I'm a self-taught guitar player who's finally hit an impasse, and I need some advice. I've been playing for over 10 years now, using funky self-made chord shapes to get around using true barre chords. I do understand the basic concept behind a good barre shape - pinching with the thumb, playing slightly to the side of the meaty part of finger, keeping finger straight, leaving space from web of hand to neck, all that good stuff. However, I have pretty pronounced hyper-mobility in all of my joints, (some people refer to it as being double jointed) and cannot get my finger straight to save my life. I can lay a straight finger on the strings (barely), but lose all the tension when I add the other fingers in. Picture your index finger held straight, then flex the top joint back at a 60 degree angle. (Yes, it's weird looking). That's my problem.

Are there any "double jointed" guitar players here who can offer some insight? I think I'm maxed out on what I can learn on the guitar if I can't master this.