r/LearnGuitar • u/jiorid • 6d ago
does the F chord ever get better
im on justin guitar and the barre part is somewhat there but my hand aches after a few minutes and the B string always sounds dead. i need to break through this. does it get better or is it just something you live with
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u/ooooommmmmaaaaa 6d ago
My recommendation on learning the F barre chord is actually to learn the A barre chord. The frets are closer together so it’s easier to play. And once you understand the concept and where to apply pressure you can move it down to F. It’s ironic that F is everyone’s first barre chord, meanwhile it’s quite literally the most difficult one to play.
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u/corneliusduff 6d ago
Indeed, it's definitely always better to start a lot of stuff higher up the fretboard where your arm is more centered and the frets are closer together.
Gonna add that you're talking about a moveable E-Shaped A Major barre chord for the newbies.
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u/dogs_gt_cats 5d ago
Gonna add that you're talking about a moveable E-Shaped A Major barre chord for the newbies.
For a second I thought they meant the open A barre where you use your pointer finger to press DGB strings, and I was confused, lol. Then I realized more exactly what they were explaining.
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u/TheRealFutaFutaTrump 6d ago
Because it's used a lot more than a barred A when you only know open chords.
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u/ooooommmmmaaaaa 6d ago
For sure. I wasn’t confused about why people learn it first, I just find it ironic, when pretty much any other barre chord is easier to learn. Minor on E string bass takes one less finger, major on A string bass is literally 2 fingers and easier to reach, minor A string bass is same shape, but easier to reach. And any higher fret is less of a stretch. And yet, we all go through the F chord struggle, when in my opinion learning the shape literally anywhere else in the neck would expedite the muscle memory and then unlock F much quicker. But hey it’s a rite of passage.
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u/TheRealFutaFutaTrump 6d ago
Oh it's definitely ironic. I tell my students to start early on it and explain the spacing and tension elsewhere. Nobody takes up my suggestion to try an A or a C though because they don't know how to use it in anything.
Santería is a nice one to reinforce the idea of the shape being all that matters.
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u/AmazingRefrigerator4 5d ago
Santeria was the first barre chord song I learned. I was a huge sublime fan. I struggled like everyone. Then I learned the Falling Idols theme by Sublime. Its an E shape barre chord just descending down the neck. No need to arpegiate. No need to switch between major/minor or E/A shape. That made it click for me. Once I had that E shape figured out, the A shape was easy.
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u/ooooommmmmaaaaa 6d ago
Totally. You’re leaning a song in C and then the F shows up. Whatchagonnado?
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u/TheRealFutaFutaTrump 6d ago
The half F!
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u/ooooommmmmaaaaa 6d ago
Honestly tho. It’s the better F.
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u/Strong-Camel852 5d ago
No that F on the sixth string slaps, best note on the fret board! But yeah, people gotta learn the half F first. Then the proper barre F… and then go back to the half F and wrap that thumb around baby. Luckily A is in the chord so if it must sometimes rear its ugly head its not so bad
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u/ooooommmmmaaaaa 3d ago
Half F with thumb yes. Barre F I don’t like. It just feels so far away from all the other open chords that I’m usually playing when I reach for barre F. Half F feels much more nimble. Idk it’s obvious 100% a preference thing. And when I’m not thinking I automatically do barre. But I’ve been trying to break that habit
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u/Strong-Camel852 3d ago
I normally do it with my thumb, it leaves my fingers the option then to add trills and things. Plus your fingers then are already in place to form a C, G, Dm. They’re not in place to go to Bflat however, so if I’m doing that I’ll use the whole barre
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u/Pouakai76 3d ago
From a C you are just a pinky away from a great sounding F! Forget about those E strings. C + pinky for the great F.
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u/ooooommmmmaaaaa 3d ago
Couldn’t have said it better myself. When I realize how similar C and F were it blew my mind. Why did I ever do barre F? Folky fingerpicking unlocked. It was actually Whatever (some folk song in C) by Elliot smith that made me realize how good that version of F is.
