It is not always desirable to leave a chord ringing once it has been played. In rhythm guitar playing it is common to cut the sound of a chord off as soon as it has been played, making the rhythm very crisp. The technique of cutting chords or notes shorter than their written value is called staccato. With chords containing open strings, staccato is usually achieved by placing the side of the right hand across all the strings immediately after strumming the chord. Staccato is indicated by placing a dot directly above or below the intended note or chord, as shown in the following example.
F
To play the F chord, use the first, second and third fingers of your left hand as shown in the diagram. Strum only five strings. The first finger bars across the first two strings. This is quite difficult at first. The F chord is easier to play if you position your third and second fingers before you position the first finger. Practice changing slowly between F and each of the other chords you know until it becomes comfortable.
A dot written after a quarter note means that you hold the note for one and a half beats.