[hi_there_howdy]

Hi,

Am new to this forum and so I am to the world of guitar.
Just went for my first guitar session this saturday and was taught to play the chords. I have the following problems that seem to demoralise me a bit

1. My fingers ache like hell.
2. I have this feeling that my fingers are too small to reach all the strings.
3. Chord progression seems next to impossible.

Are such obstacles overcome by practice ? How much time does it normally take to perfect just the above three. Any tips to an absolute beginner ?

[Pete]

"" avoid using chemicals """...? Those smoked or taken have fueled many a great guitarist, of course.
Metho is totaly harmless to fingers, and very effective. Another technique used by many guitar teachers is a thin coating of light machine oil, or WD40.
WD40 makes a great guitar polish, as well.

[Darkhodge]

The question is:

"Is it really worth the hassle of putting meths all over your fingers?".

I mean yeah if it works fair enough but with practice your finger tips will harden anyway! Plus you have to put it on your fingers quite regularly right? Like every day or something? That's commitment I'm not willing to put in!

[Pete]

No..the most important question is
"'Will I find I want to stop having Guitar Lessons""..?

I am speaking from the perspective of someone who has made their living, and a very good one indeed, from teaching guitar over the last 40+ years, and the last thing you want to see is a student drop out
""because the action is too high"", or
""the fretboard is too wide"", or
"it doesn't sound like anything I like"" or
( common complaints with beginners using nylon string guitars),

""my fingers hurt ""
(because the strings are 12's or 13's, when they should be .010's or .011 1sts, )
or of course, the favorite one.....
""the strings are old rusty steel strings ripping my fingers to bits, but Dad thinks they are just fine.""

Of course, the real question is
"'why would your Guitar Teacher waste time dealing with a clown like you if you have problems fitting in with the most basic of learner techniques, like putting metho on your fingers""

I have taught over nine thousand people to play guitar.
If there was a problem with using metho to toughen finger ends, I, and all other guitar teachers, sports teachers , cricket coaches and tennis coaches, and perhaps even you, in whatever strange, dislocated world you reside in , would have heard of it by now, don't you think?
Open your mind..perhaps, as the bats fly out, a few new, original thoughts may gain a foothold...maybe.,

[rod232]

Hi,

Could someone explain this bit too me...

[dante117]

I've only owned a guitar for 4 days now, but I play with it for hours every day. I got started a couple months ago when my cousin taught me smoke on water (of all things... imagine!) and since then, all I've wanted to do is play guitar. We went in a week or so ago to their house and I just holed up in rooms playing with his guitar and tuning it and learning chords from "Guitar for Dummies". I'm still working from that book, but I've hit a wall between learning some of the easier chords and some of the harder chords or alternate playing styles, so I just keep on playing the same stuff over and over (and over and over and over...). I'm only 16 so I'm still in school, but I still manage to play for at least 2-3 hours a day and I can tell you from recent experience that it gets easier fast. My fingers are already able to take a lot more than they were at first. Keep it up! I'm right here along with ya.

[papadog65]

I never even tried the barre F chord for years (or any other barre chords for that matter) until I began taking lessons for a while. Instead, I played the 3rd fret of the D string with 4th finger, the 2nd fret of the G string with middle finger and the first fret of the B and E (1st) string with the first finger. Later on, I would wrap the thumb around to fret the 1st fret of the low E (6th string). "Bad" practice with the thumb, I suppose, but it sure sounded great after getting the hang of it. Incidentally, the F chord was the downfall of my son's attempt at learning guitar, and for some other folks, too, so I've heard. Just have to dig in, 'ya know? Stay with it!

[allthumbs]

You could always play the F chord further up the neck in a simpler shape. It looks like the open D chord when played at the 5 and 6 fret. If your picking, you could hold only parts of the F chord you needed.