Originally Posted by: Deb48I'm kind of stuck on the lessons about the 6th and 5th string power chords. It hurts so much to play them that I can't do it for long enough to get good at it. Am I doing something wrong? Does anybody else feel like these chords are really painful on the fingertips?
William offered great advice about the correct amount of pressure. Beginner guitarists often use a lot of pressure because it's required to get started! But gradually you learn that you only need to apply a certain amount of pressure to get the notes to sound. Too much & it's only wasted effrot that slows you down & wears down your strength & endurance.
But your guitar could also be part of the problem. Guitars with wide necks, high action and or heavy strings focre a player to use more pressure than necessary if the guitar was et up properly.
I don't want to give you the idea that you need to get a new guitar! But it might help if you could compare your guitar to some other guitars; a friend's guitar, a local music store.
You could even take your guitar to a friend or music store & compare. What kind of guitar are you using? How high is the action? How heavy are the strings?
Hope that helps!
