Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

My hand is big enough that I use a "thumb-over" technique, especially if it is just a quick beat.  My buddy that got me started in this git thing showed me this technique.  He's been at it for over 45 years playing in quite a few good bands.  My thumb goes over the top to get the Low-E string while my index finger takes on the Hi-E and B strings.  The E-shape still slides up the neck as in a full barre.

Keeping It Fun, Dean
'91 Epiphone PR350E
'11 Taylor GC3
'15 Taylor GS Mini/Mahogany

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

Further to my earlier post here is a photo of 11 year old Raquel who has been a student about year playing the dreaded 'F' chord


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7059/6775491738_3bfb3369fa_z.jpg

...... and also 11 year old Joana doing the same. Joana is just progressing to the full barred chord but it is not yet proficient enough for me to say that she can play it yet, but in a week or two I am sure she will have mastered it.


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/6775493496_43f1a9ab18_z.jpg

Both photos taken today

Roger

"Do, or do not; there is no try"

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

Zurf wrote:

F chord is illegal, but B chord is evil.  EVIL!

I agree... The B chord is evil!

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
Albert Einstein

Yamaha - LL36 - Acoustic - Handcrafted

129 (edited by JJ ember 2012-03-06 16:59:50)

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

I don't an issue with the F chord. The way I play it is very close to a C chord. I push down the high E string and your B string down ( first fret) with my index finger and my G string ( second fret) with my middle finger, and Third fret third finger D string. I do however have a passionate hatred for the B chord LOL. But I am sure I'll get it with my dertermination. One of the qualities that get you far LOL.

Without music life would be a journey through a desert.

I Cor 14:15

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

I'm with you guys. F chord has never been a problem, I use all four fingers to play it. But that doggone B chord. I've been playing for 40 some odd years and still the quickest way for me is to Barre it. I shold make it my goal to get it worked out.
Hang in there people, we can get it.
  Joe

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

Thumb over the top...that's the key :-)

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

mekidsmom wrote:

Ha ha ha!  Tommydone... while I agree, a good work around helps!  Try this:
http://www.chordimages.com/ramimages/i4 … 3210_1.png
That's the "F" I use when a song calls for one.  It's close enough for me, for now anyhow.  Someday I'll visit the mutant research facility and get zapped with some of that special serum to allow me to play a real F and get a B7 fretted quickly!

That is a great work around now if you will rolll your hand just a little bit so your first finger can hold down the high E string on the first fret it sounds a bit fuller.

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

Hi All,
Just joined Cordie today and spotted this chat about bar cords. I have been learnining with my tutor for around 8/9 weeks now and have started on bar cords which were a disaster from the start. He said I have to give it time to build up the strenght between my thumb and first finger and wrist too, as that kills after a while. Got to say now I can do an F 60% of the time, also a G (3rd fret) most of the time. So what I'm saying is that with daily practice I'm getting there.  So to anyone out there please stick at it, I can promise you'll crack it in the end.
Oh and love this very informative site.

Steve.

134

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

Welcome to the forums steelystrings.  There are some exercises you can do away from your guitar to build up your finger strength.  I'll press my fingers against my thumb for five seconds at a time, changing to the next finger after each.  I'll go through that cycle ten or twenty times (whatever I have the time for).  It's one of those things that's easy to do when you're driving or walking about.  You can do the same thing, except instead of pressing down as if you are trying to curl your finger down into your palm, start with the finger curled, press it against your thumb, and try to extend it.  Same thing with rotation and five seconds at a time.  This will strengthen your fingers, and though it's not exactly the same motion as making barre chords, it will help.  I do it with both hands.  I find that it helps my endurance on my picking hand and helps with fretting strength on my fretting hand. 

- Zurf

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude

135

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

Good to have you joining us, Steelystrings. I totally agree with what you said. My hands were so twisted and cramped the first time I tried a simple C chord, but practice makes perfect. The best advice I ever got was to not cheat on my F. (But I'm a stanch rule follower smile )

"absolutely epic and really really loud" ~Zurf
                            ^
                      Life right?
Katie tongue

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

Hi all i am new to the site, about 3 weeks, I just went from 2010 to 2012 and read all the post's on the F cord. WOW 2 years and people are still talking about that cord. How intersting it is to read older post's and compare them to the new post. Really have not changed much. It must be a GREAT chord if people are still chating about it. My brother-teacher made me play a G, F,&G over & over while he practiced his finger picking.That was 30 years ago. Really great to hear people still playing the F!
Rick

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

craig23 wrote:

Breakin the law, breakin the law

Love the Priest quote. lol

138

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

auxi wrote:

Good to have you joining us, Steelystrings. I totally agree with what you said. My hands were so twisted and cramped the first time I tried a simple C chord, but practice makes perfect. The best advice I ever got was to not cheat on my F. (But I'm a stanch rule follower smile )

I began as a cheater and gradually worked my way up to a barre F. At first, all I could manage was an F#7. Then I began to try to do an F where you use  your index finger to fret the B and high E. After at least a year, I finally began to try to do a fully barred F. For me, the F seems to be easier to do than a Bm--my nemesis!

