Barred F Chord

A couple days ago, I used a barred F chord a lot while playing and I noticed that my hand started to kind of ache/hurt. So I was wondering if I could get any tips for making sure that I am correctly fingering/playing barred F chords? Thanks!

Originally Posted by: TaylorSwiftYAYA couple days ago, I used a barred F chord a lot while playing and I noticed that my hand started to kind of ache/hurt. So I was wondering if I could get any tips for making sure that I am correctly fingering/playing barred F chords? Thanks!

The muscles and tendons in your hands need time to strengthen. Playing barre chords, especially with the first finger across all strings, will take a little while to develop enough strength to hold down. So treat it like any form of exercise where you are devloping a muscle. As long as you are fingering the chord as per the diagram you will get it. Just don't put too much strain on your hands and above all DON'T play with pain. Bottom line if it hurts stop.

Originally Posted by: Allen HopgoodThe muscles and tendons in your hands need time to strengthen. Playing barre chords, especially with the first finger across all strings, will take a little while to develop enough strength to hold down. So treat it like any form of exercise where you are devloping a muscle. As long as you are fingering the chord as per the diagram you will get it. Just don't put too much strain on your hands and above all DON'T play with pain. Bottom line if it hurts stop.

So you think my hand's hurting just because it's not quite strong enough at the moment and I'll be fine as long as I stop playing as soon as my hand starts to bother? Sore muscles that aren't used to being worked so hard is one thing, developing a hand issue from playing wrong is another... It might be worth mentioning that I'm a mostly self-taught guitarist, but I do think I'm playing the chord correctly.

BTW, thanks for replying!! :D

Originally Posted by: TaylorSwiftYAYSo you think my hand's hurting just because it's not quite strong enough at the moment and I'll be fine as long as I stop playing as soon as my hand starts to bother? Sore muscles that aren't used to being worked so hard is one thing, developing a hand issue from playing wrong is another... It might be worth mentioning that I'm a mostly self-taught guitarist, but I do think I'm playing the chord correctly.

BTW, thanks for replying!! :D

Hi TaylorSwiftYay,

Only stop if it is too painful.

Does everyone else agree?

Well I fairly agree with you both. :) The F major chord is really the least chord I like. I mean if someone will ask me what chord I least like, I would definitely say "F". It's a very common chord but I find it tough to hit the chord and make it sound perfectly good, especially when I'm using a classical guitar. But I've always tried to practice and develop the strength of my fingers because it has been long since I've been playing. I just got back to playing guitar, that's why. :)

If your playing a barre chords, and your constantly playing them within a progression. You will need to learn how to relax your hand between switching and when there is no need to tense your hand up. Learning the shape of the chord is one thing, but you also have to learn how much tension you actual need to apply.

Heres a method i use to determine if i am pressing to hard on the strings.

Rest your finger on the string so it is muted and pluck it constantly.
Slowly apply pressure until you hear the note ring out clearly.

Once you have figured out how much pressure is necessary to have the note ring clearly you will end up seeing that it really doesnt require that much at all. If it still seems like you have to press really hard. There could be 2 possible problems that i can think of.

1. Like Allen said, your hand just isnt quite strong enough yet.
2. Your frets are really low.

String gauge can and will affect how much pressure you need to apply to have it ring clearly, but if you use the method above. You will be able to tell how much is actually needed to make it ring nice. :)

Hope this helps.

Hey TaylorSwiftYAY,
You've been given good advice by everyone, but I do have one thing to add. It would probably be easier if you moved the barre chord up to the 5th fret, and play an A chord. Once you get it there, then you can move it back and tackle that dreaded F chord.

The strings are easier to press in the 5th fret, and it will be easier to fix trouble spots there. When you go back to the F, it will still seem difficult to do, but you will have a better idea of what you need to do.

One other thing, your fingers will move, until you build the strength in them. If you let it, this can be very frustrating, the best thing to do is stop, and place your fingers back in position. Moving the barre chord to the 5th fret can help build the needed strength also, and try moving the barre chord up the neck before going back to the F.

This concept has been tested with many of my students, and it helped them. Let me know how it goes, and I hope it helps you too.

I've been playing for years and my fretting hand still sometimes aches when I play barre chords for an extended period. One thing you should watch for is applying more force to the strings than is really necessary; I tend to do that, and it makes stress on the fretting hand worse. As others have already mentioned, F is probably the most difficult to play as a barre chord because of proximity to the nut. Depending on the piece, there are a couple of alternatives you might use to the F barre chord.

What we think of as the open-position F chord is really just a variation on the F barre chord, leaving out the 5th and 6th strings. If the piece can do without those bass notes, the open F chord puts less stress on the fretting hand. Depending on the size of your hand you might also fret the 6th string with your thumb, which would eliminate the need to barre at the first fret.

Mark

I have been playing for the last 30 years, but had a heart attack last christmas I wanted to teach my grand son how to play but now my doctor says that I will have to lean all over again can I get help with this