Why is the F chord so hard?

Trying to figure out how to get students from easy open chords like E minor to harder chords like B minor took years of research and thinking about how I did things, and what students struggled with.  One key milestone in that journey for me was figuring out why students struggle so much with the F chord.  Once I realized what the trick was, or rather, what everyone was doing wrong, it became . . . less impossible . . . for students to master the chord.  It’s still hard even after you know the trick, but over time, if you do what I say, you’ll eventually get it.

Elbow Position

The trick is getting your elbow in the right position.  I talk about this in my book on page 24.  What most students are doing wrong is holding the guitar parallel to their body, and then having their arm at their side.  What everyone needs to do is swing the guitar out and hold it at a 45 degree angle to their body, and then bring the arm and elbow in front their stomach.

Angle of the fret hand fingers

Bringing the elbow in front of the body will cause the hand to lean in the correct direction so the fingers are slanted away from the strings.  This is why people have trouble playing the F chord and getting all the strings to ring out properly.  If the fret hand is not leaning in the right direction, then each finger will be touching each string below it.

This is not an instant fix

I want to stress that doing this will not immediately result in you mastering the F chord and playing it perfectly.  It will however, lay the groundwork for eventually being able to play it.  One extra note: you should play all the exercises I have in my book with your thumb behind the neck, as it is easier to play the F chord properly with that thumb position.  Down the road, it is possible to play the four finger version of F with the thumb wrapped around the neck, but it has been my experience as a teacher that students struggle to master the F chord with their thumb over top of the neck.