Need a lil' help...well alot, but you get the idea.

Hey Everyone.
I'm just new to playing, having started just over a month ago, and am really enjoying learning. But, I get frustrated by the difficulty in which I have picking up certain chords. Mainly B and F major. The other main chords I'm slowly getting comfortable moving around them, but those two are causing me massive headaches.
So, my question is, to anyone taking the time to read this, please pass on a little help, hint or advice to allow me to play these troublesome chords a little easier.
Thx
M

Hi and welcome to GT! Stick around, I am sure that some of the resident experts will gladly provide you with some solid advice. The F and the B are tough to get at first but with a little practice, they will become second nature before you know it. Again, welcome! :)

Hello Memlocke,

when I find myself struggling to play something I always break it down in more managable parts.

Let's take the B for exemple. I would start by concentrating on the index finger to make sure every string sounds correctly.

The first exercise I would do is to alternate from the open strings to the barred index position.



Exercise

--0--2--0--2--
--0--2--0--2--
--0--2--0--2--
--0--2--0--2--
--0--2--0--2--
--------------



Once I can make the switch easily, I would concentrate on adding ONE finger.



--0--2--2--0--2--2--
--0--2--2--0--2--2--
--0--2--2--0--2--2--
--0--2--4--0--2--4--
--0--2--2--0--2--2--
--------------------



And move on like that until I get the full chord correctly. Once I can switch to the open strings to the barred index and to the full chord, I would drop the second step (barred index finger) and just practice switching from open strings to playing the full B chord.

This is a very long approach to learning but I assure you the chord will stick forever in you mind and you'll be able to recall it whenever you want

I suggest you look at Lisa's tutorial on switching between chords, this will probably be your next challenge.

http://guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=484
http://guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=463

If you want to learn more on my approach of breaking down exercises to learn them, I made a tutorial showing how I do it. It's aimed at lead guitar but the principle can be applied to anything else.

http://guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=498

I hope this helps you out.

Let us know if you need more help.

Thanx for the welcome and advice from both of you.
Benoit, the drill was excellent. Already I find it easier to play the chord. The barring of my index finger is a great way to start.
Again, thank you for the help!
M

Great!

Glad to see things are getting easier.