• It's easier to press down barre chords on an electric guitar. For all us acoustic guitarists, we've got to build more muscle. The strings on an electric are thinner and under less tension.

• The "action" of a guitar means how far the strings are from the fretboard. The lower the action, the closer the strings are to the fretboard, therefor the easier it is to press down the strings.

• Sometimes, cheaper guitars have higher actions and are harder to play.

• The "action is measured in millimeters (mm)

• To measure your action use a tape measure/ruler at the 12th fret to measure the distance of the strings from the fretboard.

• If your action is between 2-4mm then you're guitar is well set up. A low guitar action is 2.38mm. If your action is higher than 4m then you're still ok for the course but your action could be lowered.

• To make it easier to press down the string try some thin gauge (thickness) strings like these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0002CZST4 Here's the link to "How To Change An Acoustic Guitar String Tutorial" If the strings are thinner it means it's easier to press down the strings (especially with barre chords)

• To get the action lower take the guitar back to the shop you bought it from and ask them to lower it for you.

• If you're into DIY (and you want to lower the action yourself) check out this excellent instruction article by Stuart Briggs: How To Lower The Action On An Acoustic Guitar

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