F major (F)
The first real barre chord for most guitarists: the E shape at the 1st fret, where the strings are hardest to press down. Once you’ve got it, every barre chord is within reach.
There’s no full open shape: it’s played as a barre chord from the 1st fret, or as a small 4-string shape to start with. It’s the home chord of the key of F major; you’ll also find it in C major and B♭ major.
- Notes:
- F, A, C.
- Formula:
- 1, 3, 5.
- Difficulty:
- Intermediate.
- Strings played:
- 6.
Chord diagram
e|--1--| B|--1--| G|--2--| D|--3--| A|--3--| E|--1--|
Other positions
e|--8---| B|--10--| G|--10--| D|--10--| A|--8---| E|--x---|
Capo tip: put the capo at the 1st fret and play the E major shape: you hear F major, with no barre.The capo
Common mistakes
B or high E string buzzing? It’s landing in a crease of your index finger. Roll it slightly toward your thumb so you press with its edge.
Hand tiring fast? Don’t squeeze with your thumb: let the weight of your arm gently pull your hand back toward you.
Variations
The small F shape (xx3211): four strings, with your index finger laid across just the B and high E strings. It’s the F most beginners play before the full barre.
Fmaj7 (xx3210): the same shape without the index finger on the high E string. Softer, and it stands in for F in lots of songs.
e|--1--| B|--1--| G|--2--| D|--3--| A|--x--| E|--x--|
e|--0--| B|--1--| G|--2--| D|--3--| A|--x--| E|--x--|
Heard in
Let It Be (The Beatles): C, G, Am, F. House of the Rising Sun (The Animals): Am, C, D, F.
Often played with
The chords in its key, the ones you hear most often around F major.