F chords

[Hooperman]

Why, on earth, are there so many F majors in pogues songs? I despise F, almost as much as B, its so awkward. Do some people have a personal preference for it or is there some non-guitar related reason as to why its used so much?

[philipchevron]

Why, on earth, are there so many F majors in pogues songs? I despise F, almost as much as B, its so awkward. Do some people have a personal preference for it or is there some non-guitar related reason as to why its used so much?

If a song is in the key of C, as a number of ours are, there will almost inevitably be a smattering of Fs and Gs also. My personal bugbear is songs in the key of F ("Boat Train", "Sickbed", "Dark Streets of London") which require a B flat to be negotiated. Usually I play the song in C with a capo on the 5th fret, which still leaves the matter of the F chord (substituting for the B flat). But really, there's no getting round this: if you can't be arsed to master an F major chord, you might care to try another instrument.

[Hooperman]

Why, on earth, are there so many F majors in pogues songs? I despise F, almost as much as B, its so awkward. Do some people have a personal preference for it or is there some non-guitar related reason as to why its used so much?

If a song is in the key of C, as a number of ours are, there will almost inevitably be a smattering of Fs and Gs also. My personal bugbear is songs in the key of F ("Boat Train", "Sickbed", "Dark Streets of London") which require a B flat to be negotiated. Usually I play the song in C with a capo on the 5th fret, which still leaves the matter of the F chord (substituting for the B flat). But really, there's no getting round this: if you can't be arsed to master an F major chord, you might care to try another instrument.

Im trying another 5, they all have their ups and downs.

[Mick Molloy]

F chords rule! It's among one of my favourites together with E but that's a totally different story

[Hooperman]

My personal favourite chord is A. Followed closely by D and G. I can use F but i have to change my entire playing style to fit it in properly.

[left]

I don't have a favourite chord, I'm an abnormal guitar player?

[Behan]

Why, on earth, are there so many F majors in pogues songs? I despise F, almost as much as B, its so awkward. Do some people have a personal preference for it or is there some non-guitar related reason as to why its used so much?

Try playing the F as a bar-chord. Then it wouldn't make a difference what major chord you're playing (same fingering- different fret - first fret).
Also why I keep my Bb tin whistle handy.

[Hooperman]

Why, on earth, are there so many F majors in pogues songs? I despise F, almost as much as B, its so awkward. Do some people have a personal preference for it or is there some non-guitar related reason as to why its used so much?

Try playing the F as a bar-chord. Then it wouldn't make a difference what major chord you're playing (same fingering- different fret - first fret).
Also why I keep my Bb tin whistle handy.

I cant lay it the other way, i have to play it as a bar. But im not well practiced in changing between bars and normal chords (dont know the technical term) so if i play F i have play entirely in bar chords which tends to hurt after a bit.

[left]

I cant lay it the other way, i have to play it as a bar. But im not well practiced in changing between bars and normal chords (dont know the technical term) so if i play F i have play entirely in bar chords which tends to hurt after a bit.

Try to play Lullaby Of London for some hours...there's hundreds of C-F changes to exercise at there...after a while you'll start to feel comfortable in changing from bar to non-bar chords

[Hooperman]

I cant lay it the other way, i have to play it as a bar. But im not well practiced in changing between bars and normal chords (dont know the technical term) so if i play F i have play entirely in bar chords which tends to hurt after a bit.

Try to play Lullaby Of London for some hours...there's hundreds of C-F changes to exercise at there...after a while you'll start to feel comfortable in changing from bar to non-bar chords

Thanks, ill try that. Although... would body of an american do the same job. Lullaby of london isnt one of my prefered songs.

[philipchevron]

Why, on earth, are there so many F majors in pogues songs? I despise F, almost as much as B, its so awkward. Do some people have a personal preference for it or is there some non-guitar related reason as to why its used so much?

Try playing the F as a bar-chord. Then it wouldn't make a difference what major chord you're playing (same fingering- different fret - first fret).
Also why I keep my Bb tin whistle handy.

I cant lay it the other way, i have to play it as a bar. But im not well practiced in changing between bars and normal chords (dont know the technical term) so if i play F i have play entirely in bar chords which tends to hurt after a bit.

See, you have an advantage over me already!! My hands are too small to make barre chord shapes, so my F's (and subsequent shapes) make good use of all 4 fingers and a thumb. I call these (if I may borrow an expression from another currently-running thread) my quasi-barres!!

But whatever you do, it will hurt after a while. And it will continue to hurt for the rest of your life unless you practice every day. Three shows into a West Coast tour 35 years into your career, the fingertips of your left hand will sting like crazy in the middle of "The Bottle Of Smoke". You didn't think it would be easy did you? But the way I see it. it could be worse, I could be still farming tomatoes and getting bullied by the big boys.

[R0gUE]

How we have to sacrifice for what we love to do.

On a similar topic, I have been pained to find out that the same thing is happening to my right hand from the mouse which I use to draw... (my finger hurts like crazy sometimes... and I'm only 10 years into my career)... which is what I do... and am kind of freaking out wondering what the future will hold: a lot of pain or no more drawing or maybe verbal drawing and some shots.

[Hooperman]

Thanks very much for all this advice. I've always noticed that advice is always so much more noticed when someone you aspire to play like tells you. My banjo playing seriously improved when Damien O'Kane told me to practice and not quit or hed thrash me. I best get to work on my F chords then. All i need now is James Fearnley to tell me get my arse in gear with my accordian technique...

[IrishJim]

Is it just me, or has anyone else ever heard of a "concert" F? It is an F chord that is really easy to do, and sounds best when used in conjunction with the Key of C chord progression.

From the C chord, keep your first finger on the 1st fret on the b string. Move your second and third fingers up one string from where they were on the C chord, so your second finger is on the 2nd fret of the G string and your third finger is on the 3rd fret of the D string. Let the A string sound open, and mute both the high and low E (I use the pad of my first finger on the high e and the tip of my thumb on the low E). Granted, it doesn't have the exact same sound, since you sacrifice the F bass note, but I have played my F major this way for as long as I have been playing guitar, and have never been criticized for it!

Or, just turn up the distortion and play power chords!!!

[IrishJim]

Is it just me, or has anyone else ever heard of a "concert" F? It is an F chord that is really easy to do, and sounds best when used in conjunction with the Key of C chord progression.

From the C chord, keep your first finger on the 1st fret on the b string. Move your second and third fingers up one string from where they were on the C chord, so your second finger is on the 2nd fret of the G string and your third finger is on the 3rd fret of the D string. Let the A string sound open, and mute both the high and low E (I use the pad of my first finger on the high e and the tip of my thumb on the low E). Granted, it doesn't have the exact same sound, since you sacrifice the F bass note, but I have played my F major this way for as long as I have been playing guitar, and have never been criticized for it!

Or, just turn up the distortion and play power chords!!!

Here's a picture to better describe the chord