The F guitar chord is notoriously difficult for beginner guitarists. In this free lesson you will learn:
How to play the F guitar chord correctly
The best F chord for beginner guitarists to use
A simple 3-string version of the F guitar chord
3 bonus tricks you can use to make your F chords sound better
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How to play the F guitar chord properly
Let’s look at the correct way to play an F guitar chord first, then we’ll look at the easier alternatives. Sound like a plan? Let’s do it.
Ok, this is how an accomplished guitarist plays an F chord. (By the way, did you know that the full name of an F chord is “F Major”? Most of the time people just call it “F”.)
F Major
(If you don't understand the above image please read our article "How To Read Guitar Chordboxes In 60 Seconds". It will make everything clear!)
In real-life the F chord looks like this:
As you can see this is a difficult chord – it’s simply not possible for a beginner guitarist to play an F guitar chord (in this way). Clearly we need to find easier alternatives, so let’s get to it!
Some easier ways to play an F guitar chord
This is the most widely-used easier version of an F chord on guitar:
F Major
As you can see, we no longer need to totally barre the first fret, so that’s a huge relief for a beginner guitarist. Even so, this chord still requires solid concentration and a good level of dexterity to play.
If you’ve been playing the guitar for only a few hours this will still be a very difficult chord for you to assemble quickly and consistently. We need an even easier alternative.
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Ok, now we’re getting to a lower barrier of entry. This chord is called “Fmaj7” (pronounced “F major seven”).
Fmaj7
As you can see, this is significantly easier than the first version of F that we looked at.
In a moment we’ll look at the easiest-of-all ways to play an F guitar chord, but firstly there’s an important point I need to flag to you.
F Guitar Chord – String Selection
Note that when playing both the above versions of an F guitar chord you should only play strings 1-4. Your strumming/picking shouldbegin on the 4th string.
(Remember that an ‘X’ on a chordbox diagram means “don’t play this string”.)
Let’s have a quick refresher on string numbers:
If you play the fifth string (the A string) when playing either of the aboveF guitar chords it won’t kill the chord (it’ll still sound ok, just) butif you accidentally play the 6th string (the E string) it will wreck the chord.
For tips on how to do this well read my free lesson:How To Skip Strings When Strumming
The Best Easy Versions Of This Chord
A super-simple, 3-string version of F
This version of an F guitar chord is fantastic for children and adults with learning difficulties or smaller hands:
This version of F doesn’t sound as good as the earlier versions, but it’s passable, and it will act as a stepping stone towards the better-sounding F chords. .
Remember: F is a tough chord, so don’t worry if you’re struggling with it. Learning guitar takes time!
The F guitar chord is one of the very toughest chords for a beginner guitarist to play, so don’t worry if you find it challenging. That’s perfectly normal.
With this in mind, I tell my new students to skip all songs that feature an F chord until they’ve been playing guitar for at least a month.
After 4-6 weeks most people have mastered simpler chords like Em, G, Am, D and C. By that stage they have developed enough control and precision in their third finger that they can perform the above easier F chords without it being too tough.
For the vast majority of adult learners, Fmaj7 should be the first goal. It sounds great and is much easier to play than a full F chord.
A Pro Tip For Using Fmaj7
Note how closely a Fmaj7 chord resembles the shape of a C chord? This is one of the things that makes Fmaj7 a handy chord to know, because F and C are common bedfellows, they crop up together often, along with G.
You can combine Fmaj7, C and G in the following way. It sounds great and allows you to maintain a similar handshape as you play. (This makes things easier for you and allows you to play with more fluidity.)
Check this pattern out. When you have F and/or C and/or G near to one another, try playing F like this:
…and C, as normal, like this…
…and use this version of G (called Gsus4)…
This is a great example of using broader chord knowledge to make things easier and sound better. (You’ll do this a LOT as you progress as a guitarist!)
Common versions of F
Now let’s look at some sevenths:
Here are some other cool-sounding F chords .
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The easy F chord starts with your index finger on the 1st fret of the 2nd string. Then use your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the 3rd string. Your ring finger and pinky will play the 3rd fret on the 5th and 4th strings respectively. For this version of the F chord, you won't play the high or low E strings.
The F major chord is a particularly challenging chord to play on the guitar because it requires you to make a bar or mini-bar (we'll get into this later), which makes it hard to execute cleanly. In this guide, we'll be tackling the dreaded F major from just about every angle so you can master this unruly chord.
An F chord is formed with the notes F, A and C. We can play a simple triad shape across strings 4, 3 and 2. If I replace the A note on string 3 with the open G I create what is called an Fsus2. Adding an open string 1 to these shapes creates an Fmaj7 (commonly used by beginners to replace an F chord) or Fmaj7sus2.
If your guitar has fatter strings, playing the F barre chord will be harder. That's because heavier strings require more pressure than lighter ones. So switch to: 10 gauge strings if on acoustic.
The six-string F chord is one of the hardest standard chord shape to play on the guitar. When many people try to play the F chord on guitar (and often succeed), it's with far too much struggle and effort than is actually necessary. Even extremely influential guitarists can have a hard time with barre chords.
Just play the top three Strings.Move it up one fret to D# or Eb, move it one more to E, then one more to F.Add four fourth finger to the A on the seventh fret ( D string) and that's a nice little F chord.
And, due to the necessity of using six strings with two fingers and the barre technique, the F minor barre chord is among the most difficult for beginning guitarists to master. Of course, as you play it more, you'll get better at it.
E major chord. Playing an E chord is one of the easiest to learn at first, partly because you don't have to worry about strumming strings that aren't part of the chord. ...
While classical guitars offer a unique playing experience, they also come with their own set of challenges. One of the main difficulties of playing classical guitars lies in the fingerpicking techniques commonly used in classical music.
Chord I, F major consists of the notes, F – A – C, while F major seventh consists of the notes, F – A – C – E. Chord ii, G minor consists of the notes, G – Bb – D. G minor seventh consists of the notes, G – Bb – D – F.
Place the tip of your first finger on the sixth string at the first fret. Flatten your finger and press down to make a barre across to the first string. Put your third finger on the third fret of the fifth string. Put your fourth finger on the third fret of the fourth string.
Barre chords are easier when played further up the neck. Try fingering an F chord at the fifth fret to start. This will allow you to build up strength in your hand as you work your way back to the first fret.
Introduction: My name is Aracelis Kilback, I am a nice, gentle, agreeable, joyous, attractive, combative, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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