F Guitar Chord

Written by

Dwight H.

April 7, 2023

Fact-checked by

Paul Mazzola

Thinking that the only way you can play the F Major chord (F, A, C) on your guitar is as a barre chord? While it's true that the barre-version of F Major is one of the most popular, it's only one of several voicings you can employ, and learning a few of the others will help vary your playing and help augment your sound in a way that will get people to notice. Those other voicings can pose a bit of a challenge, however, so today we're going to walk you through some of the many ways you can play F Major with style.

Get free estimates from guitar lessons near you.

How to Play F Chord on Guitar

Since we mentioned it upfront, let's start with that F Major barre chord that most guitarists know and love:

F Guitar Chord | The 6 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) (1)

Use your 1st finger to bar the strings at the 1st fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd string/2nd fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 5th string/3rd fret
Place your 4th finger on the 4th string/3rd fret

This should look familiar to all of you barre chord masters out there; it's just your run of the mill, "E-shape" barre chord moved up to match the notes in F Major. No difficulties here, unless you haven't quite honed your technique for playing barre chords.

F Chord Guitar Easy

If you've not mastered your technique for playing barre chords, there's a "half measure" you can use that's also on the 1st fret and easier to play:

F Guitar Chord | The 6 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) (2)

Use your 1st finger to cover strings 1 and 2 at the 1st fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd string/2nd fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 4th string/3rd fret
Mute strings 5 and 6

F Bar Chord Guitar

The fun with F Major barre chords doesn't end there, mind you. Lest we forget, there's also the "A-shape" version you can find on the 8th fret:

F Guitar Chord | The 6 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) (3)

F Chord Guitar Variations

Let's say you have a good handle on barre chords, though, and you just don't feel like using them to play F Major, what then? As it turns out, you have plenty of no-barre options up and down the fretboard. You just need to be able to mute the strings right and stretch your fingers to get into the proper position. Let's start with this alternative at the 1st fret:

F Major Chord Guitar Variant #1

F Guitar Chord | The 6 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) (4)

Place your 1st finger on the 6th string/1st fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 2nd string/1st fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd string/2nd fret
Mute strings 1, 4, and 5

Don't get intimidated by those strings you'll need to mute; just stay calm, and use your 1st finger to lightly touch strings 4 and 5, dulling their sound. With your strumming hand, be sure to avoid the 1st string, and you should get the sound you're looking for in short order. It'll take some dexterity (and practice), but stay diligent and you'll grasp it in time.

F Major Chord Guitar Variant #2

Similar advice can be applied when trying this second open position variant:

F Guitar Chord | The 6 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) (5)

Place your 1st finger on the 4th string/3rd fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd string/5th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 1st string/5th fret
Mute strings 2, 5, and 6

In this version, though, you'll be avoiding strings 5 and 6, while using your 3rd finger to mute the 2nd string.

F Major Chord Guitar Variant #3

Once you've got the hang of it, get ready to move out of open position, as we tackle this voicing on the 3rd fret:

F Guitar Chord | The 6 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) (6)

Place your 1st finger on the 4th string/3rd fret
Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd string/5th fret
Place your 3rd finger on the 1st string/5th fret
Place your 4th finger on the 2nd string/6th fret

Get free estimates from guitar lessons near you.

In some respects, this should be easier, as you can just avoid the 5th and 6th strings and won't have to mute anything in between. Hope you've been working out your fingers, though, since you'll need to stretch a bit to get your 4th finger up to the 6th fret while simultaneously holding down at the 3rd fret with your 1st finger.

Make Your F Major Chords the Best They Can Be

With that, you should be armed with a few more ways to play F Major than the average guitarist. When you have the time, you can also start exploring some of F Major's additional voicings, at the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th frets as well. Remember, however, that in music, knowledge without training is next to useless, so start woodshedding for the best results. As always, good luck, and happy practicing!

F Guitar Chord | The 6 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts) (2024)

FAQs

What chords go well with F? ›

The most used triads that “go with” F major are: F, C, Bb, D minor, and G minor. You could also use A minor, and E dim. C7 would commonly be used in simple single-key works.

Discover More ›

Is F the hardest chord? ›

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.

Read On ›

What is the easy F chord alternative? ›

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.

Why is the F chord so hard to play? ›

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.

Get More Info Here ›

Why does my F chord sound bad on guitar? ›

There's a tendency to try to make it sound better by pressing harder. Instead try adjusting the angle of the hand and moving the first finger closer to the first fret (not on top of it). It's a balance of the right position and just enough pressure to make them sound good.

Read On ›

What goes well with F chord? ›

Based on music theory and common chord progressions, you'll often see the F major chord played next to the C major chord, G major chord and Bb major chord. Start practice moving from an F to a C or G chord and back again.

Discover More ›

What strings to play on F chord? ›

The easier way to play an F major chord in the first position requires you to place your index finger on the 1^st fret of the B string. Next, place your middle finger on 2^nd fret of the G string. Lastly, place your ring finger on the 3^rd fret of the A string and your pinky on the third fret of the D string.

Get More Info ›

Why can't I play an F chord on guitar? ›

F is basically the “E” chord played 1 fret higher. The bony part of your index finger acts as a new “nu*t” - which makes your guitar 1 fret shorter (and 1 pitch higher). The tricky part is getting your index finger to hold down all the strings - without your hand starting to hurt. It ain't easy.

Read On ›

How long does it take to get the F chord on guitar? ›

It might take you weeks, if not months, to master this chord. It's a process - so be patient with yourself! The key is to get the finger placement right and to make the F chord ring out clearly.

Can you play F without barring? ›

Can You Play an F Chord Without Barring? You can play an easier version of the F major chord without barring all the strings if you're still working your way up to playing the full chord. To play an easy F chord, you only need to skip your first string, the high E string, and your second string, the B string.

Read On ›

How to play F minor chords on guitar? ›

The F Minor chord

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.

Explore More ›