When doing a F chord

I play it that way going from F to C or D also when I go from A, C, D into an F.

When I have a G coming right after it, I'll do an "E" form barre chord then slide up to the 3rd fret for the easy G.. I find it easier that way.. also I'll barre if I'm going into a B variant chord following the F too. :)

It depends. Just find what works for you but if you practice both of them equally you can't go wrong :)

Hi Markthechuck,

It works fine for me that way. :)

Eventually you'll want to be able to do most chords in several different ways though. Depending on what you're changing to and from, it's sometime easier to do one shape or form, or another. So, you'll probably get around to using a variety of shapes and methods, depending on where on the neck you are, what sound you need, how fast you're changing, etc. If the chord before or after was a G, played as a bar chord further along the neck, then you'd just slide the whole, bar up or down. But if it was a C in the first position then I'd just flatten the index across the E and B, and move the other two (or even 3) fingers across to suit. The basic requirements for an F Major triad are an F, an A and a C. So you can play an F on just 3 strings if you need to. Lots of possibilities, but it mostly boils down to what does the song call for, and what skills have you got in your toolbox at the time.

Chris

EDIT: Oops! Beaten to the post by Dagwood.... I'm agreeing with what he said. :mrgreen:

When doing a F chord i've seen a few people on the Net just Barring only the E&B strings not all of them, It would be loads easier for me to do it this way, Any downside to doing it this way?

I've been playing the F chord that way ever since I've played guitar, and I haven't found a downside yet. It's a very natural position for the fingers to take, and once you've got used to playing it that way, you'll find it's quite easy to change to a C chord, and also to other E-shaped barres. I also use the same method for playing Am-shaped barre chords.

Hold your fingers out straight with your palm up - now curl them into the palm of your hand. Looks almost like you're playing an F chord or a C chord on air guitar, doesn't it! If it's so natural for your fingers to make that shape, make as well take advantage of Mother Nature. Guitar's hard enough without making it harder!

Another advantage of using this method is, you'll find it easier (in time, and with practise, of course!) to change from, say, a G chord to the dreaded Bm. Just a question of moving across and down.....

The only disadvantage I've found to this method of playing barres is you can't do the blues shuffle that way - you really need the barre chords for that, even if you're only actually using the bottom two-three strings.

:D :D :D

Vic

Hi Mark,

You're still relatively new to this, right? (My memory isn't so good today) The fully barred F is important to learn, but it will take some time. Don't pressure yourself. Like Dagwood says, it actually is an easier alternative in some chord progressions. Also, for me, sometimes that shorter f patterns don't fit in voice-wise like the full barre version. It's not a question of a short F sounding bad, it's just that the fully barred F is fuller. (Or more fuller, if I might botch the language a tad)

Vic, you got me all turned around. I played Air Guitar left handed. :lol: :lol: