F guitar chord

Notes in the F major chord

The F chord is made of F · A · C. Its formula is 1–3–5.

How to play the F guitar chord

Lay your first finger flat across all six strings at the 1st fret. Add your second finger on the 2nd fret of the G string, your third finger on the 3rd fret of the A string and your fourth finger on the 3rd fret of the D string.

It is the E major shape moved up one fret, with the first finger doing the job the nut did.

Why your F chord buzzes or sounds muted

F is hard because the barre sits right next to the nut, where the strings are stiffest. The B and high E strings usually buzz first. Keep the first finger straight, close to the fret wire, and squeeze with the thumb directly behind it.

If the full barre will not ring yet, use the four-string F below, or play Fmaj7 (xx3210), which swaps the barre for an open high E string.

Easy F guitar chord

The easy F chord is xx3211: the top four strings of the full shape, with the low E and A strings left out. It still contains every note of the chord (F, A and C), so it is a real F, just thinner in the bass.

Your first finger covers two strings at the 1st fret, which is far less work than the full six-string barre.

F barre chord

F has 3 barre shapes here: 133211 (barre at the 1st fret), 587565 (barre at the 5th fret) and 8-8-10-10-10-8 (barre at the 8th fret).

A barre shape has no open strings, so it moves. Slide any of them up one fret and you are playing F# (Gb).

Songs that use F

• Let It Be (The Beatles): C G Am F
• House of the Rising Sun (The Animals): Am C D F E
• Riptide (Vance Joy): Am G C F
• Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen): C Am F G E7
• Losing My Religion (R.E.M.): Am Em Dm G F C
• La Bamba (Ritchie Valens): C F G
• Sultans of Swing (Dire Straits): Dm C Bb A F
• Have You Ever Seen the Rain (Creedence Clearwater Revival): C G Am F
• Californication (Red Hot Chili Peppers): Am F C G Dm
• All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan): Am G F
• Hit the Road Jack (Ray Charles): Am G F E7
• Roxanne (The Police): Gm Dm Eb F Cm
• Purple Rain (Prince): Bb Gm F Eb
• No Woman, No Cry (Bob Marley): C G Am F
• Lean on Me (Bill Withers): C F G
• Imagine (John Lennon): C Cmaj7 F Am Dm G E7

Chord names only, as the songs are usually charted for guitar. Recordings may use a capo or another key.

Keys with the F chord

F is the IV chord in C major, I chord in F major and V chord in Bb major. In minor keys it is the VI chord in A minor, III chord in D minor and VII chord in G minor.

Chords related to F

• Dmxx0231
• Fmaj7xx3210
• Fm133111
• F7131211
• Cx32010
• G320003
• Amx02210
• Em022000
• Bbx13331

All major guitar chords

Every F chord on guitar

• Fmaj7xx3210
• Fm133111
• F7131211
• Fm7131111
• F61x3231
• Fsus2133x13
• Fm61x0111
• Fadd9xx3213
• F9131213
• Fmaj9102010
• Fdim71x0101
• Fsus4133311
• F13131231
• Fm7b51x110x

F guitar chord questions

How do you play an F chord on guitar?

Play 133211, reading from the low E string to the high E string, with a barre at the 1st fret. An x means the string is not played and a 0 means it rings open. The fingers used are 1 3 4 2 1 1.

What notes are in the F chord?

The F major chord has 3 notes: F, A and C. Its formula is 1–3–5, counted from the F major scale.

Is there an easy way to play F?

Yes. Play xx3211, which uses only the top four strings and no full barre. It contains the same notes: F, A and C.

What keys is the F chord in?

F is the IV chord in C major, I chord in F major and V chord in Bb major. In minor keys it is the VI chord in A minor, III chord in D minor and VII chord in G minor.

F chord diagram to print or save

Printable F chord PDF (one letter page, black on white) · F chord PNG (1200 px)