Originally Posted by: elklanderccSounds like your not arching your fingers enough. That third knuckle should be bent at around a 45 degree angle. Make sure your thumb in planted in the middle of the back of the neck and your finger tips are whats hitting the notes, not the flesh like when you barre chords.

Thanks for all your replies everybody.

The trouble is it hardly curls at all at the 3rd knuckle. Therefore I have to fret notes with my ring finger virtually at right angles to the fretboard. Doing this is creating way too much tension in my left hand - as well as being almost impossible on the high E string. Is this a common problem?