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

M.B. wrote:

For me, the F seems to be easier to do than a Bm--my nemesis!

Ignore the barre finger and think of the F as an E played with different fingers. Move those fingers playing the E up one string to the Am position (so you are actually playing Bbm) and practice the change back and forth. You should soon find that the Bbm becomes natural enough to play independantly and you can then move it up the fretboard for the Bm, Cm etc.

Roger

"Do, or do not; there is no try"

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

Man when I was learning my chords F did give me a hard time, first time my friend showed me the major and minor forms with the Emaj standard shape, that was it!  or just play the root 5th. 2 fingers is all it takes all the way up and down the neck.  As for B its a root 5th  (index on A string 2nd fret and 3rd finger on D string 4th fret)  and Bm is the full bar chord)  powerchords are great you all and pretty easy once you can get your head around it.

“Find your own sound.  Dont be a second rateYngwie Malmsteen be a first rate you”

– George Lynch 2013 (Dokken, Lynchmob, KXM, Tooth & Nail etc....)

141

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

Roger Guppy wrote:
M.B. wrote:

For me, the F seems to be easier to do than a Bm--my nemesis!

Ignore the barre finger and think of the F as an E played with different fingers. Move those fingers playing the E up one string to the Am position (so you are actually playing Bbm) and practice the change back and forth. You should soon find that the Bbm becomes natural enough to play independantly and you can then move it up the fretboard for the Bm, Cm etc.

Roger

Thanks for the good advice, Roger; I'm working on that. Now, can you give me an exercise to get separation with my pinkie when doing an E7? My little finger doesn't want to separate from from my ring finger, and my muscles don't seem to work to get it to move away.

Thank!

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

Again I would treat it as a seperate exercise. Play four beats of E then drop the pinky on to make it E7 for 4 beats and repeat over and over. As it gets easier, drop to 2 beats on each and then 1 beat. It will build up strength in the pinky and get it used to dropping in the right place.

Roger

"Do, or do not; there is no try"

143

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

So Roger, is it the case that over time, doing the kind of exercises you describe, I'll be able to not only get greater strength in my pinky, but be able to separate it farther away from my index finger?

144 (edited by beamer 2012-03-27 22:00:12)

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

M.B. wrote:

So Roger, is it the case that over time, doing the kind of exercises you describe, I'll be able to not only get greater strength in my pinky, but be able to separate it farther away from my index finger?

MB,, for spreadability, you can use wadded up paper with masking tape or a raquet or squash ball.  Just incert itbetween your fingers and use the mussel to go back and fourth, and let it sit there and slowly strech your tendons.  oh and check your mail Ill send you a pinkey excercise that will really help in addition to what Rodger has told ya.

edit>>>>
Ok this mailer wont let me do an attachment,  If you would like this and some more, please e-mail me at beamerstrumpet@gmail.com,, Ill send you back some great finger excercises.

“Find your own sound.  Dont be a second rateYngwie Malmsteen be a first rate you”

– George Lynch 2013 (Dokken, Lynchmob, KXM, Tooth & Nail etc....)

145 (edited by beamer 2012-03-27 22:24:30)

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

MB or anyone else for that matter, I just posted up all my basic stuff on FB.  I have taught many people with, an they usually go way beyound my abilitys when we are done.  But look for streches for the fourth finger, in the photoes.

“Find your own sound.  Dont be a second rateYngwie Malmsteen be a first rate you”

– George Lynch 2013 (Dokken, Lynchmob, KXM, Tooth & Nail etc....)

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

beamer wrote:

MB or anyone else for that matter, I just posted up all my basic stuff on FB..

......but you forgot to post your Fb link so we cannot find it....

Rpger

"Do, or do not; there is no try"

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

Roger Guppy wrote:
beamer wrote:

MB or anyone else for that matter, I just posted up all my basic stuff on FB..

......but you forgot to post your Fb link so we cannot find it....

Rpger

oops.  http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1211582282  go to my pictures file and look for guitar stuff.  Everything i Scanned is in there.  look for the stretches for the fourth finger.  This lesson comes from "ARLEN ROTHS METAL METHOD"  GREAT BOOK,
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss? … tal+method

I xeroxed every page of it back in the day before scanners.   This exercise will make your pinky burn for a while.  I originally had all this stuff in step folders, to work people up to it.  I then let them have a copy of the Arlen book.  We stuck to four chord keg rock and beach / chapen stuff after that.......

Oh to have had Chordie and you tube back then.

“Find your own sound.  Dont be a second rateYngwie Malmsteen be a first rate you”

– George Lynch 2013 (Dokken, Lynchmob, KXM, Tooth & Nail etc....)

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

oh I thought i was the only one that avoided the F  .. nice to see and hear all the advice ... thanks so much

149

Re: "F" chord is now outlawed

Welcome to the forums Pam_ela.  There are certain chords that frustrate all guitar players somewhere along the line.  My big problem chord to get over was D.  Then F.  I continue to think that B chord (the one using the A shape with a barre) is evil and for mutants only. 

- Zurf

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude