| Novice guitarists often have a hard time learning | | | | as the triad but lay your first finger down to |
| the F bar chord. There are two reasons why this | | | | press the first two strings. |
| guitar chord is one of the hardest to learn. | | | | * E Chord Fingering |
| 1. You have to bar all six strings at the first fret | | | | Play open E chords using your middle, ring and |
| where the string tension makes them hard to | | | | little fingers instead of the first, middle and ring |
| press down. | | | | fingers usually used. You prepare your fingers for |
| 2. The wide spacing of the first frets makes it a | | | | the F chord using this position.e 0||---|---|---|b |
| stretch for your other fingers. | | | | 0||---|---|---|g ||-2-|---|---|d ||---|-4-|---|a ||---|-3-|---| |
| The F chord is often one of the first bar chords | | | | E 0||---|---|---| |
| attempted by beginner guitarists. This is a | | | | Slide your fingers up one fret to the 2nd and 3rd |
| mistake, though, and can lead to discouragement. | | | | frets and play only the fingered strings and |
| It is easier to start learning bar chords further up | | | | you've got another F triad. |
| the neck where string tension is lower and frets | | | | * Another Two String Bar |
| less widely spaced. | | | | Now you can extend the E chord form with a |
| A good place to start is the A, D and E chords at | | | | small bar on the first two strings. Slide the E form |
| the 5th and 7th frets. The tension and fret widths | | | | up to the 2nd and 3rd fret, then bar the 1st and |
| are quite comfortable here; further up the neck | | | | 2nd strings with the first finger. You are nearly |
| things get harder as the frets get narrower. If | | | | there, you have five of the six strings covered. |
| you are ready to tackle the F bar chord, though, | | | | * Full F Bar Chord |
| you can make things easier by following the | | | | Now you just have to extend your first finger to |
| progressive approach described below. | | | | bar all six strings. Place the middle finger first as |
| * 3 Note Chord | | | | an anchor point to position the others around. |
| The three note F chord form below is one easy | | | | Then lay your index finger across the strings |
| way to get started, strum only the three fingered | | | | behind the 1st fret and squeeze it onto the |
| strings.e x||---|---|---|b ||-1-|---|---|g ||---|-2-|---|d ||---|---|-3-|a | | | | fretboard by pulling back your elbow. |
| x||---|---|---| | | | | Take your time to build strength to hold the bar |
| E x||---|---|---| | | | | down firmly. Work for short periods and stop as |
| Three note chord forms like this are called triads. | | | | soon as your hand feels tired.too much haste |
| This one gets you used to the F position without | | | | could lead to a hand injury. |
| barring the strings. | | | | The step by step approach described above will |
| * Add Two String Bar | | | | give you the confidence to learn the F bar chord. |
| You can build on the F triad by adding a partial bar | | | | Practice slowly and in small doses, your patience |
| on the 1st and 2nd strings. Use the same fingering | | | | will pay off in the long run. |