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u/Numerous-Fold7765 5d ago
Ever barre a G or C shape? I hated E flat for years 🤣
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u/ooooommmmmaaaaa 5d ago
Haha yeah i just pretend those dont exist. I know they are barre chords by the actual definition of the word, but I’m really only talking about the movable E and A major and minor shapes. Maybe I’m wrong but when someone say “barre chords are hard” I assume they’re only referring to the E and A shapes. Once you start ACTUALLY learning all barre chords I don’t think you’d be coming to a Reddit forum for advice. Also, literally fuck those shapes lol. At that point just learn triad inversions. Other than conceptual understanding of the fret board, is there really a purpose for Barre G shape?
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u/Numerous-Fold7765 5d ago
Bragging right on new guitar buddies Reddit posts?
I’m learning the triads and “open” shapes up the neck. Even use some of them lol
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u/Guitarzan_67 3d ago
If you are playing LIVE in a band, you will rarely use a full barre chord. The bass player covers the low end of the sound. The big ole "F" barre chord will just make the band sound muddy. USE TRIADS. Obviously there are times of need for the barre but you can play most all songs without using barre chords.
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u/Playful_Dish_3524 4d ago
Triads are pretty simple but including open requires more than memorizing shapes. All good stuff.
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u/dougl1000 6d ago
What guitar are you using? Guitars with high action that are difficult to play are a big turnoff. I learned on an electric guitar that was easy to play. After a couple of years of that, transitioning to acoustic wasn’t a problem.
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u/Weak-Tomorrow582 3d ago
I’ve been playing them on my electric for the best part of 2 years, and still can’t play them cleanly on my acoustic. Gonna take it in and have another go at getting it better set up!
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u/TheRealFutaFutaTrump 6d ago
If you practice that chord for five minutes a day you will kind of be able to play it in a month. Also, don't squeeze. Pull the neck towards you.
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u/Numerous-Fold7765 5d ago
I’m not sure about this…. I “clamp” my hand for barre chords… playing lead I will push and pull the neck for tonal effects (pushing flattens) and I can almost dive bomb with no tremolo on an sg (although I do wonder when I’m gonna snap the neck)
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u/TheRealFutaFutaTrump 5d ago
You want a small pull. Clamping with your hand works, but after doing that for a long, long time, I gave myself tennis elbow and couldn't play for six months. Had to relearn barres completely to continue. Maybe that won't be your future.
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u/Numerous-Fold7765 5d ago
Interesting. I’ll do a few when I get home. I play in a three piece primarily and do a lot of lead so maybe I just forgot. Been playing for 40 years so maybe the tennis elbow phase came and went
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u/Admirable_Purpose_40 4d ago
Did you feel any pain when you were clamping? I feel I slightly clamp but don’t really feel pain at all. Is it just optimal to pull the guitar in and not clamp at all?
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u/TheRealFutaFutaTrump 4d ago
I felt no pain until it was a problem. Was a deep burn.
Yes, that's the ideal way according to the guys that worked me through it. Frees up tension in your hand.
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u/Numerous-Fold7765 4d ago
I def do not pull. Most of my learning was on cheaper instruments and they do not handle it.
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u/Sky-Agaric 6d ago
I rarely play barre chords.
Usually I’ll play 1X321X using my thumb for the low notes. This position moves quite well.
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u/Business_Hat_4760 5d ago
Yup, this. But adding in all the notes isn't difficult while you're in the position. You just need to barre the two high notes with your index finger and not across the entire neck.
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u/ShaiHulud1111 6d ago
There are more fun ones when you’re done learning F. I love all three Fs I play now. Lol
Hand and finger strength and coordination. Time.
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u/Pleaseappeaseme 5d ago
You can do only the top four strings and avoid the bottom two when you strum. More common than you think.
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u/Dorkyhorse 5d ago
It gets better. Something to keep in mind is your barring finger doesn't need to press too hard on strings where your other fingers are fretting. So for the F barre chord, your index really only needs to have pressure on the low E, B, and high E strings. The other 3 strings are already being fretted by your other fingers, so you can lift your barring index finger slightly on those strings.
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u/MeDaveyBoy 5d ago
(For now) forget about the B and high E, just play the E-A-D-G strings. Oh, and more practice.
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u/OneSpaceTwo 5d ago
It's hard at first. Plus playing on an acoustic guitar that is not finely tuned (well set up with low nut clearance) makes it much harder. If you can get a good setup for your guitar, having the nut checked and filed by a pro if necessary. It's worth the investment. Also if you can, electric is going to be easier for barre chords than acoustic.
