F-Shape chords

Hi Dave. [br]I am going through your Yellow Ledbetter tutorial. This is one of my favourites, thanks for recording those videos. [br][br]But I have one struggle with that. So I am mostly acoustic player with couple years of experience, but I was almost never playng those chord shapes:[br][br][br]Are there any lessons that particulary teach those kind of chords with good practice routines that I can use to improve?

Great question and you are welcome!! Glad First off, doing the F chord and adding the thumb over the top of the neck to play the bass root note is not easy, especially on an acoustic guitar. A couple options you could try. are:

1. Try playing it on an acoustic guitar with lower string action and/or a smaller neck.

2. It's way easier on an electric guitar as Pearl Jam and myself do (like in the Guitar Tricks tuturial you are learning from).

I recommend getting your hands on an electric and giving it a shot. It will take some practice and you still might not get it right away, but stick with it and you'll eventually begin to have good results. Jimi Hendrix would often play the 'E form' barre chords using the 'F chord shape and wrapping his thumb over the neck (Little Wing is a great example).

You could also book a 1 on 1 live online lesson with me and I can see and hear what you are doing and give you more direct advice:

https://guitartricks.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?calendarID=1274409&fbclid=IwAR35LuhmQIjAsO_BNLAO351u0GQvGwofQ5T3_92nJZSa7dDNn2hDfTZP5IU

I hope this helps!

Originally Posted by: zychster

Hi Dave. [br]I am going through your Yellow Ledbetter tutorial. This is one of my favourites, thanks for recording those videos. [br][br]But I have one struggle with that. So I am mostly acoustic player with couple years of experience, but I was almost never playng those chord shapes:[br][br][br]Are there any lessons that particulary teach those kind of chords with good practice routines that I can use to improve?

Thanks for your answer. [br]I have electric guitar and two acoustic ones already, not buing another one :-D[br]You are right that this chord is way easier to play on electric.

If I play it on acoustic with thicker strings, the more pressure I need to add on 6th one the harder it is to create ideal 'hammer shaped' fingers on first strings.

[br]For now, I am just practicing it and maybe it will become easier. When I use it in actual song I am just leaving E and A muted, as we don't play it anyway.

I am playing mostly acoustic, because I mostly perform on the go, when I don't want to carry more than absolutely minimum and most of the times I don't have power grid available.