F major chord is probably one of the most tricky chords for beginners. To tell you the truth, it is still not my favourite even after 25 years of playing guitar!
Thankfully there are different ways to play this dreaded F chord, and some are easier than others!
In this article we’ll look at these 3 versions of the F major chord in detail.
I will tell you right now that I recommend starting with version 1, but feel free to use version 2 if you need to ease into it. These easier variations of F chord will work well for you for a while, but you should aim to master the full F major chord because it will open many more possibilities once you move to playing further down the neck.
Good news about F chord is that you can avoid it altogether, even if you have to play in the key of F! I will let you on a little secret in the very end of this article.
What is F major chord
Like any other major chords F major is built using a simple 1-3-5 formula. That means it is using 1st, 3rd and 5th notes from an F major scale. Those happen to be F, A, and C.
It is most commonly indicated as F, although you might see alternative names for it.
- Chord formula: 1 – 3 – 5
- Chord notes: F – A – C
- Alternative names: FM, FMa, Fmaj, FΔ
- Common functions: I-chord in F major key, IV-chord in C major key
F major is a simple triad, but it is by no means simple to play on the guitar.
How to play full F major chord
Full F major chord still gives me trouble even after years of playing the guitar. It is no doubt hard to play, so don’t be frustrated if it takes a long time to learn to play it well.
Finger position for F chord doesn’t look complicated, but it is tricky.
For one, you need to barre all 6 strings right on the first fret (where the string tension is high) with your index finger. It is really hard to do well, so it is a good idea to practice just that without using any other fingers.
And it is not just about the index finger. Other fingers need to be limber and strong to get into (and hold) the right position.
Since there are essentially 2 components to the F chord, it is a good idea to practice them independently: barre first, and then other finger position second.
How to practice F major chord barre
Put the tip of your index finger (number 1) on the very top string and lay your finger across the neck. Apply pressure until you can make every note sound nice and clear.
For that to work well you need to slightly curve the finger and apply the pressure on the side of the finger where your bony structures are. In other words, DON’T keep your finger perfectly straight, and DON’T use the softest part.
Make sure to use your thumb and apply pressure from the other side of the neck as well. It should feel like you are trying to squeeze the neck from both sides using your index finger and your thumb.
NOTE In reality, your index finger needs to sound notes only on 6th, 2nd and 1st strings, but it is a good idea to get it strong enough to be able to barre all 6 strings.
This will be very uncomfortable and maybe even painful in the beginning, so take it slowly.
Don’t try to hold the strings down for too long. Just press, strum and release. Repeat several times. Don’t even worry if strings don’t sound at all in the beginning. Do this several times a day, and you will develop strength in your fingers to hold the notes properly.
Feel free to try the same exercise lower down the neck where the tension of the strings is lower, so it might be easier for you. Try doing the same exercise around 5th fret, and move fret by fret back to the 1st fret.
It is a good idea to have a someone experienced to check the string action on your guitar. If the strings are too high off the fretboard it will be much much harder to learn barre chords. Also it helps to have lighter strings.
Adding other fingers
Barre exercise is one part of the routine that you should maintain to master the F chord. But this chord it is not played with index finger alone, and adding other fingers to it is a bit tricky too.
Best way to start practice this is to place your index finger over the strings and press lightly. Don’t try to make it sound good just yet! Then add other fingers. Make sure to put them very close to the frets. Strum and see (hear) what you’ve got.
Again, it might not sound like much in the beginning, but keep at it.
Let go, and try again. Do that several times throughout the day.
Once you find that your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers can hold their notes well see if you can increase the pressure with your index finger to make the rest of the notes sound better. You will want to concentrate the pressure on the tip and the base of your index finger to make sure that notes on 6th, 2nd and 1st strings are held well.
Easier ways to play F major chord
While you are working toward learning to play full F major chord, you can use easier versions in your songs and exercises. It is somewhat of a cheat, but hey it is better to cheat than wait for weeks (or months) until you can play a proper F chord!
Both alternative versions use barre, but it is nothing compared to the one you have to do in the full version.
Actually, there is another way to transition to the full F chord. Start by using your index finger to barre only 2 strings (as per diagrams above), then add one more, then one more. Do that until you have all 6 strings barred.
Version one is much closer to the full F chord, so I’d recommend you try and learn that. As you can see 6th string is not used. When strumming be careful not to hit it by accident. It won’t sound too good if you do (another reason to learn the full F chord!). It is best to mute it by touching it lightly with one of the fingers, but it is somewhat of an advanced technique. For now, just try to avoid 6th string altogether.
Version two is even easier to finger, and you can actually strum the 5th string if you want. It is an A, and it is part of the chord, so it won’t sound bad.
F major chord cheat
There is another way to play F major chord, but it is more of a cheat:
This version doesn’t sound nearly as good as other variations, but it is by far the easiest to execute, so feel free to give it a try.
In this cheat version you use your index finger for the F on the low-E string as you would in a full version, but don’t apply any pressure to make any of the other lower strings sound. It will automatically mute the bottom strings. If you press harder you might get strings buzzing, which you don’t want.
Practicing chord changes
Once you are more or less comfortable with fingering the chord, and it does sound like something, it is time to practice some chord changes.
F major chord will be most frequently used next to either C major and G major chords, or Dm. So it is a good idea to practice changes like this:
- C-F-C-F
- F-G-F-G
- C-F-G-C-F-G
- F-C-F-C
- F-Dm-F-Dm
Try and experiment with chord changes. It is not a bad idea to try moving from F to any other chord in F major scale.
Avoiding F chord altogether
You will encounter F chord most frequently if you are playing a song in the key of F major or C major. You can choose to avoid it altogether in songs until you are more comfortable with it.
The way to do it is by changing the key of a song. For example, if the song is in the key of F you can move it a step up to the key of G or half a step down to the key of E.
In reality, you can transpose it to any key you want, and simply use a capo so you can still play along with the recording.
But this is only a temporary solution. You will want to master F chord as soon as possible, so you won’t have to shy away from it.
If F major chord is used only in passing (for a very short time), you will probably get away with it even if you play it poorly. Keep that in mind before you decide to change the key.