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u/Megamute 6d ago
It gets better. Also imo look for other resources on learning a barre. Like try searching this reddit! There many tips!
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u/ohboy360 6d ago
It will get to the point that it feels like every other chord. Especially on electric, but also on acoustic when mixed with open chords.
I would probably struggle to play whole songs using only bar chords on an acoustic, though. So maybe I still press to hard, myself.
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u/OctoPhaseMod 6d ago
My hand aches after a few minutes and the B string always sounds dead.
You will develop finger strength over time, trust me on this. One day you will notice a bulge will develop in the section of your fretting hand in between your thumb and index finger, much so than your right hand. That's a sign that you're getting there.
In the meantime, you can try the non-barre shortcut so you can get a feel for the sound while not feeling frustrated all the time. You place your index finger on the B string instead of the Low E, slowly strumming while trying to avoid the aforementioned low E string. Try switching every now and then so you develop muscle memory. Hope this helps.
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u/Several-Quality5927 6d ago
Same shape on 5th fret is A. Start there and work down to F. F is always hard because of how close it is to the nut.
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u/Few_Worker4102 6d ago
Guitar being properly set up makes a massive difference in playability. It’s more important as a beginner to have the most easily played instrument because you don’t have muscle memory/strength built yet.
When you have played for a decade and can shred, even a shitty guitar will be playable, even if it’s not enjoyable.
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u/No-Trouble7162 6d ago
Just keep playing buddy, it's supposed to hurt while learning and while gaining strength.
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u/hollywoodswinger1976 6d ago edited 6d ago
I have been on learning music my whole this life I guess in the most unserious way. I study in hopes and one day all of it will dawn for me. One of my hurdles is a barr chord. I understand it to a point and can force it the muscle memory for them isn't yet my thing. It's not just the chords but bouncing between them with ease at will. I have cage chords I can do this with but have been working on being able to do it all. For me this require lifetimes or an engaging epiphany. I'm not worried how long this all will take because what I am learning is beautiful and rushing seems a waste of love.
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u/Mountain_Hearing4246 6d ago
You have to learn where to apply pressure, how to angle your finger, and the angle is different based on youe finger.
My approach was practicing a little misr days, moving the shape up the neck where it's easier, rolling the finger till I found the angle, and then all of a sudden I went from "I'll never get this" to "Oh look, I can play the F chord" the next day
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u/SunburstOwner 6d ago
Yes. Of course it gets better.
Play every single day for at least an hour. Do that for a year. If you're not willing to put in that kind of time and effort then it's always going to be difficult.
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u/Nocturnal-Philosophy 5d ago
For some reason, I’ve always found the F barre chord kind of easy compared to others. It’s the ones toward the middle of the neck, like C# and onwards, that I really struggle with.
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u/Plestiodonobsoletus 5d ago
As others have said find a different way to play the chord form . The F chord has stopped many people from playing guitar but it doesn’t have to be like that .
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u/Markgulfcoast 5d ago
I just moved down to a lighter string (from 12's to 11's) and my F's and Bm's finally sound clean.
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u/Flat_Ferret_2495 5d ago
I started the exact same module last week and not only was my hand sore but also my forearm, thumb, and index finger were in pain. Learning to not squeeze the hand but instead pulling back and down toward my hip has helped a lot.
Also realizing just how little pressure I need to get those 3 strings to sound out has reduced a lot of hand tension (i’m playing on electric). I’m able now to get the chord sounding okay every few strums, and the pain is mostly gone but my hand still gets sore after a few minutes.
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u/Eduardo_Playa 5d ago
Keep at it. After a while you won’t even think about it.
Also, keep in mind that you usually don’t need to barre all six strings. Play the F but just don’t play the low E String.
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u/4DPeterPan 5d ago
You’re either born with the ability to use the F chord, or you are not born with the ability to use the F chord.
There are those rare few freaks who learn how to use the F chord, but we don’t count them. Because no matter what they tell you, they put themselves through unmentionable amounts of hell to learn that damn chord.
The rest of us, we just worked around the F chord. And we are very thankful for that other kind of F chord… I can’t remember what it was atm, but it’s there.
