We know you guys (and gals) enjoy hearing about new pieces of gear—including gear-related oddities that appear on Kickstarter from time to time.

Ergo, we present the Hand Chord, a new product that's the subject of a new Kickstarter campaign.

According to Hand Chord's creators:

"The number one reason people give up playing guitar is because of finger pain. Hand Chord takes away the pain and frustration; no more hurting fingers, just a soft cushy rubber feel.

"It's also a shortcut for people who don't have the time to learn guitar and can also be a gateway for people learning guitar to help them concentrate on strumming and getting a feel for playing guitar without months of practice."

In other words, Hand Chord—which looks a bit like brass knuckles (albeit plastic)—presents itself as an alternative to learning how to play barre chords (What are your thoughts on that?). Hand Chord, which can be set up to "finger" several different chords, lets you just line up the Hand Chord (we don't know what else to call it) on your strings, squeeze it on the neck and strum.

There's also an attachment that is said to be suitable for playing slide guitar.

You can find out more on the Hand Chord Kickstarter page right here.