Hi, I have been playing for 6 months now and learning the F chord and the Fsu4 chord. But I cant get my finger to push down hard enough on the first 2 strings. I can play them fine but once I put my other finger on the third sting I cant push down the other finger hard enough. Any tips?
when fretting remember to pucsh down BEHIND the fret wire and not on top of it...foor starters.
if you know that already forgive me.
secondly, that F chord starts with an F for a reason ;)
like the above poster mentioned put your thumb behind th neck. make sure the tip of the thumb points toward the headstock.
you'll find you have a bit more pressure, your wrist is cocked lower, and your fingers can now lay flatter on those strings.
eventually, your finger muscles will be stronger. then you can make that chord with your thumb over the top of the neck.
I still cant push down all the way but that helps ALOT. I think I was putting to much pressure onto my thumn
ya. be careful not to kill yourself with too much pressure.
that's typical, you hear the strings buzzing or not ringing so you push harder and harder.
it's painful.
the trick, if there is one, is time and patience. your muscles will get it in time.
for now, practice with the thumb behind the neck and push from THERE.
it sounds odd, but try it of course tyou need to keep firm your fingers on the strings.
hang in there. sounds like you got some improve,ment already. :)
Do not use the bottom of your index finger to barre the first two strings. Slightly roll your index finger toward your thumb. Your index finger will not be on it's bottom or side, but about halfway inbetween.
Here is a good photo of what I'm talking about.
Also, notice that the index finger is arched or bent and not held straight as when someone points.
Use just enough pressure behind the fret to where the strings sound cleanly.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Hi wes.
that works for you?
my index finger is flat on the strings; the fat fleshy part.
I tried the way you pictured and it feels awkward.
if it works ,cool.
dogbite
Everyone is different. Some people have large thick fingers, some have short fingers, some have thin fingers. So, what works for you might not work well for me.
I have probably average length, but fairly thin fingers. Not a lot of extra flesh there. So, for me, laying my index finger slightly on it's side works well. I really never had a lot of difficulty with the F chord because I saw this technique in a jazz book when I first started, and it worked well for me.
But heh, do what is best for you. I have seen players that do downright strange things. I had a friend who was a very good performing guitarist, he fretted an E and A minor chords like this.
E Am
e---0-----0--
b---0-----1i-
g---1i----2m-
d---2m----2r-
a---2r----0--
e---0--------
I don't know where my friend learned this fingering, but this is how he played these chords. What was really remarkable was that he had very large thick fingers which would seem to make these fingerings even more difficult. But he could play very well this way.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
I did find it weird to push with my finger on the side. Its comfortable putting thumb in the back with my finger a little to the side. It sounds alot better. I also think my finger has to get used to the feeling of pushing down and bending. I have noticed that my fingers feel diffrent now from before I play the guitar. Like I can bend my pink without using my other finger to help me put it up and down.
I've been playing a year and with my first guitar a Tanglewood TN28 it was very hard to barre any chord on the first fret. I've just changed to a Taylor Big Baby and it's a piece of cake to form any barre chord even the minors(no dud G String) or minor 7ths.
so have the guitar action and setup checked out or its a perfect opportunity to buy a new guitar :-)
Your technique might be ok it could be the guitar
I've been playing 17 months and I still have trouble with this, but I am better than I was. I used to have exactly the same problem as you, now I find I move my whole hand to fret an F, as opposed to how my hand feels for other chords. I kind of rock my knuckle on my first finger towards the nut, to flatten the finger. I also dig my elbow into my ribs when playing the F chord, my elbow is further out from my side on other chords. How difficult is that to describe without a photo? My technique is probably awful though so I'd listen to everyone elses advice before you follow mine.
You could try working on something that doesn't require the 3rd finger, as a stepping stone. Lou Reeds Walk on the Wild Side, the bit that goes Do do-do do-do do-do-do-do Do do-do do-do do-do-do-do (got that in your head?). The first part is a C chord, the second is Dm7 (according to this: http://sologuitarist.net/chord_speller/chord_speller.html ) which is just a mini F with the 3rd finger removed - so fret the F, remove the 3rd finger and just strum the 4 strings. Its probably not the right chord for the song but it sounds close enough and its practice in the right area, the sort of practice I like where you are making a recognisable sound. Its also good for practising strumming, as you kind of 'go with it' as opposed to trying to remember which are upstrums and which are downstrums.
I've been working on barre chords for about a month or so, just trying to fret a barre chord, strum it a few times, relax and have another go. Then I just carry and playing as usual. I've now progressed to playing a Bm, thanks to Elvis who posted a Chris Isaac song in the Easy Songs database:
http://forums.guitarnoise.com/viewtopic.php?t=14707&highlight=isaac
I can't play it yet, but I find its an easy introduction to Bm and barre chords in general as you can take it slow.
My plan to take me to the next level is to work through Hotel California, thanks to this excellent post:
http://forums.guitarnoise.com/viewtopic.php?t=9564&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=california&start=0
All the while I will be re-visiting the mini F and full F chord. But I figure that the F is probably quite hard to do, seeing as its at the first fret, so I am working my way up to it in a fun kind of way.
Blimey - a very long post which went on about me rather than dealing with you - sorry.
Good luck and thanks to everyone for all the posts on this site in general, its always nice to know I'm not alone and that help is out there.
Rich.
I pretty much do the same as Wes I think (I couldn't see the picture). I slightly roll my hand toward the nut so that the area between the flat and side of the index finger is pressing the e and B strings.
Tim Madsen
Nobody cares how much you know,
until they know how much you care.
"What you keep to yourself you lose, what you give away you keep forever." -Axel Munthe
Try putting your first finger down LAST.
I am doing alot better now. I went to my guitar teacher and he said to keep my finger flat. The sound is not perfect but it works. My advice to anyone that has this problem is keep your finger flat as you can on the first to strings then arch the other fingers
something occured to me over the weekend.
it's how one positions themselves to play a guitar.
when practicing I usually sit. the guitar fret board is all up in my face; I can see things easy.; my wristis stright and my hand and fingers are very relaxed.
then when I jam or gig, I stand.
my playing position is drastically changed.
I dont hang the guitar low, but I dont crank it up into my face either.
over many years of playing Ive found the best position for the guitar that makes it easy for my arm, hand, and fingers to work right.
so I am wondering where yopu position your guitar both practicing (sitting) and standing.
pay attention to that and your fretting can change for the better drastically. :)