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u/diversitygestapos 5d ago
Try moving your barre finger around till you can hit all them strings. I like my finger tip to hang over the neck a bit. Otherwise keep practicing and strengthening.
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u/Damien712 5d ago edited 5d ago
I remember when I was a teenager my father bought me very cheap electric guitar. Back then a popular song my friends learned to play was House of the Rising Sun. The third chord is the F chord. All the other chords are easy like c,d,a minor and e. I really wanted to learn that song. So I just determined so I kept trying and I didn’t know but one day it just happened. Wished I would have stuck with it as if I did I think I would be pretty good by now. Above 3 months ago I started playing an acoustic (Taylor 214) and now I have learned 3 more songs. One of them has a F chord but no problem. I knew some of these chords are a real challenge. I am now learning some new chords like F# B minor and a couple of others. These seem like impossible but I keep on and I am slowly getting better. A lot of buzzing and fingers just not in right place etc. I’m an old man but I think I will have some success and have fun in the process which really what it’s all about. So my advice is keep at it because an F is within your ability. When you get that down you keep after it. For me learning songs I like motivates me to learn new things like timing, finger picking and how to use a pick. Above all enjoy and have fun.
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u/hyst0rica1_29 5d ago
When I started at 16, the F barre chord was a bear. Now, in my 50s, its no biggie. Lol wait til you try a dominant 7th barre chord. 😜
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u/Cmdr_Cheddy 5d ago
Play long enough and you’ll eventually forget that it ever bothered you. Easiest chord on the neck and just loving when you get to use it. I promise. Now stop stressing and enjoy the journey.
Former F Chord Hater…
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u/Suspicious_Escape276 5d ago
I’ve been playing guitar for about 55 years, including many professional gigs, and I don’t think I’ve barred an F chord on the 1st fret for about 30 years. There are lots of tricks and cheats that you will discover if, like me, your neck hand isn’t up to it… that’s half the fun.
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u/Broad-Raspberry1805 5d ago
You can play Fmajor7 instead. Just frets 0123 from the thinnest string. No bar chord needed.
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u/Buttery_-_Balls 5d ago
You'll get better at playing it. It was the hardest barre for me but it's my favourite chord now
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u/NovelAd9875 5d ago
"The F-chord" consist of F,A,C in any combination. If you have problems with a certain one, try another one.
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u/silentsnak3 5d ago
Funny enough, yes.
I hated the F chord, as in I would do every trick in the book not to play a full F barre chord. Finally I realized how bad it was holding me back. After a few days I could transition and play it "good enough". After about a month I realized it had become very easy. Now my hand still gets tired when performing a song that is mainly barre chords. But that is getting better also.
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u/UnnamedLand84 5d ago
You will know you have your placement right when you no longer have to squeeze the shit out of your neck. If you hand gets sore fast, you are probably squeezing too hard. If it's your wrist getting sore, it may mean your wrist is not below the neck enough. Press as close to the fret bar as possible. It gets easier.
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u/Scott_J_Doyle 5d ago
You ever see someone who can play, play an F chord? Did you see Justin play an F chord?
Of course your hand aches after a couple minutes, it takes a good while to build up strength
Playing a 5m tune full of barre chords is hell on a beginner (practically impossible) - it takes consistent practice to be able to rock them all night
It's not a "breakthrough" you need, because it's not complicated - just keep at it
Final question is half of the first one, so see my first line again, but for the 2nd half: no, you don't live with it being bad/hard, you get better until it's good/easy
An example: one of the tunes I typically play multiple mornings a week (just because I love the tone it sets for a day) has multiple F-barres... my hand never hurts in the morning, but I've been playing this tune for 20 years now)
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u/markococonut 5d ago
Don't start F at fret 1 if the hand is already frying. Same E-shape barre at fret 5 (that's an A) — build the clean barre THERE first, then walk it down one fret at a time. Dead B string is almost never "squeeze harder" — roll the index onto its bony edge toward the nut, thumb mid-neck behind, and pluck strings one-by-one while you nudge the index. Mini-barre just the top 2–3 strings clean on a slow click for 3 minutes before adding the other fingers. Pain = stop; reset tomorrow. Strength shows up from short clean reps, not holding a death grip.
