Today something magic happened when I got into position to practice the evil F chord - all the notes rang clear! I can now play it in isolation - not in time with any speed on the met yet, but still I am so excited. The trick for me was Lisa's suggestion of getting the bonier side of the finger on the E and B strings and not the pad. Also, for days I actually talked out loud to my fingers. Index lie flat and at an angle. Ring arch up higher and don't touch the B string. I did this over and over again for days and this morning it rang out on the first try. BTW, next lesson was the B chord which Chris made a much bigger deal about - I got it first try. I guess small fingers have an advantage on the chords with three notes on a single fret. Our fingers fit in the space much easier.