Why is F the dreaded chord instead of Bb?

[drathbun]

I agree that the F is the most difficult chord for most beginners and many people replying here are correct about the setup on starter guitars being poor and therefore very stiff in the 1st position.

However, there is a technique issue that beginners often get wrong or is never taught. And that is using the wrong part of your index finger to do the barre.

I like to use this method to illustrate:

1. Extend the index finger of your fretting hand straight out with your palm facing down.

2. With your other hand, push down on the tip of your fretting hand index finger (the top of the nail) and try to keep your finger from bending. TOUGH HUH? The finger bends naturally in that orientation.

3. Turn your fretting hand and extended index finger 90 degrees so your palm is facing sideways and you are pointing your hand and finger like a gun.

4. With your other hand, push down on the tip of your index finger. Ah ha! Your finger doesn't bend in that direction, does it?

Now, remember that when you are fretting the barre chord. If you use the soft pad on the underside of your finger, it bends and curls and you need incredible squeezing strength to get all the strings fretted properly.

So instead, rotate your index finger so the SIDE of your index finger rolls back towards the nut. The best way to do this is to move your fretting hand elbow in towards the side of your body which moves your wrist and drops your shoulder slightly.

I guarantee you, that you will be fretting that F chord a LOT more easily.

[Mystery123]

Originally Posted by drathbun

...Now, remember that when you are fretting the barre chord. If you use the soft pad on the underside of your finger, it bends and curls and you need incredible squeezing strength to get all the strings fretted properly.

So instead, rotate your index finger so the SIDE of your index finger rolls back towards the nut. The best way to do this is to move your fretting hand elbow in towards the side of your body which moves your wrist and drops your shoulder slightly.

I guarantee you, that you will be fretting that F chord a LOT more easily.

No can do.
My index finger is curved away from thumb towards middle finger so pressing from the side is not doable as the top half is arched like a bow away from fretboard.

[Nailpicker]

Well, this post will probably get censored/deleted, but I'll quote my first guitar teacher whenever I'd complained about a particular chord, or perhaps a composition/composer I didn't like. He'd say, "I'm like Jesus. I love 'em all."
Then he'd say, "let's try it again." That man had the patience of a saint. He had to to deal with me I learned through him to "love 'em all."

[mattbn73]

Learn to play a couple of easy two or three chord songs using only barre chords. Use the transpose button on some of these online sources for charts and do it in other keys as well. Learning new chords in other keys or new barre chords or whatever takes forever if you do it one chord at a time as they pop up in new songs. Everything's easier, the more you practice it in a focused way. Balance of course.

[mattbn73]

By the way, to answer the original question posed of " why F ?" , I'll throw out my speculation:

F is the most difficult to play chord which is found as a DIATONIC major chord in an "open key" on the guitar. You have to be able to play it in order to play basic 3-chord songs in the key of C. C is the last open key in the cycle though, and the next key would be F, which basically isn't really an open key. The key of F has F and Bb chords required to play it, which are basically barre chord variations of open E chords (E and A).

Learning to play the A-form barre for a B-flat is good next level kind of work on the guitar. Good for learning to play non-diatonic chords in open keys or simply learning to play barre chords generally , but again , I'd consider it mostly "next level" from basic, beginner strumming. Ernie Ball book 2. :-)

By the way, that's a pretty good approach for learning barre chords in my opinion . Good old book for it.

[1neeto]

Originally Posted by mattbn73

Learn to play a couple of easy two or three chord songs using only barre chords. Use the transpose button on some of these online sources for charts and do it in other keys as well. Learning new chords in other keys or new barre chords or whatever takes forever if you do it one chord at a time as they pop up in new songs. Everything's easier, the more you practice it in a focused way. Balance of course.

Jane Says (Jane’s addiction) is a good two chord progression from G to A back and forth. It can also introduce you to develop some basic syncopation.

[toadmaster]

I'm with you there my friend. The finger pressure need to barre near the nut is quite high. The lower, without buzzing, the better. Even some high end guitars could be set lower.

[Big Band Guitar]

Learning chords is a lot of hard work in the beginning.

It takes years of practice to play them without thinking about where to put your fingers.

In time you will see the chord symbol and your fingers will automatically go to that chord in the nearest position to where you are.

Patience and work at minimum 1 hour a day 2 is better.

For practice remove your hand completely from the neck after each chord and place your hand flat against your leg or some other flat surface, then form the next chord. Do this for half your practice time every day. In 6 months you will be amazed at what you will be able to do.

Go around the cycle of fifths. Start with C then F then Bb, Eb and so on.

After a year or two you will comfortable with chords and dread no chord.

[macmanmatty]

Originally Posted by mattbn73

By the way, to answer the original question posed of " why F ?" , I'll throw out my speculation:

F is the most difficult to play chord which is found as a DIATONIC major chord in an "open key" on the guitar. You have to be able to play it in order to play basic 3-chord songs in the key of C. C is the last open key in the cycle though, and the next key would be F, which basically isn't really an open key. The key of F has F and Bb chords required to play it, which are basically barre chord variations of open E chords (E and A).

Learning to play the A-form barre for a B-flat is good next level kind of work on the guitar. Good for learning to play non-diatonic chords in open keys or simply learning to play barre chords generally , but again , I'd consider it mostly "next level" from basic, beginner strumming. Ernie Ball book 2. :-)

By the way, that's a pretty good approach for learning barre chords in my opinion . Good old book for it.

isn't E an open key?

[mattbn73]

Originally Posted by macmanmatty

isn't E an open key?

Yes. That's what I was saying.

[Big Band Guitar]

Originally Posted by macmanmatty

isn't E an open key?

I have been playing for over 50 years. I don't know what a open key is.

[1neeto]

Originally Posted by Big Band Guitar

I have been playing for over 50 years. I don't know what a open key is.

Maybe he meant chord? Open key is new to me too. I guess an all-open chord progression?

Originally Posted by macmanmatty

isn't E an open key?

My brain has a booboo right now.

[mattbn73]

Originally Posted by Big Band Guitar

I have been playing for over 50 years. I don't know what a open key is.

Originally Posted by 1neeto

Maybe he meant chord? Open key is new to me too. I guess an all-open chord progression?




My brain has a booboo right now.

Ok. Maybe just my own way of thinking about it. Don't know that I ever heard it from somewhere else.

But the keys of E,A,D,G & C are comprised of mostly open major chords. If you play B7 in the key of E, that's a non-barre chord as well. The outlier for all major chords in these keys in my mind is the F chord in the key of C. It's the only one based on a barre form which is derivative of another open chord (E). For every other key not mentioned above, you're playing more bar chords than not, for major and minor chords.

[Big Band Guitar]

Originally Posted by mattbn73

Ok. Maybe just my own way of thinking about it. Don't know that I ever heard it from somewhere else.

But the keys of E,A,D,G & C are comprised of mostly open major chords. If you play B7 in the key of E, that's a non-barre chord as well. The outlier for all major chords in these keys in my mind is the F chord in the key of C. It's the only one based on a barre form which is derivative of another open chord (E). For every other key not mentioned above, you're playing more bar chords than not, for major and minor chords.

Ok I see your way of thinking. Too much thinking for me, makes my brain hurt. I rarely play open strings so I don't think in those terms anymore.