I started tinkering with F chord while working with the C chord.
Nothing major, just every couple of days had a couple of attempts to make the chord on the electric. The first few attempts were abysmal, but eventually I was able to at least make the barre shape and get it to ring out (sort of).
Then I moved onto the acoustic, which I had properly set up, which helps tremendously. For the past few months I’ve practiced exclusively on the acoustic and can just about play songs with the F chord in them.
Having just moved back to the electric it has been a bit of a culture shock, it just feels weird with the narrower neck etc. But the barre chords are benefitting from the practice on the acoustic.
This is the first time I’ve actually struggled with learning a new chord. My problem is string 1 and 2, but mainly 2. My finger appears to be too soft where it needs to press down and just doesn’t ring out. I can absolutely play the F chord if I clamp down, but only if I clamp down with enough force to basically break my thumb. I practiced for longer than I care to admit before putting the guitar down for a couple months, and now I’m back at it. What am I doing wrong?
Edit: I saw another comment that said move down a few frets, and that actually worked immediately, but how the heck do I get it to work at the top where I need to be?
The action makes an incredible difference. I have a Guild acoustic I bought in 1971. It sat in a case for 30+ years. I had no idea how badly I was screwing it up. I had the F down on my electric but could not come close on the acoustic. I took it to a luthier for a tune up. He took one look at it and said no one could play. It had dried out so badly that the top was bowed and the some of the frets were being pushed out. Fortunately it was repairable. He fixed the bow in the top and the frets then cut down the bridge and the nut. It is joy to play now. Anyone having a problem should make sure that the problem is not with the guitar. I am ecstatic that I solved my problem.
I actually called Guitar Center a few hours ago because I just felt like the issue was the guitar since I had no issues with the electric. I knew acoustic was more difficult, but I shouldn’t have to break my thumb to do it. The tech there thought the same thing you were saying. I know I’ve only been playing for about a year (with some breaks in between), but even being new he said if I can play it further down and have no problems on electric then it’s something with the guitar. I’m bringing it in tomorrow and when I get it back I’ll post an update.
Teaching yourself sucks sometimes especially when you don’t have friends that play, you think you’re a horrible failure when in fact it’s your guitar. I guess it’s to be expected of a $100 Ibanez.
I notice the tiny gap between the E string and the first fret on Justin’s guitar, does anyone know how big this gap is? Is the gap the same on an acoustic guitar?? Many thanks hue
This gap (the space between the top of the fret and the bottom of the string) is called action. The action height depends on how the guitar was set up. Generally, it’s lower on electric guitars than on acoustic guitars.
You may want to check out this video and another thread on the topic:
Definitely feeling it in my wrist and forearm when I play this chord. Is that normal? Will this go away the more I play? Also, finding it easier to play standing up than sitting down, oddly enough. Great lesson as always, Justin.
Tech said the action was off slightly, but for the cost of the fix, I decided against it since he could play the F chord no problems, so I figured I could adapt. Of course, he has been playing for 20+ years, but if he can do it then so can I. Figured for now I’ll practice on electric until my skin on my fingers wasn’t so soft.
You are probably having the same issue as me. I was basically pressing hard enough to break my thumb lol. Try moving 3 frets down or trying on an electric guitar. I was immediately able to play it, but my skin further down my finger is too soft so it’s just absorbing the string instead of pressing it. Have to build up the callus, least that’s what the tech guy told me (and what I was afraid he was going to tell me). You could also have your guitar examined and see if the action needs to be adjusted, the tech guy at Guitar Center even gave me a couple pointers since I decided against the repair cause he played it with ease.
Is there a point where you say enough is enough and you have to move onto something else? I have been practicing this chord solidly for a week, 10mins. per day, and have to say that I probably have never managed to get all strings to ring out in all the times I have tried. Sometimes 4, sometimes 5 but never 6 strings ringing out!
My first finger has more lines in it from pressing down so hard to get the strings to ring, and it’s still not happening. Tried using a capo higher up the neck but no joy.
Have watched JG’s video for hand, finger, arm position and pretty sure that they are in the right place so no understanding what is going on here.
Yes there is. There is an old saying “A change is better than a rest” I find if I’m having trouble with something if I leave it for a while and learn something different then go back to it, it becomes easier the second time around. Somethings are 3rd or 4th time around,
I don’t think that helps. It just moves the problem further up the neck. The problem with the F barre is the very short length of string between the nut and your index finger means you have to pull the string down at a relatively steep angle. A capo doesn’t change that.
Just keep doing a little each day to build strength in your hand.
(By “just like that” I mean after several months of trying).
So my F(kd) chord story goes that I thought I had it nearly under control a few months back. Putting up a recording of myself, I got some feedback that my bar finger was landing last and so first strum of a bar sounded off as the 6th string rang out with an E then F hammer on.
So I went back to work to get the bar first. It took me back several steps. I’m particular I have trouble with a full change like Am to F. But after a lot of work and a mental focus on getting the 6,5,4 string to land together and letting the 3rd just work itself out I have this afternoon played through a few songs sounding nice with Am to F.
I’ll re-record my earlier performance soon for a comparison.
Pumped.
Can’t offer much help other than to say keep on keeping on. One minute changes helped but not as much as trying to play the chord change in a song repeatedly.
So great to hear this @FunkyFingers. Sounds the same as what I had, it was slow and then all of a sudden clicked. Now you’ve got F in control, E shaped barre chords are a piece of cake.
I think a capo would only help if the problem you’re having is that the nut is too high.
The suggestion upthread of moving down a few frets isn’t to use a capo, it’s to move the whole barre chord shape down a few frets without using a capo because the angles of the strings are kinder that way and makes it easier to form the chord. And then when you can do it there, work your way up until you can do it at the first fret.
@rossbd Sometimes the problem with the action is that the nut is too high in guitars when you buy them. I had that problem with a guitar that I purchased and had the guitar tech/luthier sand down the nut so that the strings were closer to the fretboard at the first fret, which helped with playability. If you put a capo at the first fret and it makes it a lot easier to fret the full barre F chord, then you should consider getting the nut adjusted/sanded to to lower height. There is a limit on how much you can lower a nut though before you get string buzz problems.
All the suggestions have value though, especially starting with an A barre chord at the 5th fret (or even a higher fret if necessary) and slowly working your way back down towards the first fret. Another suggestion that I haven’t seen mentioned is that you could buy a lighter gauge or thickness of string for your acoustic guitar.
Surprisedly, I’ve found that if it has been more than a year since you replaced your guitar strings, getting new strings can make it a little easier to press down the strings. It seems to me that the strings gain more tension or lose flexibility over time as they are stretch and are retuned over a years time.