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| Moderated by: Richard Hefner |
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| F chord for fingerpicking - Beginner Questions - Guitar - Guitar - ezFolk Forums | |||||||||||||||
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doctorlove Approved
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Hey everyone, I just started a fingerpicking guitar book and the book calls for positioning the thumb on the 6th string first fret to form an F chord. I'm not used to this positoning and can't seem to get my thumb firmly enough on the string to stop it from buzzing. How should I position my thumb to form this chord - what part of the thumb should I be using to press down on the string? Thanks. John Last edited on Wed Sep 26th, 2007 08:49 pm by doctorlove |
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banjo brad Super Moderator 
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I have short fingers, and play a classical guitar with a wide fingerboard, so I can't use my thumb! Try using a full barre - that is, using the index finger to cover all 6 strings instead of just the 1st and 2nd strings. It does require some practice, but is a useful technique. Most classical guitar teachers will tell you not to use the thumb, since it requires putting the neck into the web of the thumb and first finger and makes it hard to position the fingers for a good clean sound and quick movement. /*Don Flameproof suit*/ I would encourage you to try to play the guitar by placing your thumb on the back of the neck, about where your second finger will be fretting (sometimes this is said to be on the centerline of the neck). /*Remove Flameproof suit.*/ Brad Last edited on Wed Sep 26th, 2007 10:04 pm by banjo brad ____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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Will Approved 
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I have small hands also, and I can't use my thumb to fret the bass string either. With a 6-string guitar, there are often more than one fingering positions for the same chord name. There is a simpler version of the F chord that uses only the 4 highest strings (1123XX). Another way to play in the key of F is to put a capo on the 3rd fret and play the chords in the key of D. What Brad described is a 6-string F major chord that is actually an E major chord played using the index finger acting as a moveable capo (or "barre") on the 1st fret (which transposes the E chord into an F chord). I play in a style that uses rapid chord changes, and I simply can't transition quickly in and out of that barre chord, so I usually play the 4-string F, or use a capo on the 3rd fret and play in the key of D. Last edited on Thu Sep 27th, 2007 04:34 am by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ |
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Jim Edwards Approved 
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No flames from me, Brad. This is good ergonomic technique, although I will admit to occasionally sneaking my thumb over the top on a D chord to silence the open E string or to make a D/F#. Also, like Will, I have smallish hands, which are not conducive to either open or barred F chords, so I use a capo in those situations. That having been said, I guess I'm backwards because I usually strum a guitar and fingerpick a mountain dulcimer, whereas most players of both instruments do the opposite.
____________________ Support Independent Music |
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Philj200 Approved 
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I've just taken a workshop with Dave Laibman, one of the best fingerpickers ever. His opinion on the thumb is that planting it on the back of the neck is a waste of a finger. He uses it with a dexterity that is awesome. By using the thumb on the 6th and 5th strings, he gets all sorts of bass capabilities while he rags around the higher positions. I've been playing fingerstyle (and others) since the 60's and have no problem with the thumb moving over a bass string. I even find myself doing it on the banjo. But Dave's thumb is much more limber (from decades of practice) than most. Some of the parts of some of his pieces are impossible to play with fluidity without using the thumb. There are others that he plays using the thumb that I just can't accomplish with speed or accuracy. So I resort to full or partial barres. Google his Dill Pickles Rag to see what I'm talking about. That was the piece we learned (or tried to). I don't have his recording but I do have some others. Chet Atkins has a neat version. So does Don Reno.
____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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doctorlove Approved
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Thanks for the replies everyone. Before I started really fingerpicking I would just bar or partial bar the chord. But as Phil mentioned, it seems that the extra finger the thumb gives you would be valuable for certain songs which is why I wanted to learn that positioning. What seems to be working is to really extend my thumb around the string and not using just the tip of my thumb. If anyone else has any more tips I'd appreciate it. Thanks again. John
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| ezFolk Forums > Guitar > Beginner Questions - Guitar > F chord for fingerpicking | |
