Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

I have been having the issue that any time I try to press multiple strings with one finger, as in an F or B-flat chord, I am unintentionally bending the strings just enough that it's out of tune. It's most pronounced on F triad, first inversion played on strings 1-3.

Is this something that will sort itself out as my hands get stronger?

My background: I am a trained brass musician, fairly new to guitar.

Hi April, I don’t usually respond to these, mostly because I am new to guitar too.

But from my limited experience, strength might make matters worse. The trick is using as little pressure as possible to make the notes ring out.

For barre chords, it has helped me to focus pressure on only the strings necessary (for example, an F barre chord, press the low E, B, and high E strings on the 1st fret with your 1st finger.

Another tip is to press as close to the fret as possible while still letting it ring clear. If you press down in the middle of two frets, the string will bend more, causing a sharper note.

Hope this helps!