Members KATMAN Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 Is this due to poor tecnique,or due to the fact I haven't played it in so long? It's not that I don't know how to,it's just the fact that since I learned barred chords I don't play a open F.Is this normal,or could I have other hand troubles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michael Martin Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 I think you have hand troubles. Better get it checked out. F shouldn't hurt your wrist...it's kinda hard on the index finger for a beginner (or someone who has not played in a long time), especially with heavier strings, but I don't know why the wrist should be strained. F was a bear to play on my plywood Kay all those years ago. Only reason I made myself learn it was because of "House of the Rising Sun". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members learn'r Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 Is this due to poor tecnique,or due to the fact I haven't played it in so long? It's not that I don't know how to,it's just the fact that since I learned barred chords I don't play a open F.Is this normal,or could I have other hand troubles? where's the pain located?just asking but, have you became to dependant on your thumb (vise grippin')? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 I'd heed Michael Martin's advice and get your wrist and hand looked at...might be serious, might just require a different way of holding the guitar (I find wearing the guitar higher on my body - see pic - makes a tremendous difference...much easier/less hand strain than wearing a guitar low, like some folks do!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members martingibson70 Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 All good advice. There are some chords that are problems for me. Have you tried a capo and transposing chords? A capo on the 3rd will allow an F to be played with a regular open D position. Also, drop D tuning will allow for an F to be played by covering just the E(now a D after droppin) and A strings at the 3rd fret. However, there's really no hiding from bar chords forever though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KATMAN Posted February 13, 2007 Author Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 The pain is located right above the wrist. It feels better when I take off the watch,which is pretty heavy.Maybe that's it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hudman Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 High action at the nut can make fretting an F chord difficult. You may need your nut re-cut. You also may want to try fretting the F note on the low E with your thumb. Another technique is not including the F note. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pro_magnum Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 I use my thumb to press down on the sixth string. That saves me an extra finger to finish the chord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members faroutbob Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 I think it's just a tough bar code to hit cleanly all the way across. It takes a lot of effort for me to nail it as well. The open version is even harder (for me anyway) So whenever possible I"ll play it as a power chord or play the open version without the high E. It works in many cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Krash Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 Open F was one of the first chords I learned (along with C and G), but when I got back to guitar a couple of years ago after not playing for a long time, it was the most difficult to play, and I still have trouble with it. As Terry suggested, wearing your guitar higher, or using a higher neck angle, takes some of the strain off your wrist. The gunslinger look is cool for a young guy, but wearing your guitar in front of your weinie restricts fret access, and is more of a problem as you get older and things start to stiffen up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bjorn-fjord Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 I went to one of those in-store Taylor workshops and Chris Proctor advised the group to never play a barre chord F on the first fret. He said to either wrap the thumb around on the sixth string or skip the low root note altoghter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 The pain is located right above the wrist. It feels better when I take off the watch,which is pretty heavy.Maybe that's it. It's possible your watch band is too tight or something. Years ago I actually gave myself early carpal tunnel syndrome doing that . I get something like a cramp in my left hand when I play a lot of barre chords. Probably something wrong with my technique(?) Last summer, I played a song I wrote called "The Light of the Morning," which is mainly Bm and G barred at the third fret. I was so glad it was only three verses. I would've probably needed a capo otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michael Martin Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 ...wearing your guitar in front of your weinie restricts fret access, and is more of a problem as you get older and things start to stiffen up. I don't know about all y'all, but it was when I was younger that things started to stiffen up. (apologies in advance) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 I don't know about all y'all, but it was when I was younger that things started to stiffen up. (apologies in advance) Do you, by chance, remember the scene in the movie "Honeysuckle Rose", where Willie Nelson and Slim Pickens were reminiscing and one (Slim, I think) says, "Remember when we started out...all we had was a guitar and a hard-on..." And the other (Willie, I think) answered, "Well, at least I still got my guitar!"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Krash Posted February 15, 2007 Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rjoxyz Posted February 15, 2007 Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 I have always cheated, barring only the B and high E and playing F as a 5 string chord. Much easier than a full barre chord (something I may struggle with forever, rarely venturing past the 3d fret ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members theGOOCH Posted February 15, 2007 Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 I think an open F puts your hand and wrist in kind of an unnatural position. I used to avoid it and go for the barre chord, but I decided to stick with it. I wouldn't if it is actually painful though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Roy Posted February 15, 2007 Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 I have the same pain sometimes. It is mild arthritis. I can't say that you have the same thing, but I can say that a guitar forum probably isn't the best place to seek medical advice. I say, take a couple of pills and if the pain persists....call me. I'm no expert, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn last night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KATMAN Posted February 15, 2007 Author Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 I was thinking it might be mild arthritis to,especially since I work in a cold and damp atmosphere.Didn't sart hurting until it got cold outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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