Hey Nick, I think that the advice from Slip and Rich is absolutely right. I've got arthritis and my hands get wrecked if I play lots of barre chords - so I'm always trying to find easier alternatives like they recommend. And it is often possible. Plus recently I was very encouraged to hear the great BB King (my all-time guitar hero) saying 'I'm horrible with chords' in his life-story documentary 'The Life of Riley' (2012). Admittedly he has a great rhythm section to play the chords in his songs, but it just shows that even the best guitarists can have problems like those you're discussing. Good luck with it all, Steve