Yet again....the F Chord

Ok, my problem isn't actually barring the bottom strings, I got that one down easily. my problem comes in when i bar the bottom two strings my index finger doesnt play right. it tends to lean into the b string, hence muting that note. it seems no matter how much i focus and try and practice, i cant get my index finger to cooperate. any suggestions?

can you play F at the 13th fret? Basically, my suggestion is to shift the shape up - there's less string tension. Try playing an A (5th fret barre)...

yes, I can play it at the 13th. my problem is playing it at the first fret.

are you saying i should play the F at the 13th fret instead of the 1st? that seems a big jump when playing open chords.

i am in the early stages, playing open chords at the neck right now. i am very fluent at the caged chords, but struggle with the F. I hate to proceed any further until I have mastered the F, but feel I have been stuck here for too long, LOL.

barres are pretty easy for me, i have long fingers and they tend to cooperate on the barres (most of the time anyways, LOL).

should i give up on the F now and move to something else? I dont have any tabs that utilzes barres, only beginner music that utilizes your common open chords.

to give you an idea of what i am working on, right now i am practicing

Running on Faith, and
Freebird

...both of which have the open F at the 1st fret. Any other suggestions on how to play it for now since I can't seem to get the F at the 1st fret?

hmm...here are a few F shapes to try, hopefully you can read tab:

e-8----5--------------
b-10---6--7-----------
g-10---5--8-----------
d-10---7--7-----------
a-8----8--------------
E---------7-----------

That last chord is a tritone substitute, a B7 chord. B is the flat 5 to the F, so they sound pretty bad played together. i dont reccommend using the B7 chord in either of those songs, but im just making you aware that there are all kinds of ideas and substitutes to use. Such as:

e--------5---0---------------
b--8-1-1-5--1-----------------
g--9-2-0-5--2-----------------
d--7-2-2-7--3-----------------
a--8-----8--------------------
E----1-1----------------------

These chords are in this order: Fmaj9, Fmaj7, Fmaj6, Fmaj7, and Fmaj7. All the different Fmaj7 are the same chord, but fingered differently. They all have the 1357 chord structure to make it a Fmaj7 chord. You should try all the different Fmaj7 fingerings to see which one you prefer to finger.

Hope this helps you. :)

Edit: Oh yeah, if you want to use the open F chord, you should work on your technique. Make sure your fingers arent diagonal across the fret board. your first finger on the F chord should stay straight on the first fret. Your 2nd and 3rd finger must be in this position, only being the fret area they are assigned, but make sure they are arched so they dont make contact with the other strings. Also, center your thumb on the back of the neck when starting. This discipline was hard for me starting out, but im glad i did it. I know mostly play with my thumb resting where the fretboard and neck meet, where the little dots are if you have them, except on power chords, where you must keep perfect position. excuse me for using the basic term power chord. it really is a two note 1 5 diad chord, i think, correct me if Im wrong. Oh, some of those chords up there i showed don't have to have your thumb on the back of the neck, just so you know if you struggle doing that. And another thing, make sure your fingers on your left hand are right up to the fret to prevent buzzing. Trust me, if you start out playing with good technique, youll soar farther than you ever thought you would. Hope this helps as well. :)

hey when you get the hang of the open F chord, which you should if you want to progess further with the guitar, try a few chord progessions to practice switching in and out of the F chord. Heres some I made up. the slash means another strum of the same chord. Theres a chord diagram at the bottom.

I: F / / / Bb / / / F / / / Bb / C / :I

I: F / / / C / Bb / Am / / / Dm / C / :I

I: F / C / Dm / Am / Bb / F / Bb / C / :I Note: this is the chord progession for pachelbels canon in F

I: C / Am / Bb / Gmin9 / C / Am / Bb / C / F / Dm / F / C Bb :I

I: Gmin9 / / / Bb / / / Am / F / :I

e-1-1-0-0-1--1------------------------------------
b-1-3-1-1-3--1-----------------------------------
g-2-3-0-2-2--2----------------------------------
d-3-3-2-2-0--3-----------------------------------
a---1-3-0----1-----------------------------------
E-------------3-----------------------------------
Chords: F, Bb, C, Am, Dm, Gmin9. Note: the gmin9 is an example of variations in your chords that can enhance your sound and make it cooler, jazzy you could call it.

Edit: The note on the A string in the Gmin9 chord is optional. To you, it may sound a bit muddy. you can also make the chord a Gmin11, which might sound better to you. throw out the A string and the high E string and youve got a Gmin11. OH, and make the 2nd fret note (A) on the G string a 3rd fret note.

Edit 2: Just for fun, you should make your own progessions up to help you with the F chord even more. Use the F, Gm (or Gmin11 :D its up to u), Am, Bb (or Bbmaj7, just fret the G string on the 2nd fret and the B string on the 3rd fret and the rest is from the normal Bb chord.), C (Or C7, put your pinky on the third fret of the G string with the C chord), Dm (or Dmin7, 5th fret on the a string, 3rd fret on D string, 5th fret on G string, and 3rd fret on B string, or (you guessed it) Dmin11. This a hard shape. 5th fret on the A string, skip the D string, 5th fret on the G string, 6th fret on the B string, and 3rd fret on the high E.), and the last chord is the Edim, probably the ugliest sounding chord ever. Use it if you want, but a substitute is Fmaj7 or Em. Heres Edim for beginners: 4th fret on the A, 5th fret on the D, 3rd fret on the G, 2nd fret on the B, and open on the E. These shapes may seem hard, but get them down. When you learn more music theory, you will be able to make shapes out of these chords that may be more comfortable for you. Don't stop practicing something because its too hard. That keeps you at one level. Go above and beyond. Trust me, it works to exceed your own expectations of yourself. Have fun and rock on! Get Freebird nailed its a great song! :D


Have fun with this and nail that F chord! :)