can’t play this F cord

[Roy-Phils]

Hiya, I too have faced this dilemma. I can now do the full F-barred but not at speed/smoothly. For me the breakthrough came after I extended my first finger a good half inch above the fret, but I’m still way too slow at the moment to use it in beginner type songs. So for now I use the Fmaj7 because it is close enough…….but you can get it sounding more like a (hollowed-out) full F if you leave out the high E – ie finger the B string at fret 1, G at 2 and D at 3 (ie Fmaj7), and mute the high E with your first finger – you play all 4 strings.

[Al.E]

Thanks, I appreciate the feed back. I have tried and will keep trying. Its not just the mini F its that shape anywhere.

[Skyman911]

@AI.E, this is one of the challenges with online learning. Don’t get me wrong, this content is great. A personal teacher however can show you subtle ways to hold you fingers to form the chords correctly. Something you can’t really get from videos.

[Al.E]

thanks for the feed back. I have been thinking about getting a few in person lessons.

Have a Grateful Day!

[ProbablyBryan]

Okay, I’m not trying to be a wise guy… two days ago, I tried to play the F-chord that Tony showed us, barring the B&E and fingers on the D&G.

Usually, it was a real clunky chord, but this time — maybe because I started with the F-chord before my fingers were tired… I played the perfect F-chord! Over and over!

The big difference was that my left index finger was *almost* on its left side. It just worked — and the odd thing was that I really wasn’t trying to play the perfect chord; it just happened.

So, I guess we’ll all “get” it when it happens..?

[Skyman911]

Spot on @BryanDean. That’s what I do. I don’t use the pad of my finger per se, but the inside pad of my index finger. Almost sideways. This creates the ability to make the reach with the other fingers and still get a clean sound.

[TerriG]

Hi AI.E,

There are variants that you can try if you can’t get the F Barre/F Mini. Here’s an article that might help you. Give the last three options a try to see if they can make a difference for you. Good luck!

https://lessons.com/guitar-chords/f-chord-guitar

lessons.com

F Guitar Chord | The 6 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts)

Learn the 6 best and easy ways to play the F Guitar Chord with chord charts. F Major is a tricky chord and this free guitar lesson helps you step by step.

[Al.E]

Thanks for the help! I don’t have any issues with a full F barr. I can actually play it with confidence within a song. I will keep trying the Mini F.
I really never though I could play a barr cord then one day it just happened. Most are still slow. but I got them and that’s the Win.

[Roy-Phils]

I’ve got the full F working ok, but not fast enough yet; so I’ve been experimenting with the mini versions. The way I cracked the FULL-F was to extend my first finger a good half inch over the fretboard, way past the 6th string, mainly because my finger is very fleshy until the first joint.

I experimented with Tony’s mini-F and same problem, too fleshy near the finger tip. So here’s what is now working for me, consistently: put down the middle and ring fingers, as arched as possible, and make sure they ring cleanly.

Now place down the index finger on it’s side, as comfortably you can bear, but EXTENDED across to the D-string. This isn’t a problem as you are already fingering the D and G further up the fretboard. Focus on getting all 4 high strings ringing cleanly before you strum.

You will increase the finger arch by easing the base of your thumb as close as possible to the fret body.

Hope this helps.

[Bill_Brown]

Hi @Al.E , you can always play a “triad” in place of a chord. The hic-up is that triads are played on 3 consecutive strings only, so pick accuracy definitely comes into the fold. The nice thing is, you can choose any set of 3 consecutive strings to play a triad and get a different “voicing” of the chord on each set.

So, let’s cut to the chase:

One option is on the hiE, B & G “string set”, you’ll place your middle on the hiE 1st fret, your index on the B 1st fret, and your ring on the G 2nd fret. This is an F triad, 1st inversion. It’s not the easiest to finger, but it’ll require the least amount of pick accuracy (hint: use your ring finger to mute the D string while fretting the G string 2nd fret).

Another option is on the B, G & D string set (my preference), you’ll place your index on the B 1st fret, your middle on the G 2nd fret, and your ring on the D 3rd fret. This is an F triad, root position. It’s easy to finger and gives the best sound (IMHO) for replacing the mini F bar. Use your ring finger to mute the A string while fretting the D string 3rd fret and use your index to mute the hiE string while fretting the B string 1st fret.

There are 2 more options, but I believe these are the best ones for replacing the sound of the mini F bar chord. Hope this helps!

[Bill_Brown]

Hi @Al.E , for some reason TAC is causing me to tag the wrong person

[Rob503]

Wow guys that is great advice. All of your collective knowledge is such a great resource for anyone playing or wanting to play guitar.

Thanks Rob

[Al.E]

Playing the B-G-D muting the e with my pinky is actually how I have been tacking this.

this has been a great help, thanks.

[StringSlinger]

Agreed my fingers do not want to cooperate!

[Al.E]

sucks right! Some days I have control and others not so much.

Have a Grateful Day