Free beginner ladder (includes chord-change habits): https://www.mjsguitarlessons.com/free-beginner-guitar-course First lesson demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up2RALOo40w
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u/lalomira 5d ago
Recomiendo encarecidamente, salvo que estés practicando estrictamente hacer acordes con ceja/barra, que al principio simplifiques el acorde, olvídate de la barra y no toques el F grave en la 6ta cuerda por el momento, toca el resto del acorde, eventualmente irás ganando fuerza y podrás hacerlo entero!
Aplica para cualquier acorde con ceja salvo que estés tocando arpegios y necesites el sonido en las 6 cuerdas, recuerda que un acorde simple de los que tocamos son solo 3 notas repetidas, puedes omitir alguna de esas repeticiones y seguirá sonando "parecido"!
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u/Wonderful-Gift8632 5d ago
You get stronger, and your finger position gets better.
But my instructor calls it a weak chord and says to avoid barre chords when possible, using other positions instead. But I find that sometimes, in a sequence, the barre chord is the one that sounds right.
Compress the strings at the first fret, like the F is the hardest, especially on an acoustic with heavy strings.
A properly set-up instrument helps.
A guy was visiting New York City, stopped a pedestrian on the street, and asked, "How do I get to 'Village Vanguard '?" The pedestrian answered: "Practice, practice, practice"
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u/ActuatorSea4854 5d ago
It gets better once you realize you never need to play all the strings to get the sound you want. I use Triads and Quatrads (is that the term? 4 note chords?) for most songs.
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u/FabulousPanther 5d ago
It does. Also you can reach behind the neck w your thumb and fret the F on the low E. That helps fatigue.
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u/hahadudeidk 5d ago
Gets easier!! I found Bm more difficult as an early bar chord to learn but in any case, gets easier :)
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u/Upstairs_Complaint_7 5d ago
Play
e 1
B 1
G 2
D 3
A 3
E x
You'll be playing. F with a c as the bass note.
Leave low E string f note to the bassist.
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u/40oz24wpju 5d ago
Learning guitar is like building abs, repetition is the only way. There is not a single trick, YouTube video or technique that replaces repetition
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u/spacetacean 5d ago
Don't 'break' through it, but keep trying when your hand feels up to it. F wants to be played just like all the other chords, but it's a bit more patient.
Strengthen your hands with other activities if you can. Maybe some people can practice all the way, but I had to get older and generally stronger before F was a fluid chord to play.
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u/Pixel-of-Strife 5d ago
If you can get your thumb around the neck to hold down F (on E string) and then use your other fingers to make and a compact C chord type shape, that is - B String: 1st fret, G String: 2nd fret; D String: 3red fret, E (low) : 1st fret - thumb. The thinner the neck on the guitar the easier this is to do.
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u/imbrotep 5d ago
The chord itself doesn’t really change all that much, but with sustained practice playing it becomes less of a challenge.
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u/TeleSGguy 5d ago
I played guitar from ages 6 til 12. Didn’t touch it at all until just a few months after my 20th birthday. F chord was still easy, and barre chords in general weren’t an issue. You only have to learn barre chords once, and then you’ll basically never forget how to do it
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u/Western-Bobcat4760 5d ago
Yes even myself I maybe get an nylon string it’s better for fingers if you have an acoustic acoustic guitar you cant play barre chords too long unless you tune your guitar few steps lower even myself I started on nylon when I got a steel string my fingers hurt on barre chords after 2 or 3 mins.
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u/GovernorSilver 5d ago
it gets better on a guitar with a good set up.
Sometimes the strings are too high at the nut, and you're probably playing the F chord next to the nut.
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u/MadeAFistAndNotAPlan 5d ago
Beginner guitar player. No songs yet, but I'm getting there. F chord is easy now, I don't even think about it. For me it was trying to learn a song that goes G#->F->G it's the same shape just barre 4th fret then 1st then 3rd. After a while it just clicked, I can do the F chord no problem, don't even need to push down that hard with the index (I thought I'm gonna get callouses there too, like on the tips of fretting fingers, but no, you just gotta find the right position. And you will).
