F Major Fingering

I make my F shape keeping the pinky off the strings (so the ring finger hits that lower string instead of your use of the pinky). now, with my pinky free I can use that for making an F7 or using it to hit notes if I choose to play some flatpicking runs.

Personally I didn't bother learning the 'cheat' way for an F. In fact I think I learned barre chords before power chords for this reason. I barre at fret 1 with first finger, middle finger on G string, and ring/pinky on D and A. (I think thats right, lol, self-taught.com) :)

I did the mini barre to play songs that had the dreaded F chord early on. I used the index for the e, B middle for G and ring for the D and my thumb to either mute or fret the E on first. This comes in handy when it calls for a Fm7 by playing the open A and E.

I think your way may hurt you as you progress. I initially had trouble fretting the mini barre with the index too. The e was usually muted but if you practice you will get it. Try rolling your index finger a bit so it is more of the side of the index rather than the pad.

Don't get lazy and just use the mini barre F, keep practicing the full barre it will open up the entire neck. Depending on your action you will find that practicing the F# (2 fret) or G (3 fret) barre will be easier to finger. Although I can hit the full barre F, I sometimes still use the mini depending of the chord transitions.

I posted a thread several months back regarding barre chords. I was determined to get the E shaped barre chords, it took me 2.5 months but now I can play songs with E and A shaped barre chords. Best of you by Foo Fighters has very good barre chord transitions (C#min, A (open or Barre), B, F#m)

Self taught too!

Good luck

I've been doing it similar to you for quite a while. I bar the E and B with the 1st finger, and then use the middle and ring finger for the G and D strins while leaving my pinky free.

I find this method extremely easy to transition from the C to the F, as well as from the F to G - but I omit the 1st finger on the open G and always use the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers.

I don't see anything wrong with doing it this way as long as it doens't inhibit your transition from chord to chord. Just make sure you learn the other F chords as well. As I'm sure you know, all chords have multiple ways you can finger them, so just make sure you work to know more than one way to do them.

Personally I'd like to be able to barre Fmaj and really should work on it, but I use the cheatform. I'd like to do it the "right" way because it's just another barre chord that we have to wind up learning anyway!

Hijack...
...F to G - but I omit the 1st finger on the open G and always use the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers.

You must have some long fingers! My ring finger always seems to mute the A string. Also, my pinky is a slave to the ring finger, it can't be placed until the ring is already in position. Always a problem when transitioning the Cmaj9 (C/G), I usually wind up playing a G (1,2,3 fingering)

I guess this is yet another thing to practice!

I really can't remember the last time I played F major as an E-shaped barre chord, with a barre on the first fret - I sort of identified it early on as a weakness, and found an alternative. I HAVE played it for years as an E-shaped barre chord - but with my first finger covering the E and B strings at the first fret, and the 2nd/3rd/4th fingers a fret higher up than for an E chord. I also play the F note on the bottom E string with my thumb - but you know, there's no law that says you HAVE to play a chord a certain way. Whatever works for you, whatever you're happiest changing to and from - that's the chord to use.

:D :D :D

Vic