7th and other chords ...

Rangercaster, the chord you show above is a full chord in the A barre form and is correctly formed, imho. A two finger approach in the barre E form is another matter. Do you play minor chords on the keyboard???? Major thirds??? Major 7ths? I figure you do. Do you tie two of the fingers on each hand together so as to limit your approach on the keyboard? Surely not, so why do it on guitar? It would be easier to play less complex chords...sometimes diads, even...on a keyboard, too, right? IF you play an E barre form with only two fingers, you are not playing a chord but a diad....the 1 and the 5...a power 'chord' in other words. Good for some things, not so good for others.
I have never heard someone espouse not learning how to properly form chords....especially to the extent that the thought is that a chord is not necessary. There is a reason why minor chords are part of our music. To eliminate them is to try to reform thousands of years of musical evolution, and that ain't gonna happen beyond a very limited personal basis. And.....one person's refusal to play minor chords simply means that when others try to play with them or try to listen to them, there will be noticable challenges....unless the players and the listeners are non-musical. I have played...not for long...with a person or two who couldn't hear the difference between major and minor chords. LImiting....and frustrating.
A two-finger barre approach eliminates a lot of trouble....as long as you don't want to play minors and minor 7ths in the barre A form you show, dominant
7ths in the barre E form, E major barres with the major third sounding, any major 7th chord....lots of things one cannot do. Forget using barre forms from the C chord and the G chord, right?
Nah....I suggest going ahead and learning how to play the guitar as completely as possible. Problems like the forming of chords are usually the result of bad technique, ime. Some people play guitar as if they are running with their shoes on the wrong feet....making it much more difficult to get the job done. Chord formation ...as all other guitar techniques....demands a thought process...observation, thought, application......to arrive at proper technique, imho. Thinking game......imho. NO thought = no music.
and...yes, you can fool some of the people even all of the time......but some people you can't fool even one time.
Django Reinhart played most of the time with only two fingers because the usefulness of two of his fretting hand's fingers were damaged so badly that they were of limited usefulness. He learned how to 'fake' somethings, I am sure; but I am positive that he hit minor 3rds in full chords when necesary...he didn't shy away from correctness due to limitations. He had to think of ways to overcome the damage that was done at the age of 18...after he was already a fully formed guitarist using all of his 4 fretting fingers in a 'normal' fashion. IF one has all fingers, I believe one should learn to use all of those fingers. Why limit oneself????