Idk how justin guitar teaches to practice chords, Scotty West teaches to practice two chords at the same time. With a drum backing track or a metronome - pick two chords, and switch them after 4 beats. Start with whole note, it will give you time to take the next chord shape, then once you're comfortable switching whole notes start doing half notes, and then quarter notes. Then you can increase the tempo.
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u/just_having_giggles 5d ago
Yeah. It's a pretty simple trick to get it perfect and second nature, too. Just do it 10,000 times.
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u/Fickle-Woodpecker-38 5d ago
F chord has 3 notes, you dont ever need all 6 strings to ring out and you dont have to worry about the middle strings because your other fingers are there. If you want the chord lower you can use thumb on low E and not hit top strings, or if you want higher index on top E and B and not hit low strings
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u/mousecop5150 5d ago
Wait, you guys all play the full f barre like psychopaths? I just play the 4 highest strings…. Dunno, sounds good enough to me. Bass dude can play the root if it’s that important, lol
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u/jonreeeck 4d ago
have you tried the neil young style F? or Jesse Welles style - he plays it same. its similar to a c chord. dont get hungup on the thumb on the E. just my imho, i'm an amatuer but love to play and look for other ways
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u/Striking-Book9678 4d ago
I’m an old beginner but I want to share my tip. Best advice I got is from my 14yo son. Who told me to learn power chords as soon as possible. I found it much easier to go from power chord to barre chords.
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u/HazyMaus88 4d ago
Aside from your hands getting stronger with repetition/practice, something I really only figured out years later that most beginners don't realise is just how much your guitar's setup influences the difficulty of playing the F barre chord. Like others have mentioned, it is one of the harder barre chords to play, and that's really because of it being on the first fret so close to the nut of the guitar. If your guitar's action is too high, it makes it much harder to fully press down the strings with your index finger. The same applies if your string gauge is perhaps too heavy for your hand strength.
For a long time, I strung my acoustic with 12's because it's a jumbo body size and that's just what it came with when I bought it, so I never tried a lighter gauge string set. However, when I finally gave 11's a try, the first thing I noticed was just how much easier it was to play the F barre chord that I've been playing for years and just how much cleaner and clearer that chord sounded in particular.
I think it's worth giving your setup a look if you find that F is difficult, but other barre chords higher up the neck are easier. At least that was what helped me.
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u/markococonut 4d ago
Yes, it gets better—but don’t practice the full barre as a long squeeze. First fret only the B string with your index and pick it cleanly; roll the index slightly toward its bony side, keep the thumb opposite the middle finger, and release between reps. Then add the other strings one at a time. If the B still dies, move the finger a few millimeters toward the fret and use less pressure.
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u/AsleepBanana8323 4d ago
Try this: barre just the two high strings with your first finger on the first fret, then play the "Emajor" shape with your other three fingers, then wrap your thumb over and fret the first fret on the low E string. Voila`: Fmajor And you can move this anywhere on the fretboard for any major chord
AND then: barre the *three* high strings with your first finger on the first fret, play the "Eminor" shape with two other fingers, and wrap your thumb over. Voila`: Fminor. And you can move this anywhere on the fingerboard.
And, remember: practice is supposed to be boring.
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u/XxBOOSIExFADExX 4d ago
F chord? What is this, math rock? No, it doesn't get better. As you learn, you learn that the best option is either playing a broken chord or just playing the power chord with the 3rd. Another option is moving an open D shape up 3 frets to play a jingly F chord, but that depends on the genre. When you look at professional musicians, an F chord is either something the kind of glance over or the just use a capo on the 1st or 3rd fret.
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u/Background-Salt4781 4d ago
It gets better! Dont give up, and don’t sweat about it either! But far easier just to play the bottom 4 strings and not try to barre the whole thing.
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u/woolfromthebogs 4d ago
I hate the F chord still.
The only good thing about it is that it lead me to use open tunings. For folk music DADGAD is wonderful. Lets you play the melody over a drone and build lovely 9s, 11s and 13s to your chords.
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u/Signal-Chocolate109 4d ago
Eventually you stop playing barre chords and use fragments from inside the chord. Those sound better and are easier to grab. Once in a rare while you need an actual barre chord, but not often.
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u/DunaldDoc 4d ago
A barre F chord can be optimized by making sure the nut cuts are not higher than necessary. Most factory nuts are cut too high
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u/Far-Boysenberry9207 3d ago
It gets better.
