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Question: How to keep the E-string ringing on the F Chord on Guitar!?
This is the tab I'm using

e--1----------------------------
B--1-----------------------------
G--2---------------------------
D--3---------------------------
A x thumb muted
E x thumb muted

or
EADGBe
xx
| | | | 11 1st fret 1= index finger 2=middle 3=ring x=thumbmuted
| | | 2 | | 2nd
| | 3 | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |

I know that you don't have to thumb mute it, you can just play the four strings, but my guitar teacher won't continue with the lesson until I've done it his way, which is to thumb mute because he gets me to do long even strums, bringing my hand from around my chest down to the tone controls, and its hard to hit only four strings doing that!.

My problems are that when I'm trying to bar the 2 strings on the first fret, either i don't push hard enough or the skin on the palm of my hand just below the fingers, or on the fingers themselves, sticks out and touches the e string!. I can't apply pressure to the back of the neck with my thumb, coz its muting my top E and A strings!. The second and third fingers are also difficult to stop from touching other strings, but I can fix this by carefully repositioning them, only problem is that sometimes makes me contact the e string again with my hand!.
My teacher also makes me play with my arm out from my body, almost at right angle to the fretboard, but I find for the F its easier to angle my arm towards my body, is there a way to not do this coz my teachers heaps fussy with that!.

Tips thatd be good:
-what angle should my index finger be at, horizontaly and vertically
-how should i shape my hand underneath
-how much of my index finger do i use to bar the 2 strings
-angle of my arm to the fretboard
-how long did it take you to learn (and I'm playing in all my spare time, about 3-5 hrs on school nights and all day weekends)
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Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Hi Tom

First of all, you should mute the 5 and 6 with the palm of your right hand touching the string slightly as you strum!.

The angle of the index should be at about 45 deg touching the E-B strings which is what the index should cover!. Most importantly, your hand has to be parallel to the fingerboard for speed and dexterity!. It also allows to finger-stretch much easier when the hand is parallel!.

The angle of the arm forearm is straight and just resting normal with the elbow pointing to the floor!.
At the rate you are going, you should be able to play pretty well after one year if you practice that much!. I used to practice 10 hours a dat with the goal of mastering the guitar to a certain degree and go to Berklee to complete my studies!.Www@QuestionHome@Com