Barre Chord Help Please!

[rischoll]

Some years ago, I broke the index finger on my left hand. Up until this point it had never caused me problems with my playing. I have never really been able to quite get barre chords to sound right, I just thought I needed more practice, but tonight it dawned on me. I tried to play the barre with my middle finger and it sounded clear as a bell.

So... after having a bit of a think and a look at my index finger, the problem is this. The base section of my finger is slightly larger than it should be and the finger is slightly bent even when I try to straighten it. End result, dead notes when I play the B and high E strings, especially on the higher frets. This happens even when I press as hard as I can!

I tried to experiment with band aids to thicken the middle section of the finger, but that restricts movement too much.

I have no idea what to do or how to fix it, I've tried holding my finger slightly on its side, but nothing works. I was hoping that someone out there has got an idea that could help...

[fretdancer]

one solution might be to use a guitar slide on your index finger.
Of course this would mean that you would struggle to play open chords in the traditional way but once you can barre you know all the shapes with the last 3 fingers and I now find its easier to form chord shapes whether barred or open without using the index finger.
hope this helps

Pete