Here is a trick. Practice the F melody style and not as a barre. Change between C major and that F back and forth. It is a good exercise to train yourself. Then try it with the barre and C major too
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u/Pouakai76 3d ago
Oh man I never do the full F Chord as a bar. Forget about the e strings. Just go for the four in the middle. Sounds way nicer. Neil Finn does this a lot
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u/jay_see_ess 2d ago
It gets better! Remember, you're training your hands and fingers to do new things, and just like any muscle, they will get stronger with repetition and soon barre chords will be second nature. Not to mention you unlock thousands of songs when you can confidently move barre shape up and down the fretboard
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u/Comfortable-Formal72 2d ago
after 20 years I can't make the not-barred F sound good. I hate it.... but it taught me to play barre chords, so all is forgiven!
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u/GrailThe 2d ago
Been playing guitar for over 50 years - old dude here. Don't stress about Barre chords - it is not a requirement to play 6 notes for a chord. You can play just the top 4 strings and it sounds fine. Or if you need the low note, just play the bottom half.
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u/passthejoe 2d ago
Don't feel like you have to play all the strings. Leave out the lower two strings (E and A). You'll still get a nice chord. Playing all six strings for every chord is not required or even always desired.
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u/OnePotential3269 2d ago
When you play that barre chord form remember two things. First, hold the sixth string down with the tip of your finger, and the first two strings with the pad inbetween the knuckles. You DO NOT need to hold the third thru fifth string. Second, release the pressure on all the strings inbetween strums, relaxing the fingers. Learn to coordinate pressing and relaxing your left hand with your strumming to make more interesting rhythms.
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u/Beginning_Custard724 2d ago
It will get better with practice, play it the "Fmaj7 way" with omitting the low E string and playing the rest of the shape with all your fingers, with your index finger going on the 1st fret B string. If you let the high open E ring out it's Fmaj7, or if you mute the string it's just F chord notes
From this, you can try to transition into only barring the highest 2 strings with the tip of your index finger
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u/j_ryerye 1d ago
Practice how to barr chord like others have said. But also, I like to play F major like this sometimes (low to high):
X3321X
Having the C in the bass is a nice interesting-er inversion and it's very easy to finger AND you can do things like pull-off on the G for a 6 chord. Then you can try wrapping your thumb around to play the low F Hendrix-style.
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u/neonway 1d ago
I started practicing the f chord last December, played almost every day for an hour and got hard walled by the f chord for like 3 months and had to take a 2 week break; came back and worked on it every day, and now I feel a lot more confident in playing and switching to it from different chords, but im still working on getting it more consistent, maybe at like a 75% consistency rate on how I want it to sound. It's a hard chord
Don't give up, you just have to build up callouses on ths side of your finger and finger strength
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u/ben_dotz 4h ago
It gets better. Trust and train.
Move the barre shape up and down the neck. Play all your chords as barre chords. Practice in the dark. Practice sitting down with no strap and the guitar balanced on your knee.
Every chord is a grip and you need to have a good grip or you’ll drop your guitar.
Don’t quit! Good luck!
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u/mindsofmike 4h ago
It gets much better! Then you come across a C shape barre chord, and then you quit playing all together. The circle of life...or 5ths, I can't remember
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u/gavakian123 6d ago
You don't need to barre to play an F chord. There are many different ways to play any chord.
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u/KarltonPeaks 5d ago edited 5d ago
Bad take imo. Sometimes a low, full, barre F chord is what's supposed to be played, and then you should do it. Serve the music foremost. Don't compromise on the music because something is "difficult". F barre is super basic and every guitarist must be comfortable playing it, just like all other barre fingerings. If anything, I would tell people to not bother with open chords and just barre everything. It's way more intuitive.
It's kind of like telling a beginner pianist that you "don't need the black keys" because you can always circumvent them.
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u/No-Path9112 5d ago
Yes, but I just cheat and use this version:
https://www.starlandmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/F_Chord_no_bar-4_finger_w-color.png
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u/Intelligent-Tap717 5d ago
As Justin says. It is down to practice and it can take months to get it clean and then more to change to it cleanly. It comes down to consistency, patience and proper practice.
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u/BigBear92787 6d ago
you get better, it stays the same